Getting started with Great Little Stories

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• Overview
• How Minitales works
• Story ideas
• Editing
• Preparing story content for production
• Submitting story content
• Publishing deadlines
• Costs
• Contact us

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Overview

We want Minitales to be an extra tool in your school’s teaching strategy for KS2 literacy and creativity – simple to use, with professional standards of presentation. Stories look good on all devices so you can access a whole growing library with you anywhere. And of course the stories look good in print too!

We will manage the technical side, leaving you free to concentrate on developing your pupils’ skills.

We hope publishing on Minitales will become another incentive for your pupils to create excellent stories, individually or collaboratively, that will reach a wider readership outside school.

The trial will allow your pupils to add to the library with either brand new stories or existing stories that meet the criteria for publishing.

The trial will explore four story formats:

Read – the standard format for all stories
Read and listen – audio accompaniment added to a selected story from each school
Slider book – bespoke design added to a selected story from each school
In print – short print run of a selected story from each school

We will liaise with each school over which stories are selected for the enhanced formats.

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How Minitales works

Each school has a package of 5000 words for the trial. Stories are grouped into 4 word count categories:

• 100-250 words
• 251-500 words
• 501-750 words
• 751-1000 words

Each school can publish between 5 and 20 stories depending on how each school divides up its package among the categories.

A story of 100 words will count the same as a story of 250 words. The maximum word count in each category will be strictly applied and will provide a useful incentive for editing. The teaser text is not included in the word count.

Schools can share the opportunity with as many KS2 classes as they wish. Teachers decide which stories are submitted for publishing.

Supporting material
Each story, regardless of length, should be supplied with the following:

• Story title
• Author[s]
• Class and school name
• Maximum 25 word teaser
• Teaser image [landscape only]
• One or two identified values

A project description, at the foot of each story, is optional and should not exceed 50 words.

 

Stories up to 250 words can have one image in addition to the teaser image.

Stories of 251 to 500 words can have two images in addition to the teaser image.

Stories of 501 to 750 words can have three images in addition to the teaser image.

Stories of 751 to 1000 words can have four images in addition to the teaser image.

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Story ideas

Ideally, we want to give you a blank page to start with, to fit in with your current literacy projects. However, we can provide a story-starter sheet on request – this will be part of a final Minitales offer.

Our only stipulation is that stories must explore or identify one or two positive values and we look forward to seeing the existing list of values grow.

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Editing

Minitales is intended to fit in with each school’s existing literacy teaching, with the teacher guiding and checking each story that is submitted. We may make editorial observations on either text or imagery, but will not change content without consent.

We will be offering story shaping workshops if Minitales continues after the trial and these may appeal if schools would like an outside stimulus to a project.

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Preparing story content for production

Text
A story must be typed in recognised software such as Word. It must be supplied digitally, not as hard copy.

Content should include the supporting material outlined above, the story itself and notes on where illustrations ideally appear in the story.

Imagery
We are happy to accept hard copy for illustrations – we will scan them at no extra charge. We can scan up to A3. Hard copy should be clearly labelled on the back, including the illustrator’s name.

Scans supplied by schools should ideally be at 300 dpi and we are happy to provide further details. Files should be clearly labelled, including the illustrator’s name.

Audio
Further information will be provided when relevant stories are selected for enhanced formatting.

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Submitting story content

You can upload digital content at our dedicated site: https://dynamicstudio.wetransfer.com/

If you prefer, you can email smaller files to minitales@dynamicstudio.co.uk

Please make sure all files are clearly labelled.

You can send hard copy illustrations to:

John Conibear
Minitales
6 Barlow Moor Road
Didsbury
Manchester M20 6TR

Please make sure they are clearly labelled on the back and email us at minitales@dynamicstudio.co.uk when they have been posted. We will confirm when they have arrived.

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Publishing deadlines

The trial starts on 23 February and finishes on 2 April. We aim to be flexible and want each school to work at their own pace. Typically, the end of each week will be a submission date for complete stories – text AND illustrations. Existing stories that meet the criteria for publishing would be ideal for the beginning of the trial.

We will liaise with each school contact to ensure there are no problems.

Stories will be published in the standard format within a teaching week of receipt, following approval of a preview. We will liaise with each school over stories published in enhanced formats.

The password protection to the site will be removed when we have added ten stories to the existing library.

Any stories submitted after 2 April will not be published as part of the trial.

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Costs

Publishing stories during the trial is FREE.  We want you to test and enjoy the opportunities Minitales offers without distractions. Stories chosen for enhanced formats will also be published free. Extra copies of any printed stories may be subject to a cost.

We have a cost model in mind and will share this with participating schools at the end of the trial for feedback. Your experience will guide the final fees put to schools if the Minitales trial is a success.

Schools participating in the trial will receive a discount on any futures fees. All stories published during the trial will remain on the site unless the school wants them removed.

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Contact us

If the above information needs clarification or there are questions or suggestions, teachers can contact John Conibear at minitales@dynamicstudio.co.uk or on 0161 445 8461.

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