Bristlecone Pine Press Circa 2010

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Bristlecone Pine Press was an independent publishing imprint committed to bringing high quality print books to the eBook platform.
This was their website.
Content is from the site's archived pages providing a glimpse of what this site offered writers and readers. We will miss you!

Welcome to Bristlecone Pine Press!

We are an independent publishing imprint committed to bringing high quality print books to the eBook platform. Our team of creative and talented professionals stands ready to transform your book into a superior product for the eBook market. Please browse our website to learn more about us. If what we offer meets your needs as an author, please feel free to contact us with a submission query. We look forward to hearing from you.

- Leslie H. Nicoll, Publisher, and the Bristlecone Pine Press Team

Bristlecone Pine Press is a publishing imprint of Maine Desk, LLC. Maine Desk was founded in 2001 with a mission to assist authors with their publishing efforts in all domains including technical, non-fiction, and fiction. We offer developmental editing, proofreading, copy editing, and professional formatting of technical documents (such as dissertations) at very competitive prices. 

For Publication Consideration

L.A. Mischief
P.A. Brown

For Publication Consideration

Why ebooks, and why now? Good question. eBooks have been around since 1969 but have struggled to gain an audience. New devices, such as the Amazon Kindle, the Sony eReader, and the eReader application for the iPhone/iTouch are changing the market, which is rapidly expanding.

Wise authors realize it benefits their readers to have their books in a variety of formats: print, audio, and eBooks. Readers have different tastes and like having choices in how to receive their content. However, not all publishers are bringing their print products to the eBook platform, for a variety of reasons. If you are an author who is in this situation—that is, you have a print publication without an eBook counterpart—you should consider Bristlecone Pine Press as your eBook publisher.

While there are a few famous examples of books that have never gone out of print, the vast majority of books that are published today have a very short print life. And once a book goes out of print, readers are hard to come by. "Out of sight, out of mind" as the old adage goes. An eBook, however, solves that problem, allowing a book to always be available to readers for instant purchase, downloading, and reading. An eBook also allows an author to maintain a current catalog of titles and always have a backlist available.

Even if your book is still in print, you should still consider an eBook. As noted above, new devices are rapidly expanding the eBook market. Readers are clamoring for content and many readers will decline to buy a book if it is not available as an eBook. A recent comment on the Kindle Forum at Amazon.com sums it up: "If a book I want is not available for the Kindle, I am not going to buy it. I’ll write the author and write the publisher and tell them what I want. If it never comes out for the Kindle, I guess I'll never read it."

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My note:
Jump ahead to 2021. I have spent a lot of time reading from my trusty Kindle. Before the Covid 19 pandemic shut down travel, I would spend much of my time waiting in airports and in the air reading. Goodby to lugging around real books. I had hundreds of book at my finger tips! E-books are so popular now, I am always surprised when a book that I want to read is not available on Amazon in a kindle format. My Mom who resides in an assisted living facility here in Maryland where I live says she would have been bored crazy while isolated in her room at the start of the pandemic when nursing homes etc were particularly hard hit. Of course I still can't visit her in person, although all the staff and residents at Hart Heritage Estates where she resides have had their vaccine shots. I was relieved when Hart Heritage sent their last email with information about the vaccination schedule and the additional precautions that are still in effect. At least I can Facetime with my mother. We often will spend the time critiquing the eBook we are reading. Can't wait till I am eligible for a vaccine. Then perhaps we will be able to visit in person.

Although Bristlecone Pine Press is no more ( I checked their Facebook page and the last posts were from 2010), I applaud them for helping authors get their books into the eBook format. Having access to this format is even more important during these strange times.

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Bristlecone Pine Press is a traditional, royalty paying publisher. If we accept your book for eBook publication, we will provide the full suite of publishing services, including:

• Assign an ISBN and register it with "Books in Print."
• Edit and format the book as an eBook, including adding aids and links for easy navigation through the book.
• Design a cover (if needed) or re-work existing cover art to be suitable for the eBook platform.
• Deploy your book to a variety of sales outlets, including Amazon.com and Mobipocket.com.

Marketing is a joint effort between Bristlecone Pine Press and the author. We will work with you to secure reviews on appropriate book review and blog sites. In addition, all books are featured here at the Bristlecone Pine Press site in our online catalog.

Query and Submission Process: 
Bristlecone Pine Press is actively seeking authors who want to have their print books published as eBooks. To query us about your book, please send an email to publisher@bcpinepress.com with the following information:

1. In the subject line, please include BCPP: submission, with the title of your book.
2. Your name and complete contact information (email, phone, mailing address).
3. Book title and a 150-200 word synopsis of your book; include the genre, please, in the synopsis.
4. Book length, in words.
5. Current status of your book: in print, out of print.
6. Publication details: publisher, ISBN, publication date, copyright holder.
7. Sales data: list price, number of copies sold.
8. Electronic availability: do you have the book in an electronic format? What type of file is it (Word, PDF, etc.)?
9. Cover art: do you have a cover? Do you have the rights to use it or would you need a new cover designed for your book?
10. Verification that you have the eRights to publish your book as an eBook.
11. As an email attachment, please send the first 50 pages (or wherever there is a natural break near 50 pages, ie, the end of a chapter).

Queries that are incomplete and do include the requested information will not be reviewed.

While Bristlecone Pine Press is interested in a wide variety of genres and topics, we have a particular fondness for books that tell a story by voices that are often not heard, including GLBT-themed books and GLBT authors. We are also very interested in historical fiction and non-fiction, by and about nurses.

Due to the eBook formatting process, we are not accepting books of poetry; books with numerous pictures, maps, charts, tables, graphs, etc; cookbooks; or children's picture books (although young adult text-based novels will be considered). We also do not publish pornography. Last, we are not considering unpublished, original works at this time.

Thank you for your interest in Bristlecone Pine Press. We look forward to hearing from you!

 

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Recent News Circa 2010

 

Attention! Call for submissions!
Vintage is a call for written works inspired by pictures or photographs. We are looking for authors who will tell us the story behind those two men on the beach... or standing next to bench... or staring out a window... or looking oddly shy in each other's presence. We want high quality, original fiction that will draw the reader into world of the photo, to share and reminisce

Titles from the Bristlecone Pine Press catalog are now for sale at OmniLit, in a variety of formats. If you have been wanting to read our books on a Sony ereader, Barnes and Noble Nook, or other device, now you can! Titles are available for sale at ARe in .prc (Kindle and Mobipocket), .epub (Sony and Nook), HTML and PDF. Links are included on the book pages

 

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: VINTAGE

Pictures and photographs capture our faces and preserve our memories. Generations later, they spark our imaginations, making us wonder: Who is in the picture? What are they doing? How are they feeling?

Vintage is a call for written works inspired by pictures or photographs. We are looking for authors who will tell us the story behind those two men on the beach... or standing next to bench... or staring out a window... or looking oddly shy in each other's presence. We want high quality, original fiction that will draw the reader into world of the photo, to share and reminisce.

Guidelines

Length: Short novels, 10K to 50K words

Theme: Historical love stories that feature a relationship between male same-sex couples, inspired by a picture or photograph. While the actual taking of the photograph (or painting of the picture) does not need to be included in the narrative, the picture/photo does need to be included in the storyline. If you want examples of what we are thinking of, you might want to read Our One and Only by E.N. Holland or Lover's Knot by Donald Hardy (see in particular, pp. 259-260 and p. 324).

For the purposes of this collection, "historical" is defined as any time in history in which a photograph or painted picture could be produced, with a cut-off date of 1985. Love stories, to us, are those stories that tell of a relationship in a realistic and meaningful way. We do not have a requirement for a "happy ever after" or a "happy for now" ending although that certainly would be acceptable. We recognize the challenges that same-sex couples have faced in the past (and continue to face, but that's another story) and that can be portrayed, although we also would like these relationships shown in a loving and positive way, to the extent that is possible, given time and circumstance.

Characters can be any age from 15 on up. For stories that feature characters under the age of 18, the relationship must be consensual and presented in a positive light. Teenagers exploring a first, forbidden love would be fine; an older man raping a younger boy would not. It should go without saying but we'll say it anyway: no incest or bestiality. No vampires or werewolves, no paranormals, although if a story featured a ghost in the old fashioned, classic definition of a ghost story, that would be considered. Again, Lover's Knot is a good example of the latter. As these are love stories, scenes of characters making love can certainly be included but we do not have a requirement for a set number of sex scenes or level of explicitness. Let your own judgment be your guide: if it is important to the story, include it; if not, leave it out. In general, we are looking for books written for an adult audience that will appeal to a wide variety of readers.

Submissions

Query: Send an email to publisher@bcpinepress.com. Include Query: Vintage and the proposed title of your book in the subject line. In the body of the email, include a one paragraph (150-200 word) synopsis of the story. Attach to the email: 1) the photo/picture that inspired you; and 2) the first 5000 words of your story, in a Word doc or PDF. Manuscripts do not need to be complete to be submitted. If an incomplete manuscript is accepted, the completed manuscript will be due two (2) months after the final contract is negotiated and signed. Publication will be two (2) months after a final, completed, edited manuscript is signed off by the author and accepted by the publisher. Please include your contact information including name, address, email address, and phone number. Queries can be submitted under a pen name, if one is used, although a legal name will be required for a contract, if one is offered. Queries will be acknowledged upon receipt. A final decision on acceptance/rejection will be made within two (2) weeks. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please re-send, as messages do get lost in cyberspace.

Photograph/Picture and Cover: All books in the Vintage series will use the template cover, as illustrated here, substituting the author's name, book title, and photograph/picture. Photographs/pictures must be in the public domain or you must have documented permission for its use.

Production, Sales, and Payment

Production: All books will be edited by BCPP staff. Books will be assigned an ISBN and listed in Books in Print. Covers, as noted above, will use the Vintage template.

Format: eBook only. BCPP produces books in a variety of formats that can be read on multiple devices, including laptops/PCs, smartphones/PDAs, iPhones/iPads, the Nook, the Sony e-reader, and the Amazon Kindle. Books are sold in several outlets including Amazon, All Romance ebooks, and OmniLit. We do not sell in the Sony store, although books are sold in a format that is readable on the Sony e-reader. Plans are in the works to sell in the AppleStore.

Pricing: Books will priced and sold according to length: up to 15K words, $2.99; 15K to 30K words, $3.99; 30K words and above, $5.99.

Royalties and Advances: BCPP is a traditional royalty paying publisher. At the time the book is deployed for sale at the outlets through which we sell, an advance (against royalties) will be paid, based on length: up to 15K words, $25; 15K to 30K words, $50; 30K words and above, $100. After that, royalties are paid quarterly at a rate of 40% of the net proceeds to the publisher.

Marketing: Marketing is a joint effort between the author and the publisher. All Vintage books will be featured on the Bristlecone Pine Press website (www.bcpinepress.com) and included in our catalog. We will submit review copies to popular review sites, including Speak Its Name and Reviews by Jessewave. We hope that the Vintage books become a recognizable and popular series that readers will look forward to and purchase impulsively.

Deadline

This is an ongoing call for submissions. At present there is no deadline. Submissions are welcome at any time. Please feel free to direct questions about this call to the publisher, Leslie H. Nicoll, at publisher@bcpinepress.com.

The Bristlecone Pine Press editorial team looks forward to hearing from you!

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Featured New Releases Circa 2010

 

• New Book!

  Geography of Murder
  P. A. Brown
  
  
   

• New Book!

  Forest of Corpses
  P. A. Brown
  
  
   

• New Book!

  Butterfly Gods and Other Erotic Tales
  P. A. Brown
  
  
   

 

 

All Bristlecone Pine Press Books are available for sale through Amazon.com (in the Kindle format) and OmniLit.com. Selected books are for sale at All Romance eBooks. There are links for purchasing our publications at the catalog page of this website.

 

 

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The Bristlecone Pine Press Team

 

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More Background On BCPinePress.com

 

Bristlecone Pine Press, presented publicly through the website BCPinePress.com, was an independent publishing imprint active primarily during the late 2000s and early 2010s. Although the site is now preserved largely in archival form, it offers a detailed snapshot of a unique moment in the evolution of digital publishing. At a time when eBooks were beginning to take hold but had not yet achieved mainstream dominance, Bristlecone Pine Press distinguished itself as a forward-thinking, boutique publisher committed to bringing high-quality print books into the digital marketplace.

The imprint combined professional editorial services, thoughtful market positioning, and a focus on underrepresented voices — particularly LGBTQ+ authors and works related to nursing or historical narratives. Today, BCPinePress.com stands as a testament to an imprint that saw the direction the industry was heading and worked to help authors modernize and preserve their work during a pivotal period of digital transition.

This article synthesizes all available information to provide a full understanding of the website, the imprint behind it, its mission, operations, values, catalog, audience, and cultural significance.

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Ownership and Leadership

Parent Company: Maine Desk, LLC

Bristlecone Pine Press operated as a publishing imprint under Maine Desk, LLC, a company founded in 2001 with a mission rooted in editorial services, manuscript development, and publication support. Maine Desk specialized in helping authors improve, format, or prepare their work — including dissertations, technical documents, professional manuscripts, and both fiction and nonfiction books.

The imprint expanded Maine Desk’s mission into full publication services, taking authors beyond writing and editing into the world of eBook distribution. Rather than functioning as a vanity press or fee-driven service, Bristlecone Pine Press adopted a traditional model, paying royalties and investing editorial, design, and technical work into accepted titles.

Key Figure: Leslie H. Nicoll, PhD, MBA, RN

At the center of Bristlecone Pine Press was Leslie H. Nicoll, an experienced editor, nurse, academic, and entrepreneur. After a 25-year career in nursing, research, and education, Nicoll founded Maine Desk and later expanded it into publishing.

Her background explains two of the imprint’s editorial priorities:

1. Historical and nonfiction works related to nursing, caregiving, or health-related fields.

2. Supporting underrepresented voices, including LGBTQ+ authors or works featuring same-sex relationships, particularly in historical contexts.

Nicoll’s hands-on approach was clear throughout the site. She oversaw acquisitions, editing, and final manuscript approvals, ensuring consistency and quality.

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Location and Operations

Although small and specialized, the imprint was rooted firmly in Maine, specifically the greater Portland region. Its New England location placed it within a rich tradition of small presses, independent publishing, and literary craftsmanship. Unlike large urban publishing hubs, BCPine Press operated with a quieter, more literary sensibility — prioritizing careful curation over volume.

The imprint did not appear to maintain a public storefront or retail location; instead, it functioned primarily through digital channels, both for author submissions and for distributing finished eBooks.

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Mission and Publishing Philosophy

BCPinePress.com presented its mission clearly and consistently:

1. Preserve Print Books Through Digital Conversion

The imprint focused primarily on authors who had previously published in print but lacked an eBook edition. During the 2008–2010 period, many publishers had not yet embraced digital formats, leaving authors with limited options for reaching the rapidly growing audience of Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, and smartphone readers.

Bristlecone Pine Press aimed to bridge that gap.

2. Provide High-Quality Formatting, Editing, and Cover Design

The company emphasized polishing manuscripts and designing professional covers suitable for digital platforms.

Their services included:

• Developmental editing

• Copyediting and proofreading

• XML-based eBook formatting

• Reworking print covers into digital versions

• Creating navigation and hyperlink structures (still uncommon at the time)

• Securing ISBN registration

• Uploading and managing listings on multiple eBook retailers

3. Support Voices “Not Often Heard”

The imprint explicitly stated its commitment to publishing stories from underrepresented groups, including LGBTQ+ authors and historical works that explored same-sex relationships in contexts predating widespread acceptance.

4. Avoid Vanity Press Practices

A notable part of their identity was distancing themselves from companies that charged authors large fees. Bristlecone Pine Press followed a traditional royalty-paying model, only accepting works that met their editorial standards and offering advances (modest but symbolic) on certain series.

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Website Overview and Structure

BCPinePress.com served as a comprehensive hub for authors and readers. The site included:

• A welcome message explaining the imprint’s philosophy

• A detailed description of services

• Submission guidelines and requirements

• Book catalog pages

• Announcements and calls for submissions

• Profiles of the editorial and design team

• Information about royalties, advances, and distribution

• Featured book releases

Archival snapshots show that content was last actively updated around 2010. The site now functions as a historical archive rather than an operational publishing hub.

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Genres and Publishing Focus

Preferred Genres

The imprint favored:

• LGBTQ+ literature

• Historical romance or historical fiction involving same-sex couples

• Nonfiction and fiction related to nursing

• Works with a strong narrative element or unique voice

• Backlist titles previously printed but lacking eBook editions

Genres They Declined

To maintain production feasibility and brand cohesion, they did not accept:

• Poetry collections

• Image-heavy works (photo books, cookbooks, maps, charts, etc.)

• Children’s picture books

• Unpublished manuscripts (at the time of their activity)

• Pornography

• Paranormal romance (with small exceptions, such as traditional ghost-story elements)

This selectivity helped maintain a distinct editorial identity and kept production consistent and manageable.

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Submission Process and Author Requirements

BCPinePress.com provided one of the most detailed submission checklists of its time. Authors were required to provide:

• A 150–200 word synopsis

• Genre and story overview

• Manuscript word count

• Publication history (including ISBN, print run, and rights)

• Sales data

• Confirmation of digital rights

• The first 50 pages of the book

• Cover art availability and usage rights

• Contact information

Incomplete submissions were not reviewed, which reinforced the imprint’s professional standards.

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The "Vintage" Call for Submissions

One of the most distinctive sections of the website described the Vintage series — a themed line dedicated to love stories inspired by photographs.

Key Characteristics of the Vintage Series

• Stories between 10,000 and 50,000 words

• Historical settings pre-1985

• Male same-sex romantic relationships

• Plots inspired directly by a chosen photograph

• Adult target audience

• Focus on emotional and narrative depth rather than explicit content

The guidelines were unusually specific, requiring authors to include the inspiring photograph with their submission.

Production and Payment Model for Vintage

• eBook-only releases

• Standardized cover format featuring the submitted photograph

• Advances ranged from $25–$100 depending on manuscript length

• Royalty rate set at 40% of net proceeds

• Expected turnaround:

  • 2 months to complete a manuscript after contract

  • 2 months from final manuscript to publication

This model demonstrated a clear workflow and respectable transparency for a small press.

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Catalog and Notable Titles

While the archive does not include every title ever published, it does highlight several releases, including works by author P.A. Brown, such as:

• Geography of Murder

• Forest of Corpses

• Butterfly Gods and Other Erotic Tales

These titles reflect a blend of mystery, suspense, romance, and speculative fiction, aligning with the imprint’s mission to support diverse and bold voices.

Another notable title from research outside the archive shows:

• Secret of the Sands (First Edition, 2008), a historical adventure novel later re-released elsewhere.

BCPinePress.com also directed readers to Amazon Kindle editions and OmniLit for multi-format accessibility.

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The Team Behind the Imprint

The site featured profiles of the individuals who contributed to its operations.

Leslie H. Nicoll (Publisher, Acquisitions Editor)

Handled submissions, editorial oversight, business operations, and author relations.

Hannah Nicoll (Graphic Artist)

Designed covers and visual assets. Interestingly, the press’s name — Bristlecone — was inspired by Hannah’s personal nickname during her art-school years.

Jim and Zetta (E-Book Designers)

Oversaw the formatting, layout, and technical conversion process.

Alex Beecroft (Cover Artist)

Provided custom cover artwork, particularly for titles requiring historical or thematic sensitivity.

Jeromy Wendrick (Website Designer)

Maintained the site and developed the digital infrastructure.

This collaborative structure resembled a boutique agency more than a hierarchical corporate publisher, contributing to the unique character of BCPinePress.com.

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Audience and Popularity

The imprint’s audience can be grouped into three main categories:

1. Authors with Backlist Titles Needing Digital Editions

Many print authors in the late 2000s struggled to transition to eBooks because their publishers either:

• Held digital rights but did not prioritize eBook conversion

• Released only limited digital formats

• Or were slow to adapt to the Kindle boom

Bristlecone Pine Press provided a solution.

2. Readers Interested in Niche Fiction

Particularly:

• LGBTQ+ historical fiction

• Romance with classic or vintage aesthetics

• Non-mainstream or independent narratives

3. Readers Seeking DRM-Free or Multi-Format Access

Through OmniLit and similar retailers, the press provided multiple formats beyond Kindle, appealing to early adopters of devices like:

• Sony Reader

• Barnes & Noble Nook

• Smartphones running early eReader apps

Though not a mass-market powerhouse, BCPinePress.com filled a meaningful niche and maintained a loyal audience.

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Cultural and Social Significance

Perhaps the imprint’s most noteworthy impact comes from its position at the intersection of several literary and cultural trends:

1. Early Advocacy for LGBTQ+ Historical Narratives

Long before LGBTQ+ romance became mainstream, the Vintage series invited authors to explore same-sex relationships in contexts where such relationships were often invisible. This gave readers access to humanized, sensitive portrayals rather than stereotypical or coded representation.

2. Support for Nursing-Related Literature

Given the founder’s background, the imprint promoted stories and histories related to healthcare, caregiving, and the nursing profession — themes rarely prioritized by larger publishers.

3. Preservation of Out-of-Print Works

By transforming print books into eBooks, Bristlecone Pine Press helped keep stories alive long after their print runs ended. This aligned with a broader cultural push toward digital preservation.

4. Early Role in the eBook Revolution

At a time when many publishers underestimated digital reading habits, this imprint recognized that readers wanted accessible, device-friendly formats. Their approach anticipated the modern expectation that every book — new or old — should have a digital version.

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Press and Media Coverage

While not widely covered by large media outlets, the imprint earned mentions in:

• Publishing blogs

• LGBTQ+ fiction review sites

• Independent author forums

• Niche romance communities

• Kindle reader discussion boards

These discussions often praised Bristlecone Pine Press for professionalism, niche focus, transparency, and fair treatment of authors.

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Decline and Archival Status

By all documented evidence, active updates to BCPinePress.com ceased around 2010, and the imprint appears to have wound down operations sometime shortly thereafter. Reasons may include:

• Increasing competition from self-publishing platforms

• The rising dominance of Kindle Direct Publishing

• Shifts in Maine Desk’s business priorities

• Market consolidation among independent eBook distributors

Regardless of its closure, the archived website remains thoughtfully preserved, giving readers and researchers insight into a pioneering digital-era small press.

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BCPinePress.com represents a compelling piece of early eBook publishing history. Bristlecone Pine Press was more than a conversion service; it was a mission-driven imprint that advocated for underrepresented voices, delivered high-quality digital editions, and provided a professional and author-friendly alternative in an era of rapid industry change.

Its legacy lives through the books it helped bring online, the authors it supported, the readers it reached, and the example it set for small presses navigating the digital transition. Today, BCPinePress.com stands as a valuable archive documenting a moment when independent presses played a crucial role in shaping the modern eBook landscape.

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