In late December, our publisher was informed that a major portion of the shipment that was en route to our distributor was lost. She acted fast, looping in the Design Manager, Operations Manager, and me, the Project Manager, and we did some major troubleshooting. FedEx was attempting to locate the shipment, hopeful that it would be found after the holiday backlog cleared. The publisher reached out to Ingram, our distributor, to see if it was feasible to use their print-on-demand service to ensure we would have books in time to meet the industry deadline for new titles. Because of many factors (timing, holiday closures, and staffing numbers), the success of this option was not guaranteed. Ultimately, moving the publishing date forward a month was the best solution.
flash fiction
SHORT, VIGOROUS ROOTS: A Brief Account of a Project Team’s Blurb Journey
By Stephanie Johnson Lawson
The process of requesting blurbs begins with a massive contact sheet—a focused list of people who may be interested in writing a blurb for the book. It involves reaching out to a lot of people: “the more names, the more likely you are to get a yes,” Tucker says, adding that we want to ask people who have a “strong connection with both [the] audience and the material…because the more focused the blurb list is on your audience, the better.” In our case, this all proved true.
Production Workflow at Ooligan Press: A Project Manager’s Early Perspective
By Stephanie Johnson Lawson
Oolies (that’s what we call the graduate students who help run Ooligan Press) are simultaneously publishing professionals—meeting deadlines and industry standards to produce successful books—and actively learning new skills, collaborating innovatively, and pursuing academic success. At Ooligan Press, the books we publish follow a production workflow, which is the backbone of the entire process.
Announcing the SHORT, VIGOROUS ROOTS Cover!
By Grace Hansen @thegracieve
For the cover design, we felt that we should try to encompass the intricate stories, vibrant details, and the solemn-yet-hopeful tone that is present in the anthology. There was the obvious visual theme of roots that we’re playing on for the cover, but we chose the design with special care.
SHORT, VIGOROUS ROOTS: Developmental Stages
By Grace Hansen @thegracieve
The line between imagination and reality blurs in these forty poignant pieces written by first- and second-generation immigrant authors.
Twitterature Renaissance: How Digital Publishing Created a Platform for Microfiction to Flourish
By Jasmine Gower
Storytelling through Twitter has multiple appealing qualities to authors—these works are quick to produce, easy to publish, and easy to share.