Submissions

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Submission Instructions

Please note that we only accept query letters and proposal packages through Submittable. We do not accept agented submissions or submissions sent directly to our email.

Mission Statement

Ooligan Press is a student-run trade press rooted in the Pacific Northwest dedicated to cultivating the next generation of publishing professionals. We prioritize literary equity and inclusion. Ooligan strives to publish culturally relevant titles from our local, marginalized voices to make literature accessible and redefine who has a place within its pages.

Our Interests:

We seek to publish regionally significant works of literary, historical, and social value to the Pacific Northwest.

We recognize the importance of comprehensive representation and diversity, particularly within the publishing industry, and are committed to building a literary community that includes traditionally underserved voices; therefore, we encourage works originating from, or focusing on, the experiences that come from these people and communities within the Pacific Northwest.

Additionally, our press is concerned with sustainability and the future of the publishing industry’s impact on the planet. Our OpenBook series represents our pledge to transparency in sustainable book production. By focusing on responsible and efficient printing methods, the titles in our OpenBook series are published with minimal environmental impact. We welcome work that examines and engages these issues.

  • Literary fiction
  • Nonfiction
  • Memoir
  • Young adult fiction
  • Books about the craft and teaching of writing, publishing, and book production
  • Books on sustainable practices

Submission Guidelines:

We invite you to submit the following:

  • Literary fiction
  • Young adult fiction
  • Nonfiction**
  • Books about the craft and teaching of writing, publishing, and book production
  • Books on sustainable practices

Please note we will not consider the following:

  • Poetry
  • Children’s picture and middle grade books
  • Religious books
  • Self-help books
  • Series of any kind

**We are not currently accepting memoirs. Check back in the future for updated guidelines.

We do not accept agented submissions or submissions sent directly to our email. 

The process:

  • Please submit a query letter and the first ten pages of your manuscript.
  • Notify us of any content/trigger warnings. As a teaching press, graduate students often read the submitted manuscripts, so please advise us of any potentially sensitive content in your work.
  • If we like what we see, we will request a proposal package including the full manuscript. Do not submit a proposal package until requested.
  • Your manuscript will be evaluated by several editors in our press.
  • Once your proposal package has been evaluated and a decision is reached, we will contact you.
  • Due to the nature of our press and our extended review process, please note that proposal evaluations may take as long as six months.
  • Thank you for submitting—we appreciate your patience.

Please note that Ooligan has two acquiring seasons: fall for nonfiction and spring for fiction. We read every submission, and submissions received outside of these seasons will still be reviewed and evaluated by our editors, but they are unlikely to be considered for publication in the upcoming season, and response times may be longer.

Thank you for your interest in Ooligan Press! We look forward to reading your manuscripts.

Query Letters

We accept query letters through Submittable. Please note we will not review any material sent by email.

When submitting a query letter, please include the following:

  • The first ten pages of your manuscript
  • Brief summary of your manuscript
  • Description of the intended audience and potential markets
  • Short paragraph about yourself and your publishing history
  • Contact information
  • Notify us of any content/trigger warnings. As a teaching press, graduate students often read the slush pile, so please advise us of any graphic content in your work.

If after reviewing your query letter and first ten pages of your manuscript we are interested in reading more, we will contact you and request a proposal package. Please do not send the full manuscript at this stage.

Proposal Package

We only accept proposal packages through Submittable. If you have not already submitted a query letter, please do so first. We will not review unsolicited proposal packages. Please note that we will not review any emailed proposals.

When submitting a proposal package, please include the following:

  • Cover letter containing a summary of your work, a projected page count, the intended audience, any marketing ideas, and a list of published works comparable to your book
  • A table of contents (if appropriate)
  • Your complete manuscript
  • Notify us of any content/trigger warnings. As a teaching press, graduate students often read the slushpile, so please advise us of any graphic content in your work.

We will contact you after our evaluators have completed their review of your proposal package.