Latest news with #OwlCrate
The Guardian
16-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
A new chapter for publishing? Book subscription services launch their own titles
Book subscription services are magic. A few clicks of a form and a bunch of new books , selected by talented curators, turn up at your door – often with collectible perks such as special cover designs and art. In a world saturated by choice and trends, not only is the choosing done for you, but you'll often have a less conventional, better rounded and precious bookshelf collection to show for it. This is presumably why there's a strong appetite for such services: UK fantasy subscription box FairyLoot has 569,000 followers on Instagram alone, and many bookshops have started sending out their own boxes. Now, some of these businesses have decided not just to sell books, but to publish their own: In January, FairyLoot announced a collaboration with Transworld, a division of Penguin Random House, while last week Canada-based subscription service OwlCrate launched OwlCrate Press. Jordan Fleming, head of publishing at OwlCrate, has described publishing as a 'broken industry', telling industry magazine the Bookseller that the publishing wing had been set up to 'eventually address a lot of the issues the industry is facing'. Which issues they're seeking to address is unclear. It's fair to see where they could influence things – they have an understanding of their subscribers and can cater to that market well as a result. But curating is not the same as publishing; quality and influence are two different things. Could this mark a potentially monumental shift in the industry? 'Book boxes and book subscription services are hugely valuable to publishers,' says Jon Petre, an editor at Profile Books. 'Books can get a significant guaranteed sale on publication day through them … A big order of instant sales can land an author straight on the bestseller list. Even if it's just for a week, the author will be Sunday Times-bestselling for the rest of their career.' Petre says. Hariny Vanniarajan, who is signed up to subscription service Illumincrate, feels that the books she receives in the box are 'representative of marginalised voices that we don't often find in mainstream publishing.' 'As a south Indian, I truly enjoy the great variety of authors and cultures I'm being introduced to,' she says. 'These are books I normally might not have picked up because I wouldn't have known about them.' Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion Sisters Elizabeth and Helen, who have co-written fantasy novels including the Sunday Times bestseller Bonded by Thorns using the pen name Elizabeth Helen, say that working with FairyLoot has been an 'incredible boost' for their career. The US-based authors say they have 'cultivated a huge fanbase' in the UK specifically through editions sold by FairyLoot. It makes sense, then, that subscription services want to push their curation skills further, by commissioning, editing, and publishing titles that aren't already in the world. They have a guaranteed customer base, a strong sense of the titles that work for them and the ability to create exclusive editions. It's a pretty powerful sales pitch to any bidding writer. 'In a market where customers are spending more money on fewer books, a guaranteed sale can be the difference between making a loss or breaking even for a debut author.' Petre says. Given that book ownership is also in decline, there are plenty of reasons to see such businesses as a stable alternative in a choppy industry. Those who do spend on books often 'crave a gorgeous physical edition to hold in their hands and display on their shelves,' Elizabeth and Helen say. While you can argue that putting a book you've commissioned and published into the hands of a dedicated audience isn't any more of a bestseller manipulation than choosing a book that already exists, there's a point to make about the magic and purity of a subscription service being lost by such a move. You can consider this pivot an equivalent of Netflix or Mubi launching original works instead of merely curating them. Has that been a success? Not entirely. While they present new opportunities for individuals, they also present monopolies at large. As with all things art, it's subjective: Vanniarajan says she wouldn't necessarily be put off if Illumincrate started putting books it had published itself in her box. 'They have built a huge following and seem to understand their audience well, so I assume they'd continue this integrity when choosing authors to work with,' she says. But if you're after an expert's recommendations to bolster and surprise your library, as opposed to a powerhouse choosing titles for you, consider supporting a local bookshop's services instead.
CBC
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
S.K. Ali is judging the First Page student writing challenge — and wants you to know less is more!
Bestselling YA author S.K. Ali is the judge of the 2025 First Page student writing challenge! Ali's latest novel explores a different genre to everything she has done before — dystopian science fiction. In Fledgling: The Keeper's Records of Revolution, the first of a YA duology, two Earths are on the brink of self destruction. The First Page student writing challenge asks students in Grades 7 to 12 from across Canada to write the first page of a speculative novel set 150 years in the future. The challenge tasks young writers with imagining how current world issues and trends will evolve in the next century. The challenge will be accepting submissions until February 28 at 11:59 p.m. ET. If you're looking for some advice to take your entry to the next level, Ali has some tips for you. "Readers will enter your story more readily if they can see the first scene playing out clearly in their heads. However, to make this happen, write less, not more. Instead of filling your page with how everything looks, cut all extra descriptions and be more precise with your word choices. - First Page judge S.K. Ali "Instead of filling your page with how everything looks, cut all extra descriptions and be more precise with your word choices. Describe only the items or people the main character sees or interacts with. And attach a single specific, special detail to those things/people — for example, "blue metal door." "Using the five senses helps when choosing words – i.e., using the word "metal" in the previous description connotes the door is cool to the touch. This will make the reader feel the main character's push on the aforementioned door." Winners will receive... A one-year subscription to OwlCrate, which sends fresh boxes of books to young readers across Canada on a monthly basis. 50 free YA books for their school library You can read the complete rules and regulations here. Last year's winners were Toronto's Anya Thadani in the Grades 7 to 9 category for Fixed and Kleefeld, Man's Hayley Peters in the Grades 10 to 12 for Forbidden Realities. Keep reading for more details. Download posters for your classrooms: in colour, black and white, or mobile-friendly version WHAT YOU CAN WRITE: Your entry can be 300-400 words in length. The story could be from any literary genre, from mystery or thriller to literary fiction, from adventure or romance to satire or science fiction. Your entry also needs a title, but the title is not included in the word limit. Your entry can be written in any genre. WHO CAN ENTER: This contest is open to all Canadian residents who are full-time students enrolled in Grades 7 to 12. Entries will be judged in two age categories: Grades 7 to 9 and Grades 10 to 12. PRIZES: The winner of each category will receive a one-year subscription to OwlCrate, which delivers monthly boxes of books and literary-related goodies. The school library of each winner will also receive a donation of 50 books. WHEN YOU CAN SUBMIT: Feb. 1 to 28, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET. TEACHER GUIDES: Visit Cory Doctorow, Linwood Barclay, Fonda Lee, Cherie Dimaline, Erin Bow, Katherena Vermette and M.G. Vassanji.
CBC
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
S.K. Ali is judging the First Page student writing challenge — and wants to offer you some advice!
Social Sharing S.K. Ali is a bestselling YA and children's writer. Her books include the YA novels Saints and Misfits, Love from A to Z and Love from Mecca to Medina. She has also ventured into children's books with her picture book The Proudest Blue and the middle-grade anthology she co-edited, Once Upon an Eid which won the Middle East Book Honor Award in 2020. She is the author of the brand new dystopian novel In Fledgling: The Keeper's Records of Revolution. It's the first of a YA duology, where two worlds are on the brink of self-destruction. Ali is also the judge of the 2025 First Page student writing challenge. The challenge will be accepting submissions until February 28, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Finalists from each category will be selected by a team of CBC readers. Finalists will be notified by email in the spring of 2025. The exact timing will depend on the number of submissions received. 7 writing tips for students entering the First Page writing challenge — from writers who know what it takes. When it was announced that Ali was judging the contest, Ali had some writing advice to offer students thinking of entering. "As a reader, I never judge a book by its cover. Instead, after locking eyes with the title — super important — I flip to the first page, my breath held in anticipation as I read — as I judge. "It's one of the best parts of being a reader and I can't believe I get the opportunity to peruse first pages from a new generation of pre-published authors! When I flip to the first page of a book, I'm looking for a few things such as: orientation, a hook, and flow. - S.K. Ali "When I flip to the first page of a book, I'm looking for a few things such as: orientation, a hook, and flow. Orientation: when I step into the story, do I know where I am, what I stepped into? A hook: is there something interesting going on? "And flow: is the scene clearly laid out for me to follow now that my curiosity has been activated?" Winners will receive... A one-year subscription to OwlCrate, which sends fresh boxes of books to young readers across Canada on a monthly basis. 50 free YA books for their school library You can read the complete rules and regulations here. Last year's winners were Toronto's Anya Thadani in the Grades 7 to 9 category for Fixed and Kleefeld, Man's Hayley Peters in the Grades 10 to 12 for Forbidden Realities. Keep reading for more details. Download posters for your classrooms: in colour, black and white, or mobile-friendly version WHAT YOU CAN WRITE: Your entry can be 300-400 words in length. The story could be from any literary genre, from mystery or thriller to literary fiction, from adventure or romance to satire or science fiction. Your entry also needs a title, but the title is not included in the word limit. Your entry can be written in any genre. WHO CAN ENTER: This contest is open to all Canadian residents who are full-time students enrolled in Grades 7 to 12. Entries will be judged in two age categories: Grades 7 to 9 and Grades 10 to 12. PRIZES: The winner of each category will receive a one-year subscription to OwlCrate, which delivers monthly boxes of books and literary-related goodies. The school library of each winner will also receive a donation of 50 books. WHEN YOU CAN SUBMIT: Feb. 1 to 28, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET. TEACHER GUIDES: Visit Cory Doctorow, Linwood Barclay, Fonda Lee, Cherie Dimaline, Erin Bow, Katherena Vermette and M.G. Vassanji.
