Tu Books

Tu Books is a young adult and middle grade publishing imprint of Lee & Low Books. The company was founded by Stacy Whitman in 2009 as Tu Publishing before being acquired by Lee & Low in 2010. It focuses on publishing works featuring diverse characters and works written by diverse writers. Since 2012, it has administered the New Visions Award to recognize new talent in the field.

Tu Books
Logo
Parent companyLee & Low Books
StatusActive
PredecessorTu Publishing
Founded2009 (2009)
FounderStacy Whitman
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationNew York City
DistributionNorth America
Key peopleStacy Whitman
Nonfiction topicsDiversity
Fiction genres
Official websitewww.leeandlow.com/imprints/tu-books

Etymology

"Tu" means "you" in several languages.[1][2][3] According to the Tu Books website, "tu" means "many" in Ainu, and their focus is to "reach the 'you' in every reader".[4]

History

Tu Publishing was founded in Orem, Utah, by Stacy Whitman as an independent young adult and middle grade fiction science fiction and fantasy book publisher through a Kickstarter campaign in December 2009.[5][6] Whitman stated she wanted to increase the diversity in young adult and middle grade fiction works—including both works containing diverse characters and works written by diverse authors—and market them to a broad audience.[7][8] After being laid off from Mirrorstone Books, and having many discussions regarding under-representation of people of color in published works, Whitman founded it to be "a small press dedicated to YA fantasy and science fiction featuring characters of color."[7][9]

After the Kickstarter successfully funded the startup, Lee & Low Books acquired the company in March 2010, changed its name to Tu Books, and moved operations to the Lee & Low offices in New York City.[5][10] They initially focused on only science fiction and fantasy, but have since expanded to include all genres.[11]

In 2012, Tu Books established the New Visions Award.[11]

New Visions Award

Tu created the New Visions Award in 2012 for "a debut novel by a new writer of color".[11][12] Past winners include Ink and Ashes by Valynne Maetani (published 2015),[13] Rebel Seoul by Axie Oh (published 2017, originally titled The Amaterasu Project),[14] and Ahimsa by Supriya Kelkar (published 2017).[15]

Awards

A number of works published by Tu Books have won or been nominated for awards. Summer of the Mariposas, by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, was nominated for the Andre Norton Award in 2013.[16] Joseph Bruchac's Killer of Enemies was nominated for the 2014 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award.[17]

References
  1. "TU : Définition de TU" (in French). Centre National de Ressources Textuelles et Lexicales. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  2. "tū" (in Latin). Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  3. "Definition of tu in Spanish by Oxford Dictionaries". Spanish Oxford Living Dictionaries (in Spanish). Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  4. "Tu Books". Lee & Low Books. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  5. "Tu Publishing: a small, independent multicultural SFF press for children and YA". Kickstarter. September 15, 2009. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  6. "Company Overview of TU Books". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  7. Anders, Charlie Jane (November 5, 2010). "Inside Tu Books, a new publisher focusing on multicultural SF and fantasy books for kids". io9. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  8. Gilmore, Natasha (November 24, 2015). "Current Representations of American Indians in Children's Publishing". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  9. Vanderhooft, JoSelle (April 12, 2010). "Opening New Doors: SF/Fantasy Publishing 2010". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  10. Sellers, John A. (March 10, 2010). "Lee & Low Gets New Imprint". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  11. "Q&A: Sacy Whitman of Tu Books". Kirkus Reviews. September 23, 2015. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  12. "New Visions Award for Authors of Color". Lee & Low Books. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  13. "2013 New Visions Award Winners". Lee & Low Books. April 11, 2013. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  14. "2014 New Visions Award Winners". Lee & Low Books. May 7, 2015. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  15. "2015 New Visions Award Winners". Lee & Low Books. May 23, 2016. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  16. "2013 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  17. "Award Category: Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature (Mythopoeic Award)". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
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