My much-younger classmates at Ooligan are in a very different phase of life. They are exactly where I was thirty-five years ago: they are trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives and how they want to start their careers. Ooligan gives these students a hands-on, immersive experience in the publishing process.
Authors
Through the Eyes of an Archivist
By Mary Williams
The process of publishing a book has many moving parts. The marketing team needs to be studying their audience while the copyeditors and fact-checkers are working on the manuscript. The design team is creating the perfect cover while the author is trying not to have their third mental breakdown. There’s a lot going on. Things are constantly moving, going, working. But when you’re looking at it as an archivist, when the work is done, everything is still.
Building a Following Before Publishing: The Wattpad Effect
By Kaitlyn Shehee
Everyone may want to publish a book, but only a few aspiring authors will actually get there. Publication can often depend on luck and the right publisher finding the right story at the right time. It is notoriously a grueling process to go from a rough draft to a finished and, perhaps more importantly, published product. This can be a lot for any author to go through, and it might also be the reason for Wattpad’s success.
A Worthwhile Visit from the Author of Elephant Speak
By Julie Collins
Fresh advance reader copies had their spines stretched one by one as Melissa signed first pages and gave copies away with her thanks to all the attendees, many of whom shared connections with the Asian elephants of Portland.
Why Authors Should Obsessively Read Submission Guidelines
By Taylor Thompson @taylormegon
Not only does reading the submission guidelines tell you something about the agent or publisher you’re trying to impress, but it also tells that agent or publisher something about you. Don’t believe me? Here are five reasons you should obsess over submission guidelines.
The Merits of Hand Marking in the Modern Era
By Andre Cole
Is it really that surprising that our generation is cynical about any analogue workflows when we’ve seen several outmoded in our lifetimes? Unfortunately, it is that exact disillusionment that causes some genuinely useful pre-Y2K skills to be overlooked. Case in point: hand-marked editing.