publishing, Ooligan Press

A Crash Course on the Crash Course: The Creation of Ooligan’s First High School Workshop

When this blog post is uploaded, Ooligan Press will have taught its first ever workshop aimed at high school students. Our course “A Publishing Crash Course for Teens” was on February 22, 2025, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Forest Grove Library in Washington County. Washington County is about a half-hour drive from Portland, and before this workshop, the librarians had never heard of Ooligan Press. So, how did we get here?

What is a MSWL?

A manuscript wish list (MSWL) is a curated list created by literary agents, editors, and publishers that outlines the specific types of manuscripts or book projects they are currently interested in acquiring. By creating or viewing MSWLs, both authors and publishing professionals can streamline the process, ensuring that the right stories find their way to the right hands.

The Importance of Neutral Colors in Graphic Design: a Process Reflection

“In most of our lives, for most of our days—especially here in the rainy, gray Pacific Northwest—we are surrounded by neutral shades. These are important. They make up most of our color landscape. So why shouldn’t they make up more of our compositions as designers?”

Audiobook Scripting: Where Clarity is Key

When you listen to an audiobook, the goal is to create an immersive, clean audio version of the story. Take a look at one of the first steps of audiobook production that sets things up for a successful, clean audiobook recording!

Common Misconceptions About Copyediting

There are multiple types of editing; copyediting is just one of them. Copyediting is what most people consider or think of when they think of “editing.” So what exactly is copyediting? How does it differ from other types of editing? What are some common misconceptions about copyediting?

The Handoff Process

It’s not always clear how manuscripts move between departments in the publishing industry. Who decides when they’re ready to go and what information gets exchanged? This process may vary from press to press depending on the size of the departments, but here at Ooligan, there’s a standardized process to transfer the manuscript from acquisitions to copyeditor and the project manager who will take the manuscript throughout the rest of the publishing process.

Creating a Captivating Sales Video

A well-crafted sales video doesn’t just tell potential readers what the story is about, it makes them feel the story before they’ve even turned the first page and helps them get established with the author on a personal level. This is a step-by-step guide on how to create a compelling video to capture readers early on.

What Is Your Query?

Ooligan strives to handle every manuscript with care and to take into account every aspect, and angle, of the potential of each one that comes our way. It is an anxious time waiting for a publisher to get back to you about your story that has been worked on for years. That is not something that we take lightly.

How Much Will We Really Use AI in Publishing?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been present in our lives for the past few years now. You can find it on social media, writing tools, and even in search engines. Its ever-looming presence begs the question: are we going to lose our jobs to AI?

How Can Authors Find Comp Titles?

One of the most important parts of the acquisitions process for a publisher is determining if a manuscript they are considering is likely to sell enough copies to make financial sense to publish. One of the ways publishers can determine audience interest is finding comparative titles, or comp titles. While a winning set of comp titles isn’t the secret to getting a book deal, understanding their function in publishing and having a few solid options will help any author seeking publication position their book effectively.

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Tags: publishing