MANILA — A 42-second unboxing video has turned a months-long dispute over a lavish literary-prize tie-in into a national publishing scandal, after its author showed an ₱18,900 collector’s box (about €285 or US$335) with no copy of her shortlisted novel inside. By noon on Thursday, 24 September, the clip had passed 13.4 million views, and the Paloma Prize Council had suspended its public vote.
The numbered “author’s cabinet”, made by Manila publisher Rookstar House, contains a brass bookmark, a miniature paper model of a fictional city and reproductions of the author’s handwritten notes. The novel, Harbour Heist: Sixth Ward, costs ₱799 on its own. Rookstar says 1,760 of the 2,400 boxes made have been ordered.
In the clip, finalist Alp Barbarosoğlu lifts a ribbon-bound tray from the case, turns it towards the camera and points to an empty space shaped like a paperback. “There’s a throne for the book, but no book,” she says. A close-up of the packaging shows a small printed note directing buyers to purchase the novel separately.
The empty space goes viral
Barbarosoğlu told The Plausible Post she had not approved the set’s presentation and had expected the book to be included. “Readers should not have to pay almost twenty thousand pesos to discover the main thing is an optional extra,” she said. She added that several readers had messaged her to ask whether the missing novel was an error.
Readers should not have to pay almost twenty thousand pesos to discover the main thing is an optional extra.
Alp Barbarosoğlu, author
Rookstar House marketing director Minnie Ondricka said the box was designed for people who already owned the novel, and that its online listing stated “book sold separately”. She said the company had received 312 refund requests since the video spread and would honour them, but defended the price as reflecting small-batch production and hand-assembled items.
The dispute landed just as the Paloma Prize’s public vote was due to close. Council chair Milán Veres said the vote would remain frozen until the council reviewed the product listing, the author’s agreement and the prize’s sponsorship terms. The award carries a total purse of ₱6 million (about €90,000), with its winner due to be announced on Sunday.
Prize rules under scrutiny
The prize requires shortlisted books to be available in a standard retail edition, a rule the council says Harbour Heist: Sixth Ward meets. Veres said the council was now checking whether promoting a costly box linked to a finalist had given one entry an advantage. It has asked Rookstar to pause paid promotion of the set while the review is under way.
At a Quezon City bookshop, buyer Olga Smolková said customers had started asking whether other shortlisted novels came with expensive extras. The shop sold 46 copies of Barbaroğlu’s paperback on Thursday, against a usual daily figure of six. “People came in angry, then stayed to buy the book they thought was missing,” she said.
The national consumer protection bureau has asked Rookstar for the box’s sales terms and refund process, according to a council notice. Ondricka said buyers could request a full refund through the publisher’s website and that the company had stopped accepting new orders while it reviewed the listing.
Barbaroğlu said she would not withdraw from the prize, but wanted the council to publish its findings before selecting a winner. Rookstar has until Friday evening to answer the council’s questions; the Sunday ceremony is still scheduled, though the public vote may remain suspended.
