The Department of English at Portland State University offers graduate work leading to a Master's degree in Book Publishing. The graduate program in Book Publishing is at the forefront of publishing education nationally. Students gain a comprehensive view of the industry through the program’s required foundational courses. They also have the opportunity to specialize in an area of the publishing process. Students develop their specialization by engaging in a variety of experiential learning opportunities, the most notable of which is Ooligan Press, a publishing house staffed by students in the graduate program in Book Publishing with guidance and supervision provided by expert faculty. Students in the program must complete a final research paper with a 10-page minimum. The topic of this research paper is determined by a research question generated by the student and approved by the student’s advisor. This collection includes those final research papers that have been reviewed and approved by the students' advisors.

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Submissions from 2023

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Reactions to Latinx Children’s Picture Books from Indie Presses: An Analysis of Online Consumer Reviews, Karina L. Agbisit

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An Industry-Standard Profit and Loss Statement for Book Publishing Professionals in the United States, Jackie Krantz

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Examining the Discovery Behaviors of Comics Consumers, Tara McCarron

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The Identification of Representation Gaps in Diverse US Children's Picture Books, Alena Rivas

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The Satisfaction Clause in Publishing Agreements: A Case Study of Its Purpose, Controversy, and Future, Maliea Ruby

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Author Demographics of Outdoor Books: Exploring Diversity On The Shelves at Oregon Outdoor Retailers, Nell Stamper

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Metadata Decentralized: An Examination of Folksonomy in Book Publishing, Dani Tellvik

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Struggling to Thrive: NYC Publishing Salaries in the Age of Inflation & Implications for Diversifying the Publishing Workforce, Em Villaverde

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Trends in Young Adult Literature: A Quantitative Approach to Characterizing the New York Times Young Adult Bestsellers of 2020, 2021, and 2022, Anna Wehmeier Giol

Submissions from 2022

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Artificial Intelligence as a Content Creator in the Publishing Industry, John Huston

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Book Deserts of Litlandia: A Case Study of Book Deserts in the Literary City of Portland, Oregon in Relation to Book Waste from it’s Largest Independent Bookstore, Megan Jessop

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The Rise of XR Storytelling and the Contribution of Consumer Accessibility, Cost Efficiency, & Intrinsic Value to Feasibility, Sarah Moffatt

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Systemic Barriers That Exclude BIPOC Authors From Literary Awards and the Proposed Solutions to Evoke Change, Devyn Yan Radke

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International Cross-Media Adaptation: A Case Study of The Witcher, Alexa Schmidt

Submissions from 2021

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Pride, Prejudice, and Diversity: The Retelling Culture The Development and Analysis of Best Practices for Diverse Modern Re-imaginings of the Classics, Hannah Boettcher

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Diversity and Representation in Oregon’s Battle of the Books, Catharine Brown

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Woman Turned Warrior: An Analysis on the Strong Female Character Trope and the Influence it has on Gender Stereotypes Through the Use of Back Cover Copy, Alexandria Gonzales

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The Patriarchy in Publishing: Examining Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Women (Non-men) in the Publishing Industry, Grace E. Hansen

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Something Old, Something New: How Chapbooks and Crowdfunding can Reduce Financial Risk for Small Publishers, Jennifer Lindsay

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Uncovering the Dirt on Cancel Culture: An In-depth Analysis of Publishing’s Relationship with Controversy, Alix Martinez

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The Influence of Ursula K. Le Guin, Bailey Potter

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Covid-19 and Open Access in the Humanities: Impacts and Emerging Trends, Olivia Rollins

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Consent Is Sexy: A Look Into the Influence the ‘Me Too.’ Movement Had On the Romance Genre Through Smart Bitches Trashy Books, Mary Williams

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What Compels Millennial Parents to Buy Books for Their Children?, Emma Wolf

Submissions from 2020

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Eco-Publishing in The Book Industry: An Interdisciplinary Case Study with Patagonia Books, Julie A. Collins

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Pottermore, A Case Study: What Publishers Can Learn About Developing Interactive Transmedia in the Post-Web Age, Megan Crayne

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Identifying and Connecting with Diverse SFF Readers, Denise Morales Soto

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A Major Motion Picture or Just a Picture? An Analysis in Movie Tie-Ins vs. Original Cover Art, Vivian Nguyen

Does My Favorite Murder Inform Listeners' Favorite Media?, Dani Nicholson

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Beloved and the Water Dancer: A Longitudinal Study of Book Reviews From 1987 and 2019, Tiffany Watson

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Spatial Politics and Literacy: An Analysis of Little Free Libraries and Neighborhood Distribution of Book-Sharing Depositories in Portland, Oregon and Detroit, Michigan, Desiree Wilson

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Ethics and True Crime: Setting a Standard for the Genre, Hazel Wright

Submissions from 2019

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The Small Publisher’s Guide to Audiobooks, Stephanie Anderson

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Diversity in YA: A Look at How Book Description Language Talks About Race, Brittney Finato

Catapulting Cozies: Analyzing the Anecdote Linking Cozy Sales to Bestselling Thrillers and the Popularity of Cozies in Today’s Marketplace, Emily Frantz

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Approaches to Contested In-Group Terminology for Mindful Editors, Jasmine Gower

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Why Do Adults Read Young Adult Books?, Monica Hay

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A Cover is Worth 1000 Words: Visibility and Racial Diversity in Young Adult Cover Design, Jenny Kimura

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Consumerism-Driven History: The American Girl Brand as Publisher and Arbiter of Girlhood Identity, Sarah Loepp

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Marie Kondo and the New Self-Help, Kristen Ludwigsen

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Engagement in the Fiber Craft Community: How Authors Can Increase Visibility and Market Their Books, Victoria Raible

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Pay to Play: Internships, Post-Graduate Education, and the Cost of Working in Publishing, Madison Schultz

Online Frenzy: How Wattpad Can be Used in Traditional Publishing, Taylor Thompson

Coding LGBTQ Content: BISACs, Fanfiction, and Searchability in the Digital Age, Hanna Ziegler

Submissions from 2018

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The Role of the Developmental Editor in Emerging Forms of Narrative, Stephanie Argy

Beyond BookScan: How Publishers Can Use Alternative Data To Supplement Traditional Sales Metrics for Genre Fiction, Grace Evans

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Building a Literary Culture: How Indie Publishers Can Establish Stability by Operating Community Hubs, Lisa Hein

Submissions from 2017

Make the Old New Again; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Penguin’s Classic Redesigns, Sophie Aschwanden

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Print Books and E-Books: How Each Format Plays a Role in Reading Comprehension, Maeko Bradshaw

BookTube and the Formation of the Young Adult Canon, Melina Hughes

Establishing the Conservative Genre: The Beginning of Political Censorship or Business as Usual?, Vi Rose La Bianca

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Tools for Nonfiction Developmental Editors, Jacoba Lawson

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Trends in Marketing for Books on Animal Rights, Gloria H. Mulvihill

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How to Edit Controversial Texts, Nicholas M. Shea

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What Color Is the Threshold? An Exploration of the Materiality of Racial Descriptions in Marketing Paratext in Adult Fiction, Jordana Beh Wathey

Submissions from 2016

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Dismantling the Gate, Crossing the Threshold: The Promise of Producerly Paratexts in Building an Innovative, Responsive, and Representative Book Industry, Dory Athey

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Publishing Puzzles: Some Implications of Literary Diffculty for the Editor, Brendan Brown

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Elevating the Translator: Next Steps in Promoting International Literature, Olenka Burgess

We Need Diverse Books and Independent Publishers: A Portland, Oregon, Perspective, Kellie Doherty

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This Is Your Brain on Editing: How Digital Tools Affect the Cognitive Processes Behind Copyediting, Megan Doyle

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525,600 Minutes: How Do You Measure Cultural Diversity in Oregon Trade Publishing?, Alyssa Gnall

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How to Be in Charge (and Make Authors Do What You Tell Them): An Examination of Editorial Authority in Letters Written by Trade Fiction and Nonfiction Editors, Emily Goldman

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We’ll Want It When We Say We Want It: How the Market Speaks to the Publishing Industry via Crowdfunding, and Why Publishers Should Listen, Alan Scott Holley

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Foreign Word Alert, Foreign Word Alert: Rethinking Editorial Approaches to the Italicization of Foreign Terms, Katey Trnka

Building Brand and Community: Tracing the Impact of NonBook Literary Programming on Book Publishers' Economic and Cultural Capital, Hayley Wilson

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Anarchism in Book Publishing: An Exploration of Business and Ethics, Alexis M. Woodcock

Submissions from 2015

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The Migration of Bibliographic Methodology, Zachary Thomas Eggemeyer

Blogs and Book Promotion: Measuring Success, Melanie Figueroa

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Critical Editions and the Promise of the Digital: The Development and Limitations of Markup, Alexandra Haehnert

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Social Media Blogs-to-Books: Changes in Content and the Editorial Process, Kyra Hearn

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E-Books and Author Payments: The Affect of Digital Publishing on Author Royalties, Missy Lacock

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Independent Publishers and Transition to Nonprofit: Distress Call or Mission-Based Evolution?, Meagan Lobnitz

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The Considerations of Editing Previously Published Works, Ariana Marquis

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What Are MFA Programs Doing to Better Prepare Their Students for the Realities of the Publishing Industry and Where Is There Room for Improvement?, Sabrina Parys

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Changing Publisher-Author Relationships in the Midst of Developing Crowd-Funded Publishing Platforms, Margaret Schimming

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Imagine That! Word Balloons in Children's Picture Books, Erika Schnatz

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A Publisher’s Look at eBooks and Their Affect on Young Readers, Caitlin Waite

Not That Kind of Publisher: How NovelRank and BookScan Can Benefit Small Publishers' Marketing and Promotions, Geoff Wallace