Submission period: June 30 - august 15, 2022
EDITING STAGE IS ONGOING
Want your story to stand out? Create complex characters and build the world around them. You don't need jejemon-sounding names to do that!
Join our A Girl Named Ana anthology project!
Following the huge success of our #PaskoNaNaman and #DystopiaManila books, we are rolling out our fourth anthology project for 2022: A Girl Named Ana. It’s going to be a collection of one-shot stories that include the following requirements:
- A female protagonist with a simple 3-letter name: ANA
- Interesting milieu* (setting) inside and/or outside of the Philippines. Plus points if it’s based in Japan.
- It has to be a sad and/or funny story.
*physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops
THE GOAL: To prove that you don’t need to create unique daw, jejemon-sounding, weirdly-spelled, alta-daw-pero-di-talaga character names for your stories to stand out. What you need is to build on the story and the setting.
THE BOOK COVER: The design suggests that while the characters share the same three-letter name, ANA, their lives are not the same because they took different paths and grew up in different physical and social environments. That’s why the book cover features a road, a plane, and a car.
THE STORY BEHIND THE ANTHOLOGY: When Kath attended the TIBE Frankfurt Publishers Training Programme 2022 (thank you, National Book Development Board – Philippines! ), the speaker from Japan said that in order to build unforgettable characters (like in manga), you have to build the world/setting where that character lives. The character becomes more interesting because of the milieu (fancy word for ‘setting’), another tip she learned in one of the NBDB talks I attended.
So Kath is calling promising authors here. Rally with us! Let’s prove that we can create unforgettable stories and interesting characters with a name as generic as ANA!
What kinds of stories are we looking for?
We are looking for one-shot fiction stories. You can write in any style you want, but the manuscript should be *strictly* between 3,000 words (minimum word count) and 5,000 words (maximum word count).
In terms of genre, it has to be contemporary fiction, but can also feature elements of slice of life, satire, adventure, drama, and even a bit of erotica and mythology/folklore/fantasy. Definitely no horror stories. Bawal ang mga mafia at vampire. The story can be open-ended if you want to extend it into a full-length novel later on. Who knows maybe we can work something out if we really like your story.
What story elements should we include?
Please make sure that your one-shot stories have the three requirements:
- A female protagonist with a simple 3-letter name: ANA
- Interesting milieu (setting) inside and/or outside of the Philippines
- It has to be a sad and/or funny story
Let’s make it more interesting, shall we?
Do not give the main character a surname. In your manuscript, ANA should simply be called ANA. Even if there’s a scene where she needs to give a surname or a longer first name, find a way to creatively (and amusingly) avoid it. That’s the challenge! Prove to us that you don’t need to create jejemon-sounding names just to make your story stand out. We can create interesting characters and unforgettable stories with a protagonist named ANA.
Here are some examples/story prompts:
- ANA is a 40-something domestic helper in Saudi Arabia. Contrary to what many Filipinos think of OFWs, ANA is actually earning more as a content creator (she vlogs about cooking delicious Saudi Arabian cuisine) but she doesn’t want to go home to the Philippines because of family issues.
- ANA from Bulacan was offered a job as an English teacher in rural Japan. As a small-town girl, she was hesitant at first but she pushed through, akala kasi nya scam. The story can be a collection of culture shock for a Filipino living in Japan. For example, ANA almost got booted out of her apartment because her neighbors complained about how noisy she was at night: this is because she’s always video-calling her family and wasn’t aware that speaking loudly is offensive to the Japanese people.
- In the colorful slums of Tondo, ANA always nags her small-time loan shark husband to do better. Then one day, they got caught in a bigger money laundering scheme by a big shark.
We are looking for stories that can stand alone and can be expanded into a novel. Who knows, we can offer you publishing deals if your story is really good.
Write with a movie adaptation in mind!
Like #DystopiaManila, #LoveInStyle, and #DeckTheHalls, the best stories in this anthology book will be pitched to our mentors in the movie industry (producers and directors). So aim to write stories that are unpredictable and unforgettable.
Can we write in Tagalog or Taglish?
No. This is strictly an English book. Like all our anthology projects, we are positioning it for global readership and possible translation into other languages. This means our target readers are not just Filipinos. You can, however, add some Filipino words and phrases to make it authentic.
Do you pay for stories?
No. This is a pro bono project of HS Grafik Print and PaperKat Books. We will distribute the ebook for free. This is our way to help aspiring authors hone their writing skills, jumpstart their self-publishing careers, and work with a real publishing company.
Do you accept previously published material?
No. We are looking for unpublished, original materials from aspiring authors. Stories that are previously published online—on web novel platforms, online/offline magazines, blogs, or submitted to other publishers—will not be accepted.
How many entries can we submit?
You can submit one entry only. If you have multiple stories, please choose the best one to submit to us.
What file types can I submit?
We will only accept entries submitted in a Word Document format. We don’t accept PDF files or worse, links to blogs or online writing platforms.
How do you choose the entries to be published?
When you send us an entry, we need the following:
- A 1,000-word summary of your story.
- The complete manuscript (between 3,000 and 5,000 words).
Our team will read the summary first. If it passes our initial assessment, that’s when we will email you a publishing contract. Once signed, your story will now go into our editing roster and our team will edit and prepare them for publication. We will give you a chance to see the edited piece before we go to the Design Phase.
If my summary is rejected, can I send another one?
No, we receive A LOT of entries for our anthology projects. To be fair, we only give an author ONE CHANCE to pitch per project. If your summary is rejected because it lacks the X factor we always look for, you can’t submit a new one. But you are welcome to try again in our future projects.
If my story is chosen, can I change the story I submitted with an updated one?
Before you send us anything, please make sure it’s the final draft. If your story is chosen for the book, our team will edit and design it. We will show you the final edited story before it is published. But if you really need to upload an updated version because you attached the wrong file or you missed a requirement, just inform us via email because it happens. 🙂 So we highly suggest you self-edit before you submit it to us.
Once I sign and submit the publishing contract, guaranteed na ba na kasama ako sa book?
It depends on our editing process. Remember, there are three requirements. If you missed one or two, we will send the manuscript back to you and ask you to write them into the story before we finish editing. However, if after the editing process we find that your manuscript lacks the X factor we are looking for, we will inform you and offer a publishing alternative. We will only include the BEST ENTRIES in the ebook and book versions.
Ano ba yang X Factor na yan?
The so-called X Factor is described as “a quality that you cannot describe that makes someone very special”. We look for that quality whenever we screen stories and edit manuscripts. Ang hirap din i-describe, but it’s something that makes your story stand out from all the other entries. FYI, X-Factor doesn’t mean X-rated ha!
Okay, I’m in. How do I join?
If you’re ready, here are the next steps:
1. Write your manuscript.
2. Email the following to storyfactory.pkb@gmail.com.
a. The manuscript in a Word Document format.
b. Use this as Email Subject: A Girl Named Ana – Story Entry by [Name Here]
c. In the email body, include the following:
– Your full name
– Your author name or pen name (we will use this when your story is published)
– Contact number
– About The Author (a 150-word author profile/bio note)
– One Profile Photo
3. Proof of book purchase from the PaperKat Books Lazada Store. To join A Girl Named Ana anthology project, you need to buy…
Please send us a screenshot of your purchase from Lazada. We will verify it in our system. If you already have a copy of this book from previous purchases, you need to buy again for this specific project. This is our way to help our authors sell books. #SupportLocalAuthors
HALA! BAKIT MAY PURCHASE REQUIREMENT???
Because it is our way to help our authors sell their books. While this is a pro bono project, which means we provide the editing, design, proofreading, ebook publishing, and marketing for free, we added a book purchase because we do these projects to market our authors’ books.
It is called “Pay It Forward”. Support fellow authors.
If you don’t like anthology projects with a book purchase requirement, then this project is not for you. 🙂
- Our team is very strict when it comes to submissions. If you send us incomplete materials or in an incomplete or wrong format, your entry will be automatically rejected.
- Buying a copy of the abovementioned books DOES NOT GUARANTEE inclusion in the project. We still need to check your story submission and make sure it includes all the elements.
- As much as possible, we publish all submissions as long as authors followed all the rules and the elements are complete. Remember, we are looking for one-shot fiction stories. So if you submit an anecdote or a story that is over 5,000 words, we won’t accept them even if you already bought the book.
- If your story is rejected, we can’t refund your book purchase. That’s why double-check and self-edit your entry before you submit. This is our way to educate and train aspiring authors to read and follow directions provided by real publishing companies.
How do I know if my story is chosen?
When you email us a story, we will confirm the receipt via email. We are working on multiple projects and books, so please give us at least 1 week to respond to your email. You will be notified via email if your story is chosen for publication.
Ebook lang ba ito o may paperback/printed copy din?
We have raised the bar! Noong una, ebook lang ang anthology projects namin, but we have been so impressed with the authors who join, so we included a Publish-on-Demand feature. The ebook can be downloaded for FREE! Then for authors/readers who want to have a printed copy (as memorabilia), you can purchase one via our Publish-on-Demand feature like Dystopia Manila.
Why are you doing this for free?
Because we want to give underrated but truly deserving Filipino authors the chance to be published by a REAL PUBLISHER. We hope that this experience will boost their confidence to self-publish and raise their standards and only work with REAL PUBLISHERS for their own books.
SUBMISSION PERIOD: jUNE 30 - AUGUST 15, 2022
What’s in it for authors whose stories are published in the ebook?
- A chance to work with the PaperKat Books Team
- A book with REAL ISBNs
- Certificate as Published Author of PaperKat Books & HS Grafik Print (for social media posts). You can use this to apply as Writer/Author with the National Book Development Board – Philippines
- Inclusion in a virtual book launch
- Inclusion in the lineup of PaperKat Books Authors
- Discount when you enroll in the PaperKat Books Self-Publishing and Mentoring Program
If you have any other questions, you can leave us a message via the PaperKat Books Facebook Page.
Check out our other anthologies
about the publisher
Kath C. Eustaquio-Derla is a registered author, editor, layout artist, book designer, book printer, and book publisher with the National Book Development Board – Philippines. She wears many hats but her favorite is being the COO (child of owner, #truestory) of her family’s design-print-publish business HS Grafik Print with nearly 40 years of industry experience.
As a second-generation printer, Kath founded and heads PaperKat Books, the self-publishing arm that offers a writing and mentoring program for aspiring book authors.
She won the 2018 Best Editor (English Category) and Best Printing Service during the Gawad Parangal Sa Mundo Ng Literatura Awards of Penmasters League. Kath is also named Marketing in Asia’s 70 Rising Personalities On LinkedIn Philippines, Writing Hacks Academy‘s Top 35 Filipino Coaches Aspiring Writers And Entrepreneurs Should Follow In 2021, and VB Consulting and Connected Women’s 100 Most Influential Filipino Women on LinkedIn (2021).
Kath is the founder and editor-in-chief of PaperKatalogue, The Magazine, the first online and social media magazine for and by indie authors. She also founded and heads Story Factory, a long-term partnership project that allows non-industry writers/authors to pitch their storylines and/or concepts to producers and directors for film and/or TV adaptations.
Moreover, she is a personal branding and self-publishing speaker. She offers free and paid talks and webinars about self-publishing as well as intensive book writing workshops.
Her mission is to prove that anyone can write and self-publish a book. Her vision is to elevate the self-publishing industry in the Philippines by creating well-edited and beautifully-designed books by Filipino authors wherever they are in the world.
send us a note!
For consultation, collaboration, inquiries, or if you just want to share your thoughts about our books and services, email us at kceustaquio@gmail.com.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
© 2021 Katherine C. Eustaquio-Derla
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