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What Have I Done: Acquiring Ooligan’s First Comic Book

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I was asked recently how I felt having acquired Ooligan Press’ first comic book. I meant to say excited or hopeful, or perhaps confident. What came out of my mouth surprised me and elicited laughter from the roomful of editors I was addressing. “I’m terrified,” I answered. And it was the honest to goodness truth.

In theory, bringing Ooligan into the world of comics makes perfect sense. Portland has a thriving comics community with several well-known, successful publishers based here. Many of our alums have gone on to work for these houses. Portland State University has a Comics Studies program. And above all, we are a learning press. Producing a comic presents tremendous learning opportunities to supplement the skills we’ve gained producing books for trade publication, particularly in the editing, digital, and design departments. So then why am I terrified? I’m glad you asked.

When people learn about what we’re doing, entering the world of comics with no experience, with only logical reasoning and a sincere desire to learn spurring us on, I generally get two reactions: enthusiastic delight or doubtful dissuasion. Either way, you’re facing something unsettling. Those who love comics and think it’s great for us to infiltrate this industry could wind up disappointed. And those who think we should stick to what we know because we’re going to fall flat on our faces going down this hostile road could wind up being right! For transparency’s sake, and to reassure our supporters and, maybe not silence, but soften our critics, let me share with you how seriously we are taking this.

Before the pitch, I consulted with our publisher and the director of the publishing program, and together, we consulted with the director of the Comics Studies program, Dr. Susan Kirtley. She provided guidance and resources and agreed that this project would be a great educational opportunity for our departments to work collaboratively. I also consulted with an editor at Dark Horse, who graduated from the publishing program a few years ago, for my first lesson on comics editing. It became apparent after speaking with them and a few other experts that I was in over my head! All of these experts, while incredibly supportive, warned of the dire consequences of not doing this right. Comics makers and readers are passionate about the craft and will take you to task when you get it wrong. But that simply meant I had a lot to learn and little time to learn it, so I got right to work despite the fear creeping in.

During and after acquisition, we have been working with the author, Henry L. Miller, to raise funds to pay for the intensive illustration work (it costs a lot of money). Artist Jeff Parker will be illustrating this project, and he is an incredibly skilled, experienced professional, who is lovely to work with. He didn’t shame me or make me feel bad for being new to comics, or not knowing the difference between a word balloon (it’s balloon, not bubble) and a caption box. His willingness and ability to work with a first time author and an amateur comics editor is the only reason we were able to take on this new medium as a press.

Aside from reading a bunch of comics and books about comics, I’m also taking the Comics Editing course at PSU, taught this term by comics editor extraordinaire, Shelly Bond, who literally wrote the book on the subject. Not only have I learned about the rules, about word balloons and caption boxes, panels, tiers, and gutters, shots and angles, roughs, pencillers, letterers, inkers, and all the rest; I’ve also learned about creating harmony, among your creative team as well as on the page.

What does this all mean for Ooligan’s first foray into comics? Well, I’ll be passing along what I’ve learned to the person taking over the editorial role after I graduate in June. And continued collaboration with the Comics Studies program, particularly the editing course, will be highly encouraged if the press doesn’t want this first comic to be our last. After all, there’s a changing of the guard every year. Thankfully many students are participating in both programs just to be part of this project, which is a promising sign!

So what have I done acquiring Ooligan’s first comic? I can honestly say I have done my best.

I heart New York umbrella over rainy city street

Sorry New York, Not Everyone❤️s You: It’s Time for Publishing to Diversify

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New York has long been the hub of the publishing industry. Even in the wake of COVID-19 and the realization that much of what we do can be done remotely, that NY-centric state of mind does not seem to be changing. I am months away from graduating with a master’s degree in Book Publishing from Portland State University, so I’ve been doing my research into the publishing job market and most roads lead to New York.

While conducting my research, I came across dozens of articles with titles like, “Can You Afford to Live in New York City?” or, “Cost of Living in New York City”. Never mind the crowds of people, the crime, or the cat-sized rat problem: what it comes down to for most people when considering relocation to New York is the cost. It is highly competitive in terms of the housing and job markets, with one-third of renters spending 50 percent of their income on housing, and huge markups on just about everything else. The articles say it’s possible to survive if you live frugally, choose a less desirable neighborhood, and live with roommates. And make at least $40k per year after taxes: not easy to do when New Yorkers pay some of the highest taxes in the country which include federal, state, and city income taxes. Another fun fact, the average landlord makes you prove you make forty times the monthly rent. Want to guess what the average entry-level publishing job pays? Not enough. Think of how many talented, qualified people with diverse lived experiences this keeps out of the industry, simply because they do not have the economic or social capital to enter it.

Those NY-averse publishing professionals among us are no strangers to the grind. We are willing to hustle and sacrifice to do the work we love. But how much sacrifice is enough? Personally, aside from becoming impoverished, I’d also have to sacrifice my two dogs. Both my eighty-pound babies have special needs and do not belong in a tiny NY apartment. And one is a rescue who, much like his mom, does not take kindly to strangers. I’d have to surrender both to a shelter where, as adult dogs with emotional and fear-aggression issues, they would likely be put down. If you’re thinking I should have planned better, consider this: circumstances change. I rescued my babies while living in sunny San Diego, long before the pandemic, when I had a husband and a house with a huge backyard. Now it’s just me and the dogs—and boy do we miss that yard.

There is simply no good reason why workers within any industry should be forced to move to a centralized location to do a job that could be done from literally anywhere else. And make no mistake, it can. Publishing was affected by COVID-19 just like every other industry, but while others struggled and shuttered, publishing thrived. While print sales were up, deals were being made, people were meeting virtually, and stuff was getting done, New York experienced a mass exodus. People realized that they didn’t have to be physically in the office (or in NY) to do their jobs.

Sure, remote work has its challenges, but the benefits for the health of the industry far outweigh them. Yet, what I’m proposing is for major publishers to open more offices outside of New York—namely on the West Coast. Doing so would have a similar effect as offering more remote positions while potentially mitigating the demand for remote work. The Big Five clearly value the work being done out here, in places like Portland, and scoop up our indies once they experience a modicum of success. Instead, why not deliberately set up shop, hire local, and watch your company flourish because your workers can afford to live and live where they want to instead of where they must?

New York offers a certain prestige, to be sure. But staying centralized in New York is not exclusivity—it’s exclusion. Get it together, publishing: you’re an industry, not a nightclub. If you don’t disperse for the diversity and well-being of your workers, for pup’s sake, do it for the dogs!

a bookshelf full of closely spaced books, with text reading "Inside Ooligan Press", the Ooligan Press fishhook logo, and text "Proposals"

What’s in a Proper (Book) Proposal?

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Note: This is part of the blog series “Inside Ooligan Press”, about how we take a manuscript from an idea to a professionally published book.

So, you wrote a killer query letter and we requested a proposal package, but what does that mean? Before you go and resubmit the same query letter and call it your proposal (as MANY have done) think again!

The proposal package consists of two crucial items, submitted together on our Submittable page. They are your cover letter and your full manuscript, but let’s break it down even further. If you followed our directions with your query, you only sent us the first ten pages of your manuscript. When we request a proposal package, this is your invitation to submit the full manuscript—you got a full read request. Go you! Submit the most up-to-date, most polished version of your manuscript, preferably in a Word document.

The how and why of the cover letter are a little more complex. With your query, you provided just enough to get us interested in reading your full manuscript. With your cover letter, you are trying to convince us that you and your book are the right fit for our press, for our mission, and for our reach. You’ll want to help us envision the future for your book and provide pertinent details about how to best present it to the world—and how you plan to participate in that presentation if we publish it.

Your proposal cover letter can be a beautifully designed document organized into sections and contain striking headings, images, and mock-ups of the cover, or it can be a bunch of words on a page. While a stylized document certainly helps us envision your book and its potential future more readily, it is not required, and words alone will suffice. Just be sure to include the words we’re looking for.

First up is the content warning. This means letting us know if there is anything in your manuscript that may be triggering to a reader. Triggers vary, but the most common ones include self-harm, suicide, sexual assault, graphic violence, substance abuse, and disordered eating. If you are unsure whether something you’ve written may be a trigger, err on the side of caution and warn us. Do note that this warning will not prevent your manuscript from being read and considered: it simply ensures that the right person will be reading and evaluating it (the right person being an editor to whom the content will not cause mental or emotional harm).

The rest of your letter should include a synopsis of your book, the projected page count, a table of contents if appropriate, the genre and intended audience, comp titles, marketing ideas, and any connections or platforms you have that may be utilized for marketing and promotion purposes. If your query letter did not contain an author bio written in the third-person detailing your pertinent background information, include that here as well. Yes, this requires a little effort, but there is a reason for it, I promise.

Once the Managing Acquisitions Editors decide yours is The One, we still have to pitch your manuscript to the entire press before voting to accept or reject the project. We must convince them to see what we see, that there is potential for a successful collaboration with you and your book. We do this with a pitch presentation, which contains the information from your cover letter, along with our own in-depth market research guided by our expertise in the publishing industry. We set it to music and a little light choreography. That last bit is not true. But we do have to make a strong case for why we should publish this book and be convincing in its presentation: a solid informational foundation and an author who understands their book, has realistic expectations, and is willing to work alongside us to get the job done can make or break our case—and it is your cover letter that reveals all of this to us.

Every manuscript for which we request a proposal package gets thorough, careful consideration. But even with an excellent manuscript, the author’s work is not done. You’ve got to convince us that you and your book are the right fit for us, that you are willing to do what is asked of you and more—and that begins with creating a proper proposal.