Over the summer and fall of 2021, fourteen interns with The Teaching Press had the opportunity to participate in book design, copyediting, developmental editing, client engagement, project management, printing, market research, and several other aspects of the production process for The Teaching Press’s newest book, Call Me Morgue, written by debut author Morgan Moran and illustrated by former press intern, Ali Juul.
As a part of the production process, The Teaching Press’s summer Marketing Lead intern, Rose Siegfried had the chance to talk to Call Me Morgue’s author, Morgan Moran about her writing process, her experiences in funeral work, and her hopes for all the readers of Call Me Morgue. Continue reading
After Morgan Moran quit her advertising job, death work seemed easy—but the only easy part about it was the preparation: gory Instagram accounts, murder movies, playing “carry the corpse” with friends.
With each new encounter—hearse rides, cremations, embalming—she’s surprised as her work with the dead becomes life-giving, and her glimpses of grief become revelations. What else is happening in the world that’s this special, she wonders, that we know nothing about?Continue reading
Dead bodies, decapitated heads, and the person that keeps them company.
In a sometimes wrenching, often irreverent collection of “death snacks,” debut author Morgan Moran captures her fascination with death and its inner workings in her book, Call Me Morgue.
The book is based on the author’s blog, which chronicles her journey into death work as a mortician’s apprentice after a 12-year career in advertising.
Call Me Morgue is the fifth title from The Teaching Press at UW-Green Bay. Continue reading
Check out the UW-Green Bay News and Features Call Me Morgue article written by freelance writer Kristin Bouchard by following the link here to learn more about The Teaching Press’s newest book!
Our second book project has gone to press after many, many challenges, but we’re delighted with the results. Read UWGB’s article about our work on our client Peter Kraker’s history of the UW-Green Bay Women’s Basketball team, The Green Bay Way, here
As a student-managed printing house at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, The Teaching Press provides hands-on learning opportunities for undergraduates to learn transferable skills in a variety of interdisciplinary fields, one of which includes book design. During the summer of 2021, Teaching Press Interns JouLee Yang and Ali Juul took on the role of Design Team Leads for an exciting new Teaching Press Project. Under the direction of Dr. Rebecca Meacham, JouLee and Ali learned the ins and outs of book design and completed some stunning design work for the press. In a brief interview, Ali and JouLee shared some of their personal insight about book design and working with the Teaching Press. Continue reading
June 19, 2021 / Kimberly Davis / Comments Off on STOP THE PRESSES! Wait, which ones?: A brief look into trade book publishers (& a bit about The Teaching Press!)
By: Kimberly Davis, Blog/Web Editor & Copywriter for The Teaching Press during Spring 2021
In the big wide world of publishing presses, it can be overwhelming for the most savvy of clients (and the most eager of interns) to not only narrow down their options from a professional perspective, but to pinpoint what exactly each and every press does from an organizational one. Although publishing presses can certainly offer their clients and staff with an extremely individualized experience—due to their wide range of services/capabilities, community/literary focus, and even the unique personalities they have on staff—there are undoubtedly similarities that can be detected across the board. So, let’s go on and ahead and get down to business. (The publishing business, that is!)
THE TRADE BOOK PUBLISHERS (THE BIGWIGS!):
Trade book publishers are most likely the type of publishing press that most of us are familiar with. These presses follow the publishing process from start to finish—from the selection process all the way to retail/bookstore/library distribution. In a way, these large scale publishing presses are most known to focus on the consumer appeal of their projects. These books can come in all forms (such as paperback, hard cover, and e-book) and concern a wide, if not all inclusive, range of topics. Publishing through a trade book publisher is considered to be the most ‘conventional‘ or ‘traditional‘ method for clients when it comes to editing, publishing, and distributing their work. Sometimes, independent publishers outsource to these bigger trade book publishers.
The Big Five!
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EXAMPLES OF TRADE BOOK PUBLISHERS (‘THE BIG FIVE’):
To gain the best understanding of what The Teaching Press is considered to be, it may be best to hear straight from our director, Dr. Rebecca Meacham, herself.
As Meacham states, “The Teaching Press is most like a ’boutique/hybrid’ press. We offer clients our services to layout, edit, and design work; offer feedback and beta readings; and make books. Sometimes, we can print those books in limited editions (ex. 100 copies); sometimes, we create a file for the client to take elsewhere to print. We do not do marketing for all of our books; we do not hold copyright; we do not keep inventory; we do not sell books directly unless they are part of a launch event. We charge clients fees for our services. Our clients’ books, currently, would be termed ‘self-published.'”
However, she adds: “[The Teaching Press is] also like an ‘undergrad/university-affiliated’ press. Core to our identity is the ability for students to learn from, and assume leadership roles in, making books. Our projects and all steps of client engagement, and Teaching Press media and management, are meant to teach both ‘soft’ skills and technical skills. Our mottos, thus, are: ‘Failure is baked in to what our learners do;’ and ‘our clients should not expect competence.'”
Hard at work with The Teaching Press!
Now, although The Teaching Press may align more so with these two categories of publishing presses, there truly is no doubt that we are just as dedicated and eager to offer the best experience we are capable of just like all the rest!
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BIBLIOGRAPHY (& ALSO RESOURCES FOR FURTHER READING!):
June 19, 2021 / Kimberly Davis / Comments Off on STOP THE PRESSES! Wait, which ones?: A brief look into independent, small, and micro-presses
By: Kimberly Davis, Blog/Web Editor & Copywriter for The Teaching Press during Spring 2021
In the big wide world of publishing presses, it can be overwhelming for the most savvy of clients (and the most eager of interns) to not only narrow down their options from a professional perspective, but to pinpoint what exactly each and every press does from an organizational one. Although publishing presses can certainly offer their clients and staff with an extremely individualized experience—due to their wide range of services/capabilities, community/literary focus, and even the unique personalities they have on staff—there are undoubtedly similarities that can be detected across the board. So, let’s go on and ahead and get down to business. (The publishing business, that is!)
THE INDEPENDENT/SMALL PRESS AND THE MICRO-PRESS:
The independent (or small/indie) publishing press may be one of the most diverse publishing types out there when it comes to comparing all their individual characteristics down to the nail. Although these presses run their operations similarly to your standard, traditional trade book publishers, they do so on a much more condensed scale. Independent publishing presses may hold rights to their projects, while also curating submission quality. For the independent press, success is key! Notably, these presses also do not charge their clients due to their selectivity.
Many times, these presses will strive to provide their clients with a full publishing team experience (including editors, designers, and the like) when it comes to their projects; however, they are also all about providing a more involved, considerate approach than some larger publishers. In other words, they work to supply clients with the best of both worlds by connecting with their clients in both a professional and personal manner. It is possible for these types of presses to rely on out-of-house resources as well though, especially when it comes to marketing and specified printing services.
Similar in nature, the micro-press produces primarily smaller works, such as chapbooks and short stories, on an even smaller quantity scale. They also may not take on quite as many projects as other presses will throughout the year (with many of them only taking on one project within those twelve months!). Due to their limited services and financial output, these presses are considered to be more of a hobby or side-gig for many of those who work them. It is not entirely unknown for these presses to be run by a single individual either. Unlike the small press, however, the micro-press tends to keep all of its services in-house—taking on copy-editing, binding, printing, and sometimes marketing responsibilities for their clients.
A hefty stack of books published by Belt Publishing, an independent publishing press (image courtesy of Belt Publishing).
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EXAMPLES OF INDEPENDENT, SMALL, AND/OR MICRO-PRESSES:
June 19, 2021 / Kimberly Davis / Comments Off on STOP THE PRESSES! Wait, which ones?: A brief look into the university-affiliated press
By: Kimberly Davis, Blog/Web Editor & Copywriter for The Teaching Press during Spring 2021
In the big wide world of publishing presses, it can be overwhelming for the most savvy of clients (and the most eager of interns) to not only narrow down their options from a professional perspective, but to pinpoint what exactly each and every press does from an organizational one. Although publishing presses can certainly offer their clients and staff with an extremely individualized experience—due to their wide range of services/capabilities, community/literary focus, and even the unique personalities they have on staff—there are undoubtedly similarities that can be detected across the board. So, let’s go on and ahead and get down to business. (The publishing business, that is!)
THE UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED PRESS:
To start off, we will first consider the university-affiliated press. The category ‘university-affiliated press’ gains its name from the fact that it branches off from, or is in collaboration with, its parent institution (a university). These not-for-profit presses are commonly known for publishing works of academic merit; however, they may also inch into publishing creative or general interest works as well. More often than not, the university-affiliated press is willing to provide university students—those with applicable majors and/or related interests—with an outlet for early exposure to the inner-workings and operations of the publishing industry. Considering that these presses tend to reach a smaller audience (specialists or regional), it is not completely uncommon for them to operate in a way similar to micro-presses.
A glimpse into the Book Arts Collaborative workshop, a university-affiliated press (image courtesy of the Book Arts Collaborative website).
