In my time working at Ooligan Press, I have quickly learned that publishing is, first and foremost, a business. For all of the high-minded idealism that so many folks bring to books (whether reading, writing, or publishing them), it’s still a reality that you have to sell books to keep publishing them. There’s something else […]
Marketing
How Do We Fix Poetry Readings?
By Tina MorganLast Sunday, I went to a poetry reading. It was a joint reading by two indie publishing collectives, the New York indie press great weather for MEDIA and a local publisher, Printed Matter Vancouver. It was a nice evening: Christopher Luna read a standout poem about the Black Dahlia and the Surrealists, Gina Williams enlisted […]
Event Planning Time
By Kate MarshallWe received notice this week that Ruth’s novel Blue Thread has been reviewed in the most recent issue of Lilith, a Jewish feminist magazine, just in time for Hanukkah this year. It is especially gratifying to see reviews are still coming in after publication, particularly since the Ninth Day team has spent a significant amount […]
40 Years of Poetry Publishing
By Alexandra Haehnert
Founded in 1972 by Sam Hamill, Tree Swenson, William O’Daly, and Jim Gautney, Copper Canyon Press started out selling hand-bound, letterpressed limited editions of poetry books out of the trunks of their cars. Today, over forty years later, with nearly 500 poetry titles under its belt and operating out of a white clapboard house in […]
The Shuffling Madness
By Brian Tibbetts
I began working with Ooligan my first term as a grad student at PSU. Way back in April, I had a bit of chip on my shoulder. I’d been writing, getting published, and editing the work of other writers for a variety of small press journals for around twenty years. Additionally, I’d spent the prior […]
Do You Want Books with That?
By Melanie Figeuroa
From November 1–14, McDonald’s will give away 20 million children’s books with their Happy Meals instead of a toy in an effort to promote literacy. Last year, McDonald’s gave away 9 million books in the UK. While the books distributed in the UK, the Mudpuddle Farm series, were written by author Michael Morpurgo, the books […]