Reorganizing 101 . . . 102 . . . 103
I can safely say that storage rooms are a black hole of fruitless despair. Perhaps you, dear reader, live in a world where storage rooms are idyllic, organized paradises of serenity and calm. Good for you.
Tips for Writing Author Queries
When you’re editing a manuscript, there are an abundance of reasons why you might want to pose a query. For example, if you’re copyediting, you may want to point out a spelling you’ve found that’s inconsistent, ask for clarification about ambiguous wording, or find out more about an author’s intended meaning, just to name a few. Although the best method of query writing may vary by author based on what they respond well to, there are a few best practices when it comes to writing effective author queries.
Blogging with Purpose: How Ooligan Press Plans Its Content
Blogs were put on hold for about a year while the website was being updated. Since all of the managers in Ooligan Press are part of the book publishing master’s program at Portland State University, the life expectancy in any given position of the press is also about a year. That is to say, I had never even written a blog post for Ooligan Press when I was put in charge of managing them. But that’s ok. As someone smart once said, “Confusion is a Learning State.” I learned how to manage blogs, and I can teach you as well.
The Quest for Representation
Recently, I embarked on a mission to sell foreign translation rights to Croatia for one of our upcoming releases Supersymmetry. What seemed like a straightforward task quickly turned into a deep and enlightening dive through the complex world of foreign rights management.
The Journey to Our First Graphic Novel
In order for us to perform our proofreading, Isaac had to teach us these industry standards which opened up many students’ eyes to the complexity of comics. Who knew the letter I could cause so many problems?
Inside Ooligan Press: The Superpower of Marketing
The press kit should give a grand overview of the book itself but in the most condensed way possible. It’s important to touch on themes and highlight the very best of the book and its author. These things all add up, and scoring reviews is great publicity for us and helps us sell more books.
Pieces of Place
When the weather doesn’t want to play by the rules and it’s forty degrees and constantly pouring in April, or it looks fine outside but you just can’t bring yourself to change out of pajamas to go outside, Ooligan Press has you covered. We’ve got books that will take you to another place or even another time.
You’ve Got Mail! Inside the Marketing & Publicity Inbox
A majority of my position is digital collaboration: reviewing Marketing or Publicity documents for project teams, corresponding with Project Managers, or reaching outside Ooligan for various extracurricular publishing activities. Marketing and Publicity are actually two distinct departments at Ooligan Press. The role of Marketing and Publicity Manager is unique because it is one of the few positions that is currently combined; while the responsibilities vary, the skillset is similar.
Manager Monday: The Role of Copy Chief
Ooligan Press is a student-run trade press that operates in conjunction with the book publishing master’s program at Portland State University. Those of us inclined to bite off a bit more work operate as project managers (those who manage the publication of a book project) and department managers (those who run the various departments within the press). As copy chief it is my responsibility to oversee and edit all the copy that goes through the press.
The Marketing Plan: Setting Your Book Up for Success
Marketing plans are a foundational document that make sure the entire process of publishing a book is cohesive, intentional, and appropriate to the audience and the goals of the book. The marketing plan is referenced in almost every other stage of the publishing process, so we have to be careful and put a lot of thought into the decisions we make because mistakes could cascade throughout the process and cause problems later.