In February, three-time UW–Madison alumnus Michael T. Braun (’06, ’11, ’13) filled out an alumni spotlight survey for the English department. He highlighted how humanities programs offer training in clear and organized writing, persuasive interpretation and coalition-building that allows “fun work” to yield the “best work.”
“I don’t know where my career will take me next, but I know it’s the skills I developed as an English major that will lead the way,” Braun shared with a mixture of vulnerability and pride.
Now, just a few short months later, Braun’s speculation about his professional future has become a gratifying reality. On July 1, Braun was named the new owner and editor-in-chief of Orange Hat Publishing, a renowned independent book publisher based in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Through 13 years of dedicated leadership, founder Shannon Ishizaki built OHP into an organization that has published nearly 600 books from more than 400 authors. Independently feeling called toward new careers, Braun and Ishizaki connected after working together on a couple of past publishing projects. Within a few weeks of sketching new horizons for Orange Hat Publishing together, they had a transition plan ready.
Braun found his way back into the literary world via a circuitous path. After earning a BA in English in 2006 and following a brief stint in technical services at Epic Systems, he returned to UW–Madison to complete an MA and PhD in communication science with the Department of Communication Arts under the mentorship of Professor Lyn Van Swol. Braun then worked in combinations of academic research and publishing, program management and adjunct instruction for 10 years. He views this leap into indie publishing as a fortuitous and welcome opportunity to merge his analytical and creative skills in a team-oriented director role helping shepherd authors’ ideas into being.
With roots in children’s literature, Orange Hat Publishing has transformed into a local powerhouse that produces books of all genres. Thanks to the foundation of Ishizaki’s expertise and Braun’s entrepreneurial spirit, this change in ownership coincides with a period of intentional, renewed connections between affiliated editors, designers and authors. Accordingly, OHP received more than 70 book submissions to consider for the July review period, including children’s books, middle-grade novels, young adult works, adult fiction and non-fiction. Braun and OHP are off to a busy start.
Among his goals for ushering the organization into a new era, Braun aims to expand Orange Hat Publishing to include developmental writing and editing coaching services, increased marketing assistance (with a turn to social media) and a focus on hybrid contracts that provide authors greater autonomy over their projects. In this new chapter of growth for OHP and its associated imprint, Ten16 Press, Braun will strive to maintain the company’s core value: inviting writers to “boldly own their authentic voice” as they join Orange Hat Publishing.
Braun noted in his digital UW alumni profile that career decisions weren’t exactly on his mind when he selected English for his undergraduate degree. Rather, sheer excitement over classes constructed around “reading, talking and writing about fascinating books with experts” steered him toward the major. Equipped with more than a decade of professional experience in various fields in which he thought constantly and deeply about how words convey ideas, Braun returns now to a daily existence surrounded by books as OHP owner and editor-in-chief.
This partnership marks a bright spot tying UW–Madison and the English department closer to the Wisconsin literary arts community, and Braun has been quick to express his interest in bridging UW students into the publishing world through experiential learning opportunities at OHP later this year. In the meantime, as his tenure at OHP begins, Braun’s reflective statement encouraging UW English majors to explore widely and soak up the joys of interpretive possibility stands as an important testament to the continued promise of humanities practices for the publishing workplace and beyond.