Pinestein Press Short Story Writing Competition

Young aggressive publishing company, Pinestein Press, presents short story writing competition open to writers of all experience levels. Theme: Things That Go Bump in the Lunch Room! Write a short story for kids (ages 7-10) centered around the mysterious and horror-filled goings-on of a fictional school lunch room. Award: $100 and possible inclusion in anthology. Entry fee: $5 for the first submission; FREE for up to another four entries by the same author (five in total). Deadline: April 25, 2007. More info: www.pinestein.com/contest

Pinestein Press is a new small press based in Lake Worth, Florida. It is founded by a long-standing member of the SCBWI. Out of respect for the organization, we turned first to SCBWI members (both established writers and new writers looking to break into the business) in order to build our stable of talent. We have since opened the contest to ALL writers with interest in submitting their work. Any writer whose short story catches our attention through this contest will be among the first whose works are published with the launch of our company this fall. It is our sincere hope that we will begin to establish strong relationships with writers through this innaugural contest, and through many more contests and events to come, as well as through general submissions to our acquisitions department. (Guidelines are posted on our temporary web pages.)

Pinestein Press has a strong business plan with an aggressive sales and marketing strategy, which includes a robust industry launch that will involve the release of our first publications (four slated for this fall) simultaneously with our official web site and branding. For this reason, you will not see our "official" web site or any significant web presence at this time. When we launch, it will be with our first-string authors and illustrators already on board and our books already available to the public. In the meantime, prior to our launch, anyone wishing to verify our credibility can easily do so by checking our standing with the State of Florida (both Pinestein Press and its parent company, Chowder Bay Books, LLC, are registered with the state) or contact us directly at [email protected] to receive a personal response addressing any of your individual questions or concerns.

If there are concerns regarding the $5 contest entry fee, please note that this practice is not at all unusual in industry-wide writing contests. In the case of Pinestein Press, the entry fees are used toward processing and operational costs for holding the contest, but in no way contribute to any company profit. Writers who do not wish to pay $5 to enter the contest are welcome to make general submissions to the company, providing they follow the submission guidelines posted online.

If you have concerns regarding payment for publication, please know that Pinestein Press is a reputable company with no intention of publishing any author's or illustrator's work without mutually agreed upon compensation prior to publication, as is stated in our terms.

In the future, should you have questions about the credibility of a new publishing company, please know you have more options than to simply follow the advice of message board comments. It is always best to research the company yourself (in ways such as those listed above: contacting the state in which the company is registered, contacting the company directly ...) rather than missing out on a potential opportunity to further your writing career.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. We look forward to hearing from all the talented writers out there who are interested in becoming a part of Pinestein Press .... Where creative learning is serious fun!

Best regards,

Scott Horton
Director of Operations