This week is spring break at Portland State University and Ooligan Press. Things have been a little bit quiet around the office as everyone is away, but with release day just one week off, those of us on The Wax Bullet War team are as busy as ever it seems. Most of what we are working on now is the same type of work that’s been keeping us busy for the past few weeks. We are still pursuing media and review coverage and trying to help Sean plan for his upcoming book tour.

Throughout it all, we are trying to keep our minds open to flashes of inspiration. While our work now all falls under the marketing umbrella and is easily summed up over and over again in the same ways (reviews! book tour! blog tour! media!), there is still so much room for a nuanced approach to each of those things. Just last week, one member of the team suggested sending a pitch to an art gallery in Eugene. These kinds of ideas—the last-minute, out-of-the-box, ideas—are often worth pursuing, and sometimes they end up being our most fruitful leads. So while it sounds like we are doing the same things over and over, it’s not a mechanized process; instead, it’s one of diligent work punctuated by brainstorms and moments of insight. Good books keep readers on the edges of their seats until the last page, but they also keep publishers on their toes until the the very end of the publishing process (and often well beyond).

Until next week (which promises to be a very exciting one!),
Laurel