University press
Ooligan Press (Portland State University)
Fiction, Diverse and BIPOC voices, Literary fiction
Published Updated Reviewed every month · next review November 2026
About Ooligan Press
Ooligan Press is open to unagented queries for literary fiction, nonfiction and young adult fiction. Submit through Submittable with a query letter, the first 10 pages and a brief summary. It does not take agented or emailed submissions, and memoir is closed for now.
Ooligan Press is a student-run trade press at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, rooted in the Pacific Northwest. It publishes literary fiction, nonfiction and young adult fiction, plus books about the craft and teaching of writing, publishing and book production and books on sustainable practices. It puts an emphasis on works with regional significance to the Pacific Northwest and aims to publish local, marginalized voices. Fall is its nonfiction season and spring is its fiction season.
Submissions start with a query through Submittable. Send a query letter, the first ten pages, a brief summary, audience and markets, your bio and publishing history, contact information and content warnings. If the press wants more, it asks for a full proposal with a cover letter, page count, audience, marketing ideas, comparison titles, a table of contents if needed, the complete manuscript and content warnings. Evaluation can take as long as six months.
What Ooligan Press is looking for
- Literary fiction, nonfiction and young adult fiction
- Books about the craft and teaching of writing, publishing and book production
- Books on sustainable practices
- Works with regional significance to the Pacific Northwest
- Local, marginalized voices
Publishes
- Diverse and BIPOC voices
- Fiction
- Literary fiction
- Nonfiction
- Young adult
Specialties
- Literary fiction
- University press list
How to submit to Ooligan Press
From its own guidelines- Prepare a query letter, the first ten pages and a brief summary.
- Add audience and markets, your bio and publishing history, contact information and content warnings.
- Submit the query through Submittable.
- If asked, send a full proposal and the complete manuscript.
- Allow up to six months for evaluation.
Is Ooligan Press right for your book?
A good fit if
Ooligan suits unagented Pacific Northwest writers of literary fiction, nonfiction or young adult fiction, especially local and marginalized voices. It also suits writers with books on writing craft, publishing or sustainable practices.
Look elsewhere if
Look elsewhere if you write memoir, poetry, children's picture books, middle grade, religious books or self-help, or if your book is part of a series. Agented writers and anyone hoping to submit by email should also look elsewhere.
Questions about Ooligan Press
Does Ooligan Press accept unsolicited manuscripts?
Ooligan Press accepts unsolicited queries from unagented writers, but not full manuscripts up front. You send a query with the first ten pages, and the press asks for the complete manuscript only if it wants to see more. It does not accept agented submissions or emailed materials, and it is not currently accepting memoirs.
How do I submit to Ooligan Press?
Submit a query through Submittable. Include a query letter, the first ten pages, a brief summary, audience and markets, your bio and publishing history, contact information and content warnings. If the press requests more, send a full proposal with a cover letter, page count, audience, marketing ideas, comparison titles, a table of contents if appropriate and the complete manuscript.
How long does Ooligan Press take to reply?
Ooligan Press says proposal evaluation may take as long as six months. Plan for that window after you submit through Submittable. The press runs a fall season for nonfiction and a spring season for fiction, so timing can depend on where your book fits. Emailing the press will not help, since it does not accept emailed materials.
Listing history
- Checked on the publisher's own site
