Ooligan Press

Ooligan Press goes to NCTE

admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:00:19 +0000

This week, four of us from Ooligan will be attending the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to promote our upcoming title, Classroom Publishing: A Practical Guide for Teachers. This will be the third year that students have traveled to this conference: two years ago in New York, we were busy meeting educators and collecting many of the stories that eventually made it into the book, and last year in San Antonio we gave a short presentation about how to teach students about the publishing process.
We’re really excited to spend the weekend spreading the word about Classroom Publishing and talking with educators about their experiences publishing student work. We’re also proud to be leading a day-long workshop in conjunction with our east coast friends from the Student Press Initiative at Columbia’s Teachers College. It’s called “Crafting Future Classics: Becoming Real-World Readers and Writers through Classroom Publishing,” and aims to help educators integrate publishing into their curricula.

If you’ll be be in Philadelphia over the weekend, come see us at booth #332 in the exhibition hall to take a peek at an uncorrected proof of the book and pick up some cool postcards and other goodies to take home. We’ll also have copies of several other Ooligan titles for sale. If you won’t be at the convention, check out the new Classroom Publishing Twitter feed for live updates from the convention floor: www.twitter.com/classrmpublish

Marketing in a bad economy

Marketing — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:48:48 +0000

During a recession, companies usually do one of two things: cut their marketing budget to the bare minimums until the recession ends, or go on at full tilt, taking advantage of the ability to strengthen their brand while the competition falls back.

Although publishing has been thought of as a “recession proof industry” in the past because of a book’s low cost as an accessible form of entertainment, this is not actually true. Books have to compete with other forms of media like video games (which now have the added bonus of a social component via online play), movies, and television.

Books, like these other forms of entertainment, are luxury items, and although they may be cheaper than a night out, if people are cutting back penny by penny on small necessary items like ziplock bags and boxes of macaroni, then books are as easily cut as a morning espresso.

The key during hard times, then, is to go with the second recession option rather than the timid first: to increase marketing. Ooligan has a unique opportunity to up their marketing without adding much to their marketing budget since it is a student run press and does not have to put marketers on its payroll. Ooligan’s marketing is run by warm bodies rather than by cold cash.

Efficient marketing knows the audience and the value the product gives them. Ooligan’s books are a better choice for the buyer than whatever fluff at the big box stores because they have local value. These books are a piece of regional culture, like the art in coffee shops or the blown glass at the coast. Not only do they offer the local written art of fiction and poetry, but Ooligan’s nonfiction features the history, geology, and culture of the Pacific Northwest.

The most inexpensive, and probably the easiest, way to target to the market in a recession is product reinforcement. That is, keep reminding people that Ooligan exists. If a customer has a choice of what books to buy at the store, they are more likely to pick the one they remember or have seen before than something that is completely brand new. Word-of-mouth elevator pitches about Ooligan books to friends, clients, and family in casual conversation can steer them to the latest good Ooligan read.

Digital Whatsit?

Digital Content — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:30:30 +0000

The Digital Content Workgroup at Ooligan Press sounds cutting edge, high tech and super-sexy, but what is it they actually do? Why does Ooligan Press, or any publishing house need a group dedicated to all things digital? Why not just train editors, designers and marketers to blog, tweet, epub and web design? Come on now, isn’t that just a fancy name for technical support? The Digital Content Workgroup is an exciting place to be in this climate of electronic information but its specific role is often confused.

Everyone has faced the side-aching, breath-burning, heart-pounding task of trying to keep up with technology. The minute you buy a cellphone, a computer—even a microwave, a new one comes out smarter, faster, sleeker and you’re left holding an antique paperweight. The Digital Content Workgroup attempts to keep Ooligan’s technical chops fit enough to keep up with the speed of the information age. The Workgroup keeps up to date with current eBook standards, attempts to anticipate trends in electronic formats, and seeks out information on new venues as they open.

In addition to these demands, the Digital Content Workgroup is charged with the task of keeping the Ooligan Press web presence healthy and significant. Our Digital Content Manger, Tom McCluskey, has choreographed the flood of insightful blog entries that have recently been posted on this blog. Tom is also largely responsible for the design of the site and facilitating web expansion as the needs of Ooligan grow.

But wait! There’s more. Digital Content is far more than just a internet browsing club for web-tech support. The Digital Content Workgroup is responsible for converting all of Ooligan’s publications—new and old—into epubs, mobis, lits, txts, docs, pdfs and googlebooks, a virtual alphabet soup of lowercase extensions. The workgroup consistently manipulates cascading style sheets, XHTML, archiving programs, validation software and eReader applications in an attempt to faithfully convert the beauty of the design and the integrity of the writing into any format the reader may desire. It is because of the Digital Content Workgroup that Kindle, iTouch, PlasticLogic and nook users will soon be able to view Ooligan Press’ electronic library.

As Ooligan Press boldly seeks to publish the finest works of literary, cultural and social value, the Digital Content Workgroup supports this goal by ensuring the press remains culturally and socially relevant in a world of which Johannes Gutenberg could have never dreamed.

Celebrating and publicizing Ooligan books & writers

Marketing — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:12:14 +0000

This is a busy season for Ooligan! Two of our recent titles– Dot to Dot, Oregon by Sid Miller and Killing George Washington by Anne Jennings Paris –were recently celebrated at the Doug Fir here in Portland, OR at an intimate book launch party. The Doug Fir was an excellent venue for Ooligan, Ms. Paris, and all friends, family and fans of these two books of poetry. We look forward to many more successful launch parties in the future!

Dot to Dot, Oregon - front cover

Killing George Washington, front cover

Additionally, our forthcoming title Classroom Publishing: A Practical Guide for Teachers will be visiting the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania later this month–or rather, a few Ooligonians will be there, with all sorts of informative material about this exciting new title. We’ve been working with another local press, Pinball Publishing, to create some fun and sustainable collateral items to help us spread the word about Classroom Publishing. We’ll check back with a report of the conference once it’s done…

A Program Does Not a Designer Make

Design — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:58:28 +0000

“Pull a book at random from your bookcase and look at its cover. That is all you need to travel back to that specific moment when you first read it. As specific as a time capsule, a book jacket forever holds the memory of the brief cultural period when it was in print. But a short shelf life is the price a book cover must pay for leaving a vivid impression on the mind.

One of the things that tells me a book is brand new is the presence of photography on its cover. Over the past several years, I have been conditioned to equate the use of conceptual photography on American book jackets with cutting edge, contemporary literature. In contrast, if a book has an illustrated jacket, I regret to admit that I assume its content is somewhat behind the curve.”

- Véronique Vienne, Chip Kidd, 2003

Artwork, music, and other cultural artifacts are indelibly stamped with the mood, events, and values of the times in which they were created. Just as listening to a big band recording from the late 1930s can give one a vivid glimpse into the Swing Era’s psychosocial atmosphere, a careful examination of a cover design from the early 1950s can likewise divulge a psychological snapshot of the fears and hopes that permeated the post-WWII world as it entered the Cold War. Contemporary cover designs, as Véronique Vienne mentions above, often employ digitally tweaked photography and graphic elements that are indicative of the way computers and the digitization of information have transformed civilization during the last few decades.

To a great extent, the criteria for determining what is considered to be a “good” cover design are highly subjective. It is possible to find equally successful design professionals who argue passionately and convincingly from diametrically opposed corners about the merits or weaknesses of a certain font, design element, or conceptual approach. Ultimately, it is the buyer of the book who determines what good is, at least what is good enough to generate a sale in that particular season.

Yet, while the trendiness of a font or design style may seem to be as fleeting as an April snowflake, there are some compositional essentials which have retained their intrinsic value and usefulness over time, despite the fickle fluctuations of fashion. Any beginning design class will cover shape, line, space, value, texture, and color. While all these elements need to be judiciously employed by design professionals, in cover design, the skillful use of space is especially important. Just as the notes in a piece of music are meaningless noise without the careful placement of space between them, so too, do letters or design elements lose their coherence and ability to convey meaning if they are not judiciously positioned in a space that envelops them and amplifies their impact. Even in the deconstructivist grunge style that briefly dominated fashion in the early ‘90s, empty space had to be used to give emphasis to the often chaotic and jumbled masses of text and images the style employed.

Since programs such as InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator have put state-of-the-art production tools within the reach of millions of people, it is tempting for the beginning designer to think that they can easily create an award-winning cover design. In some respects this is true because these powerful and versatile design programs, in combination with digital printing, have democratized the publishing industry by enabling just about anyone to typeset, design, and publish a book. However, just as one needs an ear for music to be able to assemble notes and chords into a catchy song, so too does a designer need to have an eye for visual composition in order to create a cover design that grabs the viewer’s attention and induces them to buy the book. Therefore, even though new design programs have significantly diminished the amount of time it takes to transform an idea into a finished image, mastery of traditional design fundamentals and an inherent artistic sense are still essential assets for design professionals.

[For full article, follow this link: http://books.google.com/books?id=mf8oeMREO1oC&dq=Chip+Kidd&printsec=frontcover&source=an&hl=en&ei=AyDzSpiONIXusQOzq9UO&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CB8Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=&f=false]

E-publishing’s Effects on Editing

Editing — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:00:18 +0000

There are no doubts now that e-books are changing the way we publish. Designers have to worry about how their layouts will look on Kindles and iPhones instead of just the printed page. Those in marketing have to set up Facebook pages and Twitters for their authors and their presses. And gone are the days when all an editor had to do was decide between a semicolon and an em dash (if those days ever existed).

Editors are now expected to know how to blog, for example, and explain viral marketing to their clients. Now, suddenly, editors have to worry about links in the written text. This is far different from a reference at the end of the book. Now, the reader can immediately leave the page and be scanning a new document—and whose job do you think it is to make sure all those links work? Editors are now expected to be web and tech savvy. One suddenly has to know the difference between an OCF and OPF, or what an .epub file is, for that matter.

Though e-books mean that publishers can get the author’s work out to the public more quickly and easily, it doesn’t diminish the amount of work that goes into making the writing publishable. Editors will do no less for e-books than they have in the past for print books. Or will they? If the time line of book production is sped up and the cost of the book goes down so significantly (not to mention the potential of hackers being able to get the books for free), will editors be able to spend the time and care that they are accustomed to? These are important questions about the overall quality of writing that will be produced and distributed. It is easier than ever to get your writing in the public’s eye, through blogs, POD, and viral self-marketing. In this brave new world of publishing, what is the editor’s role?

Written by Kathryn Foster, Ooligan editing work group member.

Tides Are Turning

Digital Content — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:00:56 +0000

It’s true that reading habits don’t change overnight, but now that computer reading is fast becoming an integral part of our life, switching from online reading to perusing text on electronic gadgets no longer seems like such a giant leap.

According to Bowker’s PubTrack Consumer service, 48% of all e-book downloads during the first quarter of 2009 were made to desktops and laptops, but the percentage dwindled to just 40% when the first seven months was concerned. In other words, more and more people are used to downloading and reading e-books through their mobile devices.

During the comparable period, the Kindle’s market share grew from 23.5% to 28%, while iPhone dropped one percent to just 6.5%. Books are definitely a growing presence on the iPhone though; according to Flurry, a mobile app analytics company, books have surpassed games in popularity on the iPhone.

POD at Ooligan

Sustainability — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:25:34 +0000

Given the recent popularity of e-books and Kindle-type devices, print enthusiasts must confront the environmental impacts of the publishing industry if they are to remain dedicated advocates of old fashioned, tangible books. Print on Demand (POD), a digital printing technology that creates a complete book – printed and bound – in less than 4 minutes, is certainly an exciting alternative, particularly at smaller, independent presses like Ooligan.

POD makes it cost effective and simple to produce short runs of books (or even just one) at a time when small publishers can’t justify the high production and storage costs of a large print run. POD trades minimal startup costs for lower per-book profits (since digitally printed books have a higher individual production cost than larger scale print runs).

How can POD help Ooligan become more environmentally responsible?

First, it eliminates the need for warehouses stocked with oversupplies, and there is no shipping of books to bookstores to sit on shelves that don’t sell, drastically reducing the carbon emissions from this practice. Beyond this, there are a lot of responsible decisions that can be made along the way. Xerox offers non-toxic Emulsion Aggregation (EA) toner that is manufactured using 25 – 35% less energy/pound than conventional toner and uses less toner laydown per page, requiring less printer cartridge replacements and producing less waste. Another eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based toner is soy-based toner, which can be broken down into clean paper pulp more easily in the process of de-inking, increasing recyclability.

Using recycled paper (preferably 100%) and recycling all left-over scraps from the trimming and waste paper drastically prevents thousands of gallons of wastewater, hundreds of pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent, and pounds of Chemical Oxygen Demand.

Sources

Wordstock . . . 2 weeks later.

Events — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:50:17 +0000

Held at the Convention Center on the weekend of October 10 and 11, Wordstock 2009 was a big smash for Ooligan. Two new poetry books, Dot-to-Dot Oregon and Killing George Washington were available to the public, adding to our poetry backlist. We unveiled another new title, Cataclysms on the Columbia, which is about the formation of the Columbia River. Three of our authors Linda Crew (A Heart for Any Fate), Sid Miller (Dot-to-Dot Oregon), and Anne Jennings Paris (Killing George Washington) did readings and an author signing after.

Many people inquired about the program and were genuinely interested to learn that the students do all the work. Our sustainability title Rethinking Paper and Ink was a popular choice. Becoming environmentally friendly is important and this title shows the community that Ooligan is committed to doing that by publishing two open books a year. Our acquisitions group held a session with Dennis Stovall about how to get a manuscript published, which was incredibly successful. They also had a pitch table, where potential authors could come and pitch their story.

It was a pleasure being at Wordstock again this year and we look forward to celebrating next years festival. For more information about Wordstock please visit www.wordstockfestival.com.

A Look at the Nook

Digital Content — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:07:38 +0000

The virtual world is in an uproar surrounding Barnes and Noble’s upcoming ereader. It is being heralded as the first real Kindle competitor and the first great hope of giving Amazon a run for its money. Barnes and Noble has made it their purpose to deliver “any book, any time, anywhere” and touts the nook as the most recent vehicle for achieving this goal.

At Ooligan press, the issues raised by this (and all ereaders) is how it will affect publishing. Following is a look at the nook’s features and how we think they might contribute to the future of reading.

Readability

The nook features a 6-inch eink display. This feature allows for low energy reading, resizable text and readability akin to that of a paper book. The eink is crisp and easy to read even outdoors. The nook uses the same E Ink Vizplex screen as the Kindle.

Eink has been a great contributor to the popularity of hand held ereaders. The visual similarity to ink on paper has drawn readers who were resistant to reading “on a screen.” The scalable print of eink is superior to ink on paper for those readers who require large print. These readers no longer have to wait for large print editions to trickle to the shelves.

Color LCD Menu

One frustrating feature of fully eink readers is the slow refresh rate when browsing menus. Eink is meant to be read like a book, with a page turn every minute or so. The nook solves the menu problem by featuring menus on their 3.5 inch LCD screen. Vivid book covers and menu options are scrolled through a capacitive touch screen in the same manner as the Apple iTouch products. The LCD screen will also provide a search function using a virtual keyboard.

For readers, this means faster and more functional browsing through book collections. The nook can hold, at maximum capacity, 19,000 books. Browsing through this type of collection on eink would have been a long, probably frustrating process. Now it is easy, fast and visually appealing.

Readers can now share books visually even with those who do not have ereaders. Imagine the benefit of being able to send a friend to the bookstore with a book recommendation and have them be able to find the title by sight.

Connectivity

The nook allows users to connect to their computers using USB 2.0 and to the internet through Wifi and AT&T’s 3G wireless network. Like the Kindle, there is no cost for service and no contract required.

Readers can now buy new ebooks (including upcoming digital epub releases of Ooligan Press books) in their socks or in a box, on a train or in the rain–anywhere with a wifi signal, a cellular signal or a USB port.

Holdability

The nook claims to weight about as much as a standard paperback book, about 11.2 ounces. The back of the device is contoured to attempt a more ergonomic and comfortable hold.

One of the chief complaints among the ereader-reticent is the loss of that book feel. While the ereader will probably never have that paperback smell or the visceral appeal of turning pages, the nook does acknowledge the need for the reader to be comfortable. Awkward screens, slippery devices and five pound ebooks seem to be a thing of the past.

Lendability

One feature that separates the nook from other current ereaders is the ability to lend books to other users with nook software. Applications will be available too allow nook readers to share their books with the iPhone, Blackberry, PC, Mac and others. The books can be loaned for up to 14 days. Just as with a physical book, when you lend an ebook, you will no longer be able to read it. After the 14 day lending period expires, the book will be removed from the borrower’s use and return to the original owner. Unlike a physical book, each title can only be loaned one time. The ability for a book to be loaned or not will be determined by the publisher. Books with the ability will have a LendMe Logo.

This feature is a huge step toward the physical book experience. The ability to lend a book without infringing on copyright laws or lending out their $250 e-reader will help readers feel like they own the work. A lack of trust was created around the Kindle-Orwell debacle this summer and this function is an effective way to rebuild the relationship between reader and technology.

Customizability

The nook will launch with a few accessories to customize the look of the ereader. Four different colors of back plates can be swapped out for the original gray. Soon after launch, additional accessories including protective covers, designer frames and carrying cases, will be available for purchase.

Personal expression has stopped some readers from joining the masses of iPhone users and Kindle toters. Some other readers just miss the beauty of cover art tucked beneath their arm or hidden away in a briefcase. Designers and artists have been hired by Barnes and Noble to restore beauty and individual expression in the visual appearance of the nook.

Magazine and Newspaper subscriptions

Barnes and Noble will offer subscriptions to over 20 newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Newsweek.

The portability of the nook and the ability to download favorite journals and newspapers anywhere will appeal to traditional newspaper readers as well as to those who read their media online. It will also bring readers back to the nook daily and increase their comfort with the technology. There is potential here for increasing book sales or at least exposing them to new book titles that is not possible with traditional newsprint.

Brick and Mortar Experience

While the nook is within the walls and Wifi network of a Barnes and Noble store, readers can browse and read the entire content of books within the Barnes and Noble online library.

This is another feature that brings the traditional physical book experience to the digital reader. Readers of ebooks will be able to browse an ebook with the same depth as physical book readers. Traditionally, this has been an excellent way to sell books to customers as they get hooked on the book by chapter two but need to leave the bookstore.

In addition to being an excellent way to browse books for the reader already in the store, the feature has the added benefit of drawing readers physically into the bookstore. In the future, there is hope that independent book stores will be able to take advantage of similar features on other brands of e-reader.

Ebooks also cannot be damaged in the way that traditional books can so there is no risk of damaged returns from this kind of digital trial.

Price

The nook will launch with the retail price $259—the same as the current Kindle price. Barnes and Noble also offered The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell to the first 10,000 preordered units from their website www.nook.com.

Price is still prohibitive for many. Book sellers cite this as their reasoning behind the low $9.95 price point for ebooks. As more products become available to consumers, the hope is that prices will become more and more competitive and the price for ebooks will slowly come to reflect the cost of production.

Other Tidbits

Unlike the Kindle, the nook’s battery is replaceable. This will increase the overall life of the e-reader making it a more sustainable choice.

The nook has 2GB of built in storage—meaning it can hold up to 1,500 books—and has a 16GB SD card slot for an additional 17,500 book capacity. The device can also function as a USB storage device holding any type of file.

The nook does not have Kindle’s text-to-speech experimental functionality but it does play mp3s on a built in microphone or through headphones.

As we have seen with cellphones, the multi-functionality of our digital devices increases their use.