NK Chats To… Ryan Haidar from Your Paper Quest – A Self Published Book Subscription Service

Ryan

Hello Ryan. Thank you for joining me. How about we start by you introducing yourselves and telling us a bit about your fantastic sounding book subscription box, Your Paper Quest. 

Where did the idea for this service come from and what makes your box unique? 

The idea actually began during Covid. I had started a Bookstagram account and quickly realised that the Bookstagram community were all frequently posting about the same few books. I was always looking to include different voices from the mainstream and that’s when a few self-published authors had actually reached out to me about reading and featuring their stories. From there, an idea had formed, and I began brainstorming how to best connect these indie and self-published authors with curious readers, and Your Paper Quest was born!

YPQ is unique in that we’re the only subscription box that exclusively features self-published and indie stories. We also include notes from the authors that complement each story, as well as have a virtual book club where subscribers can discuss the stories with each other as well as ask our featured authors questions for the end of the month interviews that they participate in!

What challenges did you face setting it up? 

Steve

There have been so many challenges along the way that it’s hard to choose. I would have to say that the hardest part was genuinely getting started. It felt like (and turned out to be) such an endeavour that most of the time I didn’t even know where to begin. Breaking everything up into baby-steps and taking it one day at a time made a massive difference though. Whether it was the packaging, the website, the contracts, there was so much that I had to learn throughout the process. The current, and constant, struggle is marketing, getting the word out about who we are and what we’re doing! That all being said, I’d easily do it all again, this has been such a rewarding experience and the positive response we’ve received from the community has been nothing short of amazing.

The service is for indie authors. How important do you think a service like this is to them? 

We might be a little biased, but we believe that what we do is incredibly important for indie authors. The unfortunate reality of self-publishing is that there’s a LOT of books out there, and more than anything reading is a time commitment. Convincing readers to read outside of the most popular or mainstream stories is difficult and rightfully so, there’s nothing more valuable than someone’s time. We hope that in what we’re doing with our curation, we are able to open readers’ eyes to the amazing world of self-published and indie stories, and help widdle away at the negative stigmas that have and continue to plague the community.

If I was an indie author, how can I get involved? 

Our submissions are always open! If you’re a self-published author check out the submissions page on our website and send us your story, we’re always looking to hear from and connect with self-published authors. Another way to get involved is to tell your friends, share the word and, of course, subscribe. The more we grow, the more we’ll be able to help indie authors.

How do I subscribe and what’s the cost? 

You can subscribe directly through our website, it costs £18 a month, and we cover the shipping. We only ship within the UK at the moment but hope to extend our reach as we continue to grow.

OK – quick fire round for fun. 

Tea or coffee? 

Tea, although I love the smell of coffee the taste just never worked for me.

Crime, romance or horror? 

This is difficult, before working on YPQ I would’ve never read any of these genres, but now I really have a soft spot for all three. That being said, crime stands out above the rest for me, it can just be so gripping and hard to put down!

Book or film? 

Books! It always depends on my mood, but sometimes a graphic novel or short story can help me out of a reading funk too.

Three authors you’d like over for dinner (indie or otherwise) 

Ah man. Aside from Steven William Hannah? A Thousand Splendid Suns is one of my all-time favourite books and I’d love to have a meal with Khaled Hosseini. This is a great question, it’s so hard to choose, Cormac McCarthy and also Chinua Achebe. I know that’s four, but they’re all authors that have inspired and impacted me in one way or another and it would be a dream to get them all over for dinner.

Favourite word. 

I’ve always loved the rain.

Which song describes you? 

Daydream by Lily Meola. Obviously we don’t know what the future holds, but it’s always worth giving your dreams a chance.

Thank you so much for joining me, Ryan. You can find out more/subscribe by going to yourpaperquest.co.uk/. You can also follow Ryan and Steve on Instagram and Twitter (X.) 

My verdict on Your Paper Quest – 

There are now quite a few book subscriptions on the market. It’s something I’ve always loved the idea of as it has the potential to open you up to new authors and genres. You can make surprising discoveries. 

So, what makes Your Paper Quest special? Simple, it champions independent authors.  

With a new theme every month, it’s a great surprise delivered to your door every month. I got sent a crime theme which was fantastic.

The books I got sent look great. I got Safe and Sound by Rachel Bowdler which is about pop-rock band member Ruby. When her life is turned upside down, she has no choice but to go into hiding and The Master of Demise by Nadija Mujagic which focuses on Mitch Wegner who is blamed when a student takes his own life.

I’ve not come across either of these authors before and I look forward to reading these books. 

The subscription comes with a personalised envelope and letter, as well as a bookmark, a note from the authors and access to a book club where you’re able to connect with the writers. 

I loved this subscription service and if you’re looking for a present for the book lover in your life, Your Paper Quest, in my opinion, is perfect. It gives you everything you need to get immersed into these stories. 

It’s also a wonderful chance for indie authors to spread the word about their novels and for people to support them. 

Thanks to Ryan and Steve at Your Paper Quest for the complementary box in exchange for an honest review. 

Go to www.yourpaperquest.co.uk to subscribe.

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.