Hey, everybody! Welcome to our shiny new Start to Finish page. If you’ve been following the Ooligan Start to Finish posts closely (and there’s so much awesome stuff to read, why wouldn’t you be?), you’re already familiar with this project. Just in case you’ve been busy or (better yet) are reading this post in the future when the book is already a big hit, and you’re tracing it back to its roots, here’s some background info:

Ooligan acquired this manuscript in March, currently titled On the Waterline (though the title will probably change), from debut author Brian K. Friesen. You can read all about our excitement over the acquisition here, learn a bit about the team that will be turning the manuscript into a book here, and read an interview with the man himself here.

Currently, Brian is hard at work on our first round of developmental edits. We are all really excited to see the next draft. This stage of editing is my favorite—I love watching the manuscript evolve. But the anticipation of waiting for those new pages can be killer! It’s like being blindfolded while you get your haircut. Combined with wondering about the next Star Wars movie. Plus Christmas. Luckily we have lots to keep us busy in the meantime.

For example, a seemingly small decision. You’ll notice Brian’s professional persona now includes the very distinguished middle initial K. We talk a lot about search engine optimization here at Ooligan and want to make sure that our books and authors are really benefiting from it. Brian Friesen is a lovely name for a lovely guy, but he’s not the only Brian Friesen out there, and we don’t want potential readers to have to wade through some other Brian Friesen’s google results. The addition of the K makes him much more searchable. There was a little bit of debate over whether the K would confuse people—if readers can’t remember the initial will they have trouble finding Brian online? We decided it was worth the risk. When was the last time you forgot Michael J. Fox‘s middle initial? Hunter S. Thompson? J. K. Rowling? Yeah, we thought so.

The team has also been busy drawing up an amazing plan for world domination marketing plan, including lots of ideas for community involvement, fun partnerships, and opportunities for publicity. But that’s all top secret for now while we finalize the details. Tune in next month for a sneak peek.