One of the first things you learn in the publishing industry is to accept a kindly phrased “no” as an answer to your pitch. This lesson may sound a little bitter; however, anticipating being told no makes receiving an enthusiastic yes feel even more rewarding. I experienced this myself last term when we reached out to the American Booksellers Association in regards to attending their ABC Children’s Institute.
young adult literature
A Haiku of the Story
By Margaret Henry
The last time you heard from the Ocean in My Ears team, we were busy copyediting the manuscript. Well, now the copyediting is finished, and we have since turned our attention to the cover. Like many of our projects at Ooligan Press, this was a collaborative effort. Taylor Farris came up with the original concept for the cover that featured a watercolor splash, a denim textured font, and a clean aesthetic; Leigh Thomas built upon this design, adding the mountains and the reflection, as well as fine-tuning the details; and Riley Pittenger hand drew the illustrated car. Needless to say, the result is a cover that is more than the sum of its parts, but let’s go ahead and take a closer look at some of those parts anyway.
And Now, We Wait
By Alyssa Gnall
This month, I’d like to talk about a subject that perhaps doesn’t get addressed as straightforwardly as it should: waiting. Waiting is the in-between step in the book publishing process that I wasn’t prepared for, and it has consistently been a challenge as a manager. You’ve just organized and collaborated with seven other people to […]
Prepping for Pre-Sales
By Alyssa GnallAs we head steadily into the middle of the spring term, the Seven Stitches team is hard at work preparing for pre-sales. In the early summer, we’ll hold a pre-sales call with Ingram, where we’ll pitch the book for distribution. To get ready for that call, we’re nailing down our marketing materials, including the advance […]
We’re Getting into the Spring of Things
By Alyssa GnallShortly after Valentine’s Day, Ruth returned her revised manuscript to our team, and we got started on line-level developmental editing. This go-around of editing basically involves no major changes or alterations, and it is instead focused on making Ruth’s manuscript the best version of itself. Because she’s chosen to take on the issue of diverse […]
‘Twas a Happy Valentine’s Day!
By Alyssa GnallHappy Valentine’s Day to us! We’re in love—with the new manuscript from Ruth Tenzer Feldman! This Valentine’s Day, exactly one year from our anticipated pub date, Feldman returned the revised manuscript for Seven Stitches to our team. Earlier this winter, Feldman got her developmental letter from our acquisitions department, as well as met with our […]