LEE & LOW BOOKS announces a change in leadership effective immediately to its middle grade and young adult imprint, Tu Books. Publisher and Founder Stacy Whitman shifts her role to be editor-at-large, and Senior Executive Editor Elise McMullen-Ciotti now takes on the helm of the imprint.
Whitman established the imprint in 2010, growing it from an idea to bring more diversity to sci-fi/fantasy and mystery genres to a profitable imprint that infuses inclusivity into all genres of middle grade, young adult, and graphic novels.
Throughout her fourteen tenure at Lee & Low, she collaborated with authors such as Guadalupe García McCall (Summer of the Mariposas), Tony Medina (I Am Alfonso Jones), and A. M. Dassu (Boy, Everywhere) to name a few. In 2012, Whitman also launched the New Visions Award Contest for unpublished BIPOC authors of middle grade and young adult children’s books. Like its companion, the New Voices Award focused on picture books, the New Visions Award Contest has given birth to the careers of a host of distinguished debut authors, like Valynne Maetani (Ink and Ashes), Axie Oh (Rebel Seoul), and Supriya Kelkar (Ahimsa).
As editor-at-large, Whitman will continue to work on her novels while promoting and supporting her authors.
“Stacy has always been open to the myriads of ideas we threw at her. Over the years, her ability to translate those ideas to work within the framework of an imprint that not only found its footing but is now a respected conduit for creativity and powerful stories is major accomplishment” — Jason Low, Publisher/Co-owner of Lee & Low
McMullen-Ciotti has worked in children’s book publishing for fourteen years. She started as a freelance editor with Lee & Low in 2017, and was hired full-time in 2021. She has quickly become an emerging leader. Some of her authors include David Anthony Durham (The Shadow Prince), Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell (Indian No More), and Doan Phuong Nguyen (A Two-Placed Heart).
McMullen-Ciotti is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and one of only a handful of Indigenous editors in the children’s book world. McMullen-Ciotti aims to continue nurturing Indigenous authors along with creators of all backgrounds to bring their stories to life for future readers to enjoy for years to come.
“Elise has always been a rock and an excellent interdepartmental collaborator. Her strengths lie in her ability to always keep the company’s best interests in mind, especially when it comes to her process and decision making” — Jason Low, Publisher/Co-owner of Lee & Low
