Whether or not you’re familiar with the publishing industry, the oft-repeated adage of not judging a book by its cover often falls flat in application. The truth is that a book’s cover is the first thing a person sees, whether they’re browsing through their favorite bookstore or clicking around online.
Ooligan is expanding into new and exciting horizons with our new Own Voices title, SHORT, VIGOROUS ROOTS. Set to publish on March 1, SHORT, VIGOROUS ROOTS (SVR) is one of Ooligan’s recently accepted works that is an Own Voices novel.
On the first day of Fall term 2021, it rained torrentially. Oolies new and old scrambled through the slick PSU streets to find the large lecture hall that housed our first meeting. There were all the common indicators of a hectic first day: the dash to find the right rooms and buildings, new faces, new syllabi, and new procedures to learn. Many Ooligan managers were on the same footing as the newcomers: we had trained during the remote school year, and this was our first in-person class. In some regards, we were as fresh as the first-years in the program.
Talking to a new group of classmates in my graduate program, I brought up how I feel that no one seems to read romance novels because no one ever talks about it. The number of individuals who gave an affirmative to reading romance showed that my statement wasn’t true. One individual even commented that more people read romance than you realize. So, this raises the question: with so many people claiming to be fans of romance novels, why aren’t more people talking about them? Why is reading this genre kept so close to the vest while others, like classic literature, are actively discussed?
Most authors are familiar with the difference between self-publishing and traditional publishing, but more and more publishers are popping up with the label of “co-publisher,” “collaborative publisher,” or “hybrid publisher.” When it comes to finding a publisher that fits your needs and your vision for your book, it helps to know what this means and exactly what type of publishing you can expect.
Publishing companies started calling for submissions from marginalized authors during the summer protests in 2020 but have done little to actually address the inequities that marginalized authors face. As a teaching press, Ooligan understands how inaccessible even the most basic publishing information is.
I recently came across a first edition reprint of FOWLER’S MODERN ENGLISH USAGE––a book I had been meaning to read––in my neighborhood Little Free Library. Like THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE by Strunk and White and THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE, this book is often recommended to people learning how to write and edit, but it’s one I hadn’t had the chance to read yet.
The Library of Congress is not only a vast, wonderful resource for the readers of the world, but it is a unique service for librarians, book vendors, and publishers to share information about newly published books.
The big stuff is there: good and evil, right and wrong, but the depth isn’t. Our protagonist doesn’t struggle. She’s too clean, too plain. How do we tell our author that their baby needs considerable re-working?
The editorial department often gets asked a lot of questions about resources that editors can use when they need help on a project. We thought it would be a great idea to compile a list of resources that every editor should have in their arsenal.