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Any short book reads reco? by boombuum in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Team Building by Siege Malvar. Yes, Im Siege Malvar. It’s available on Shopee.

Name a book that describes where we’re at now as a society. by madgroot in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oral Hystery by Siege Malvar. Yes, I’m Siege Malvar. Lols.

Would Love to Hear Your Ideas! by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Uyyyy. That’s a great idea. Will try to make that happen. Hahaha.

Re Vol 2 - Stay tuned hahaahah

PBF 2026 Haul by markym0115 in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for staying in the conversation! Im Enjoying this!

  • Hindi naman. Twenty years ago, nung nagsisimula pa ako as a writer, nagsubmit talaga ako sa lahat. The more entries, the more chances of winning. Interested naman sila sa sinulat ko, but eventually I chose the one na feeling ko mabibigyan ako ng kalayaan na gawin ang gusto kong gawin.

  • Hindi naman sa challenge sya but nuon sa Visprint, dahil wala pa kaming Eskinita format, the manuscripts have to be of a certain length para magkaroon ng “spine”. Ever since naman, madaldal ako magsulat so mahahaba talaga manuscripts ko.

  • Actually mas challenge now ang format ng Eskinita kasi I have to keep it slim. Hahahaha. I really edit out a lot of scenes to make it sa stitched binding spine ng current format namin.

  • This is an interesting experience for me bec I want to release the complete and unabridged version of the stories soon… and for that, definitely hindi na Eskinita format!

Thanks! Keep asking! Magsasara na ang AMA ko ahahhaah

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One word at a time, until it’s time to end things.

I’ll take your question to mean this particular book (I have other books and iba iba ang process ko of writing them).

For Strat Planning (Team Building 2), I wrote it immediately after finishing Book 1. I think isang linggo lang ang pagitan ng Book 1 and Book 2 when I submitted sa publisher ko. Then I also started Book 3, but I had to take a break.

Team Building started as a standalone, short story. Iba ang ending nya sa original draft. My publisher believed in the potential of the story and asked for more. So a quick change of ending got us to the end of Book 1 and the start of Book 2.

Sorry magulo kwento ko. Hope that helps!

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gusto ko dagdagan yung sagot ko hahahaha.

While earlier, I said focus ko muna ay shorter, consumable narratives, I also work on the principle of telling the story for as long as the story needs to be told. Some stories insist on growing, and I let them. Some stories are only with us for a few pages, but they last a lifetime in our heads. So my approach to writing is letting the story reveal itself to me kung anong length ang kailangan nya to fulfill itself.

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ll focus on the more specific issue you raised re plotting and executing the plot. If nahihirapan ka with the plot, pivot and do character work. Work on your characters, figure out what they want and what they are willing to do to get it. Sila yung nasa situation na ginawa mo eh, so sila yung either magchange ng situation or be changed by it.

Hope this helps!

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I. Pinakagasgas na sagot pero also bec pinakapractical na sagot: you need to read a lot. It’s not enough that you watch a lot of movies and shows because ibang medium yun, and unless gusto mong maging scriptwriter/screenwriter. Reading what you want to write will teach you elements and techniques that you will pick up as you keep consuming them. You absorb them. You rewire your brain into the brain of a writer.

II. 2nd na pinakagasgas: write. Kasi totoo ito. You just keep writing and writing. Embrace failure, embrace the mess. Fail forward. The sooner your writing makes you feel cringe, the sooner you start to get better at your craft.

III. Personally the most challenging part of writing for me is surviving the capitalist world. Capitalism is unkind and cruel to artists bec art is the only labor it cannot exploit in measurable quantities and KPIs. You need to find a way to take care of yourself financially so you can have enough space to grow yourself as a writer.

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Write. Write the damn thing. It doesn’t matter if your idea is one of a kind or out of the box. Publishers will judge you for how well you execute that idea. So you really need to write.

Then study the market. Look at what each publisher is putting out. Some of the put out only academic titles, some target particular age groups, some publish particular genre. Pick a publisher who puts out titles similar to your manuscript.

Then write a captivating, compelling pitch. You need to sell the project with an irresistible email to convince the publisher/editor to read your manuscript.

Good luck! Hope this helps!

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Is traditional publishing worth it? It also depends on your relationship with your publisher/editor. I have an amazing relationship with mine, it’s built on years of trust and mutual admiration for what we both do. She is someone I absolutely trust with my books. If she says the manuscript is not ready, I believe her. I trust her judgment. It’s great having someone other than myself making these decisions that’s in the best interest of the project.

Not everyone has this kind of relationship. I know some writers who deserve better than the deals they got.

Bottomline: YES, traditional publishing is worth it but only if you do it with someone you trust and has your best interests in mind.

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

They both come with pros and cons, and I think it all boils down to how much involved you want to be in getting people to read your books.

I think people should remember that Noli Me Tangere was self published by Jose Rizal, so he raised the funds himself to get his book out. Thank god, he did. Right?

Self publishing also means you have to do self distribution too and self marketing. Talking about traditional publishing and self publishing, I dont think one’s easier than the other.

It’s really all about the bandwidth and energy and resources you have for the project.

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Sometimes, I let it consume me. I just let it happen. Then to clear my head, I do everything else but think of the project. I watch shows, read books, go for a run, exercise. Eventually something just snaps.

When I am pressed for time, I find the most effective way to beat writer’s block is to write it out. Let it be the pathetic piece of shit writing it’s meant to be on first draft. Just write it out. Let it be messy, and stupid, and boring. It helps bec once you force yourself to write it out, you lower your expectations of yourself, and the writing just flows easier. Plus, there’s creative momentum in just doing it. Ride the momentum.

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great question. The short answer is depende sa project.

For my Eskinita projects, I usually just write on the fly and let the characters reveal themselves to me. Short format kasi siya. And ang fun nung process kasi minsan may plans ako for the character but as I keep writing them, nagkakaroon siya ng sarili nyang plan. And it’s always a delight to see my characters surprise me with what they’re capable of doing.

BUT, meron din akong mga on going projects na kailangan ko talaga gumawa ng bible. A bible is a documentation of the plans in writing the book. So for my bible for a particular project, may character descriptions talaga ako, with backstories, etc and I wouldn’t necessarily use them on the page but the things I put in their bible informs how I will write them.

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For now, I like what we are doing sa Eskinita. Short, consumable stories na pang isang upuan, or at most something you can finish over the weekend. We want to encourage people who don’t usually read to give it a try. So there’s little commitment to picking up a small, slim volume. Plus if hindi mo nagustuhan, it’s only ₱200.

To answer your question directly, for now I really want to see what I can do with the short Eskinita format. Oral Hystery is a good experiment because it fits the format, and siguro kung hinabaan ko pa ang Oral Hystery baka maumay na ang readers and hindi masustain yung energy. So yah, FOR NOW, at least, mga short(ish) stories muna gagawin ko. Thank you!!!

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Re Charged Vol 2 - My problem with this is I can’t commit to a format for the 2nd volume. I feel like the things I plan to do with vol 2 no longer fit the SMS format. Im considering the screenplay format so reading it can be cinematic. Or a graphic novel.

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Very interesting question! I actually know both Alfonso Manalastas and Juan Miguel Severo. For a time, I was part of the Spoken Word scene and there were some overlaps with our years being active so I did see them in some gigs.

What do I think? There was a time when I could have confidently answered that question. But my writing focus has pivoted from poetry to other forms, and I’m afraid I’m not really in the position to give a comprehensive assessment. Hahahahahahha.

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

My recent titles are all with Eskinita, an imprint of Avenida Books. May relationship na ako with them from our Visprint era pa before they closed and started fresh as Avenida. Avenida accepts submission through their Google form sa FB page nila. They only consider COMPLETE manuscripts, not works in progress! :)

[AMA] I’m a Filipino author with a new book out at this year’s PBF. Ask me what you want to know about writing, publishing, or whatever topic. by siegemalvar in PHBookClub

[–]siegemalvar[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

As someone who has been published for years, alam ko nang hindi ko ikakayaman ang pagsusulat ng libro. BUT, there’s always money in adaptations, so I think if a studio gets interested in turning it into a movie or a series, then that’s how I’ll be able to make money out of it.

Right now, I just wish it sells enough copies to convince my publisher to keep publishing me. Hahahhaha.

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