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At Oomf, Inc.

we make interesting

& innovative

books for children of

all ages and heights.

Pick a genre, any genre.

Propaganda

WHAT DO WE DO?

Oomf, Inc. provides original complete books in any genre...

We create original books

for any existing series...

We develop a publisher's

new concepts...

We work with publishers

to create new concepts...

We deliver finished manuscripts...

We rewrite or re-work works

in progress -- text, art, concept --

or ghost write whole books...

We work closely with literacy specialists for just-right content

at any reading level...

We provide creative direction

and editorial services...

We help promote, market, and otherwise add value after the book is complete...

...Which is why we have many satisfied publishing partners.

All kinds of books for all kinds of kids.

Oomf, Inc. is a creator, author, and packager of original children's books.We create quality nonfiction, picture books, preschool, educational, novelty, activity, merchandise, and licensed titles for a whole lot of leading publishers. We produce adult humor, trivia, and gift titles as well. There is no single look or style at Oomf, Inc. Generally our books come from original concepts and inspirations, though we also enjoy developing or co-developing a publishers new book ideas. We can also quickly provide concepts and text which publishers develop in-house. (Our background in advertising and publishing helps us pursue concepts that sell.) Oomf, Inc. titles are known for their original themes, superior art, quality writing and design, intelligence and/or humor, and a few unique twists. There is almost always an educational element, and it is almost always hidden away where our readers wont realize. Please inquire about our many unpublished concepts. We prefer they be published.
Publishers

Our list of exemplary publishers...

+ Annick Press + Barrons + Beachball Books + Chronicle Books + Discovery Channel + Dreamworks + Gramercy/Random House + Grosset & Dunlap/Penguin + Gullane + Hooked on Phonics + Imagine/Charlesbridge + Stanley Kaplan + Little Brown + Marshall Cavendish + Marvel Comics + Meredith + Metro Books/Barnes & Noble + National Geographic Kids + Pinwheel + Random House + Roaring Brook/Macmillan + Scholastic + Scholastic Book Clubs + Seaworld + Simon and Schuster + Sterling + Tiger Tales + Tangerine Press + Walker Books+ [Your Name Here]
Gor Din Egen Film.jpg

...We just can't read them.

We know these are good...

News & Links

We got news.

We got reviews.

Secret Hiding Places (for Clever Kids)the handbook of privacy., note-passing and other secrets, is being reissued in a magnificent new format complete with lock and key.(Scholastic Book Clubs)The long-awaited sequel toMom and Dad are Palindromesis currently in production.We don't want to say too much,but we can tell you that Bob,our put-upon hero, has a whole new pile of linguistic luggage to deal with.(Chronicle Books)Are You Normal, the fun and famous folio of fantastic facts,is enjoying a wave of popularity that is causing itsauthor to defy shyness ...go on many radio stations across the country...and shamelessly plugthis fascinating book.(National Geographic)When the easy-to-followmanual for making movies Attack of the Killer Video Book,was first released in 2004,there was no YouTube, no Facebook,no ipod video,people still used "tape,"and digital still camerasshot tiny, grainy videos.This caused us to think"Hey, if all that technology has to be upgraded and bought again, why can't our book? Watch for Attack of the Killer Video Book Take 2 coming soon to a bookseller near you. (Annick Press) If you are wondering about the follow-up novel to Scrawl, you will behappy to know it is under wraps, but under way.(Roaring Brook/Porter)Oomf, Inc. is under contract to write a middle-grade novel with James Patterson.the world's bestselling author.(Little Brown)
ARE YOU NORMAL? A fun new book by Mark Shulman... The real point of the questions (and of the book) is to show that nobody is perfectly normal or perfectly weird. -- The Washington Post MOM AND DAD ARE PALINDROMESThe illustrations are handsome and the jokes build nicely. -- The New York TimesSCRAWLScrawl is the rare novel written from the bully's point of view. It's useful to point out that much can hide under a hardened exterior.--The Los Angeles TimesTheres something special about this book, it's all put together so pleasingly, with punch and wit and smarts, and in such a way that the events and characters stay with you.-- Publishers WeeklyA memorable debut. --Kirkus ReviewsWith the potential to occupy the rarified air of titles like S.E. Hintons The Outsiders and Chris Crutchers Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Scrawl paints the stereotypical school bully in a different, poignant light. --VOYA Readers seeking an unflinching look at high-school politics from the perspective of the disenfranchised will find in Tod an illuminating guide. --BCCB"Tod has a real way with words (the way he crashes, then dominates the spelling bee is priceless). Shulman establishes a nice voice for him, as Tod rips jokes so dry they can float away and shows some real heart dealing with his less-than-desirable lot in life An unusual sort of bully redemption story." --Booklist"In a unique version of a story told in journal format, the writing Tod does in detention becomes this book Through his own words, the reader grows to love this hard-edged character Tods voice is natural and consistent. Shulman captures the viewpoint of a believable eighth-grader, while conveying Tods maturity and sharp sense of humor. Tods back story is seamlessly woven into his narrative. This book will engage a wide audience, but it will appeal most strongly to junior high school boys, particularly those who may be bored by schoolwork or have trouble finding books that interest them." --Childrens Literature"This is a different take on the bully story. It lets the readers inside the mind of a bully and see the reasoning for his actions. The story is true to life, funny, and shows that people who are seen as troublemakers can change Highly recommended." --Library Media ConnectionATTACK OF THE KILLER VIDEO BOOKWhat a great book for aspiring filmmakers! VOYA A good choice ... that wont become dated too quickly. -- School Library Journal The layout makes good use of color boxes, tips on every page, and comic-style illustrations with a multiethnic cast of two boys and two girls. Young Spielbergs and Sofia Coppolas will probably mine useful nuggets. -- Booklist Throughout, theres an understanding of the kind of limitations young filmmakers face, especially the financial (there are even suggestions on how to make films without a videocamera), but also the experiential, and the generous helpings of advice will bolster novices morale as well as provide them with helpful guidelines and creativity-prompting excercises ... Kids stuck taking endless videos of their pets while yearning to set their inner Scorsese free will find this just the boost they need to get into the lights, camera, and action. -- The Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books ... the book stands out for a number of reasons, particularly the authors ability to walk that fine line between making filmmaking seem cool to young readers while at the same time dispensing the kind of practical technical advice they need ... Readers will benefit by the outstanding organization of the text ... while at the same time enjoying the high-energy prose and lively illustrations. Adults will value the books underlying can-do theme ... Quill & Quire A must-have for the budding director ... this fun, accessible guide explores every stage of video production, including conceiving an idea, scriptwriting, special effects and editing. -- Todays Parent An extremely informative and humorous text that captivates the imagination ... an excellent resource. -- Resource Links MOM AND DAD ARE PALINDROMESThe illustrations are handsome and the joke builds nicely. -- The New York TimesThere are other reviews... but...Editor's emergency report: There are a lot of books to clip reviews from. Well be back soon.

We got noticed.

Scrawl is named to the list of Best Fiction for Young Adultsby the American Library Association.Scrawl is also named an ALA Quickpicks choicefor reluctant readers.Super Oscar is named best bilingual picture book of the yearby the Latino Book Awards.Mom and Dad are Palindromes* Best Children's Picture Books,San Francisco Chronicle* Publishers Weekly, starred review* CCBC Choices 2007* Parents' Choice Awards* Children's Book Sense PickAttack of the Killer Video Book* The Years Best List, Resource Links* YA Top Forty Titles, Pennsylvania School Librarians Assoc.* Our Choice List, Canadian Childrens Book CentreScrawl has found its way onto the state book lists of Tennessee, Kentucky, Kansas, and a couple of other states.Scrawl is a Junior Library Guild main selection for October 2010There's a lot more. We figured this is enough for one website. We don't want to embarrass ourselves.
Contact us

Discover Oomf, Inc.

If you'd like to talk about books, we'd like to hear from you.

Please use the contact form

for any of the following:

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212 807 1385

Info [at] Oomf.com

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Mark Shulman, Director

* Nonfiction

Nonfiction

It's stranger than fiction.Especially our nonfiction.We create books that are quick and enticing and funny, but you can still use them to write your report.No topic is too challengingor too serious (e.g. color theory for ten year olds.)And if you like these titles,imagine the ones we haven't gotten published yet.

National Geographic
Annick Press
Discovery
Discovery
Discovery
Discovery
Meredith
Discovery
Discovery
Discovery UK
Sterling Publishing
Sterling Publishing
Scholastic - Tangerine

* Picture Books

Picture books

We believe that every book is a story book. Yeah, it sounds hokey, but it's true. Even our novelty books are story books. Except for a couple of sequels. our picture books are all ones of a kind... using humor and human feelings to make themselves memorable.Oh, and they've got to be fun to read out loudFor a long, long time.

Chronicle Books
Sterling Publishing
Chronicle Books
Beachball Books
Simon and Schuster
Sterling Publishing
Scholastic
Marshall Cavendish
Seaworld
Walker Books
Gullane Editions
Beachball Books

* Preschool

Preschool

Our youngest readersare in many waysour most demanding.They seem to thinkas soon as a book is overthe bigger folkswill simply read it to themall over again.When dealing with those who will not negotiate,it is advisableto have books that you actually want to read ad infinitum.

Tiger Tales
Penguin - Grosset
Penguin - Grosset
Penguin - Grosset
Penguin - Grosset
Tiger Tales
Pinwheel
Pinwheel
Barrons
Barrons
Barrons
Barrons
School Specialty
Pinwheel
Pinwheel
Pinwheel
Pinwheel
Pinwheel
Pinwheel
Pinwheel

* Educational

Educational

How can it be that educational writing is often so dull, yet so painful to the eye?It's a conundrum. The challenge was put to Oomf, Inc -- createschool-based curriculum, be relevant, yet irreverent.As always, the gratitude of studentsis our only reward.

Kaplan Publishing
Kaplan Publishing
Kaplan Publishing
Kaplan Publishing
Kaplan Publishing
Kaplan Publishing
Kaplan Publishing
Kaplan Publishing
Kaplan Publishing
Kaplan Publishing
Hooked on Phonics
Hooked on Phonics

+ Novelty

Novelty books

Our books do stuff.Monster and dinosaur heads that glow in the dark.Junkyard dogs and rockets built from paper.Pop ups, pull tabs, furry covers, flaps, stickers, crayons, jigsaw puzzles and yes,hand puppets with pageswhere a tongue should be.And, in every case, you get a real book with a real story, specifically written to make the most of its format.

Barrons
Barrons
Charlesbridge - Imagine
Charlesbridge - Imagine
Dreamworks
Scholastic
Pinwheel
Pinwheel
Pinwheel
Pinwheel
Pinwheel
Pinwheel
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Pinwheel
Pinwheel
Pinwheel
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling
Sterling

* Licensed

Licensed and Branded

Mom always said to work well with others,...be a good listener, ...and to act in anappropriate manner when playing at someone else's house.Yup.But after you get through the door...

Seaworld
Marvel
Simon and Schuster - O.D.L.H
Discovery
Hooked on Phonics
Dreamworks
Kaplan
National Geographic

*Devious

Devious (but fun)

There is an opinion in academic circles that impressionable children should not be exposed to ideas which challenge the authority of adults. To this we say "bushwa." All children are impressionable, and trouble is the sort of thing that should be embraced...and managed creatively. Making hiding places, fake IDs, and functional voodoo dolls -- those are the examples we try to lead by.

Sterling Publishing
Sterling Publishing
Tangerine Press
Main Street Press

Fiction

Scrawl Awards

Journal Reviews

Goodreads Reviews

There's a lot of fiction on this page.Scrawl was what you'd calla departure from the usual.But there's more to come.Another novelwith the incomparableNeal Porter is in progress.We do ghostwriting, too.

Author Interviews

Scrawl old cover.jpg
Not ours
Not ours
We do ghostwriting
Not ours
Not ours

Scrawl Reviews and Awards

Journal Reviews for Scrawl:

Horn Book Guide ReviewsAfter bully Tod Munn gets busted breaking into and vandalizing the school, his guidance counselor forces him to fill pages in a notebook during daily detention. The more he writes, the more he reveals--and figures out--about his friends, his actions, and himself. Tod's witty narration, prompted by the guidance counselor's occasional notes, skillfully develops both his character and the story. Copyright 2010 Horn Book Guide Reviews.Voice of Youth Advocates ReviewsTod Munn is not a typical bully. Forced to write in a notebook because, in his words, he is "being reformed," Tod's diary entries, written to his school guidance counselor, chronicle his "fundraising activities," interactions with his "droogs" Rex, Rob and Bernie, and his slow road to redemption that begins with him crashing the school spelling bee and ends with him secretly supplying costumes for the school play. The notebook reveals an outwardly-hardened, inwardly-sensitive teen wrestling with the pull of loyalty to friends and fear of the future while just trying to survive the next week of school. As Tod begins to see that he might have a future beyond his hardscrabble neighborhood, a series of betrayals by those closest to him sets off a dangerous chain of events Tod's journal attempts to answer the question, "How can anybody scrawl his story when he doesn't have anything to say?" Scrawl is at times hilarious, sarcastic, and angstya present-day Lord of the Flies (Capricorn Books, 1959) with the pathos and introspection of My So-Called Life (Random House Books for Young Readers, 1995). Blackmail, cliques, and a sense of hopelessness from both students and teachers sets up an unexpected ending that will leave readers with a new appreciation for how difficult high school can be. With the potential to occupy the rarified air of titles like S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders and Chris Crutcher's Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes (Greenwillow Books, 1993/VOYA October 1993), Scrawl paints the stereotypical school bully in a different, poignant light.Jay Wise 4 Q 3 P M J S Copyright 2010 Voya Reviews.Booklist Reviews"After class-bully Tod and his "droogs" get caught vandalizing school property, his punishment is to spend every day in after-school detention writing in a notebook. "About anything?" he asks Mrs. W., his jailer. "Okay. Fine. You asked for it. I'll write about this desk. I hate this desk." The classic smarter-than-his-teachers underachiever with a rotten home life, Tod has a real way with words (the way he crashes, then dominates the spelling bee is priceless), and he soon warms to his enforced writing therapy. Some readers might wish he'd stayed a little more bottled up thoughhis wordy tendencies sometimes drag the narrativebut Shulman establishes a nice voice for him, as Tod rips jokes so dry they can float away and shows some real heart dealing with his less-than-desirable lot in life. Much to his droogs' horror, he gets involved making costumes for the school play, and his increasingly confrontational clashes with them spell both trouble and growth. An unusual sort of bully redemption story, with patient, not reluctant, readers squarely in its sights." Copyright 2010 Booklist Reviews. Kirkus ReviewsTod Munn is in trouble for breaking into school and vandalizing school property. Previously, he's taken kids' lunch money, broken eyeglasses, intimidated weaker kids. He's the stereotypical school bully. Or is he? His friends have been sentenced by the disciplinary committee to endless hours of cleanup duty, but Tod, for some reason, is sent to daily detention with Mrs. Woodrow, the guidance counselor and former English teacher, where his punishment is to write several pages per day in a composition notebook. And despite his handwriting, his scrawl, his prose is quite good, raising the question, early on, of how a thug like Tod could be such a literate writer, let alone have read Moby-Dick, Oliver Twist and A Clockwork Orange. But this novel-as-journal isn't just the author's conceit; Tod's writing skill, his clear prose and natural voice, makes sense as readers get to know him through his journal, in which he describes himself and his world and proves that maybe he's more than a "ghetto juvenile delinquent," which is just what Mrs. Woodrow had suspected. A memorable debut. (Fiction. 12 & up)Copyright Kirkus 2010 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. Library Media ConnectionTod Munn bullies other kids, takes their lunch money, and is scary to others. When he and his friends are caught for vandalism, Tod?s punishment is to write journal entries under the watchful eye of his guidance counselor. From his entries readers learn of the poverty which is at the root of many of Tod?s actions. Because of his guilt at vandalizing his friend Luz?s sculpture, he agrees to do the costumes for the play which she is directing. To procure the costumes he searches in dumpsters, steals donations from a second hand store and from clotheslines. He uses his sewing ability, learned from his mother, to alter the clothes. This is a different take on the bully story. It lets the readers inside the mind of a bully and see the reasoning for his actions. The story is true to life, funny, and shows that people who are seen as troublemakers can change. I wished that a better school could be found for Tod; his intelligence seemed to be of his own making and was not being enhanced by what he was taught in school. Highly Recommended. Ellen Spring, Library Media Specialist, Rockland District Middle School, Rockland, Maine ¬ 2010 Linworth Publishing, Inc. Publishers Weekly ReviewsShulman (Mom and Dad Are Palindromes) makes his YA debut with the story of Tod, a school bully forced to spend detention writing in a journal. Tod's latest crime was breaking into school with his buddies to steal a video camera, but he has a long history of beating up kids for their lunch money and destroying property. He's also a superb student, hiding his good grades behind his rough demeanor. As he writes, details of his home life emerge. Tod's house is barely habitable, and he is forced to help his mother in her job as a seamstress to make ends meet. His bullying is often less about wanting to hurt other kids than genuinely needing money, although he doesn't show much remorse. There's little that hasn't been done before--the overly smart bully with a troubled home life is a standard trope--but Shulman throws in some nice twists and gives Tod a strong, solid voice. Even the inevitable ray of hope doesn't fully distract from the bleakness of Tod's life. Ages 12up. (Sept.)[Page ]. Copyright 2010 PWxyz LLC School Library Journal ReviewsGr 7 Up"I know what you think. You think I'm fixable, don't you? You want to fix the bad guy." Readers slowly learn what makes Tod, a self-confessed bully, tick by reading the notebook he writes in (not, he insists, a journal) during after-school detention. He is supervised by Mrs. Woodrow, the guidance counselor, for a school break-in with his buddies (droogs), who increasingly resent that he's gotten this cushy punishment while they are consigned to clean the school grounds. Tod is no dummy. He reads, does his homework, and gets good grades. But he's poor. His mom, a seamstress, does alterations for a dry cleaners (Tod helps), and he tries to stay away from her husband, whom he describes as "unpredictable." Lacking money for basic necessities like food and clothes, he extorts it from "losers" at school and otherwise tries to keep a fairly low profile. The plot is thin, as Tod gets roped into providing the costumes for a school play written and produced by "that spooky goth girl Luz Montoya." Still, he is a funny, quirky, interesting character. There are loose ends, but in the end it's not so much what happened, as the fun of getting there, finding out whether Tod is right or not when he writes, "I'm a loser, okay? I was born a loser and I'll live a loser and I'll die a loser. And nothing you do here is going to ever change that."Joel Shoemaker, formerly at South East Junior High School, Iowa City, IA[Page 127]. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.The Author's MotherI'm so proud.

Recognition for Scrawl:

Scrawl is named to the list of Best Fiction for Young Adultsby the American Library Association.Scrawl is also named an ALA Quickpicks choicefor reluctant readers.Scrawl has found its way onto the state book lists of Tennessee, Kentucky, Kansas, and a couple of other states.Scrawl is a Junior Library Guild main selection for October 2010There's more. But the chances you've read all the way to here are incredibly slim.So are you. That outfit really looks good on you.
Adult

For Adults

But not adult.Not by any definition.Humor, Star Wars trivia, Christmas carols, optical illusions, andquotes from Ben Franklin?One thing's for sure.You can't accuse us of beingrepetitive.What's next on this unpredictable trajectory?That, dear publisher,is up to you.

Metro Books - Barnes and Noble
Sterling Publishing
Random House
Random House
Sterling Publishing
Oomf Publishing
Sterling Publishing
Sterling Publishing
A different Mark Shulman