Tamra Tuller Travels the World, Finds a Home in Michigan

Tamra Tuller Travels the World, Finds a Home in Michigan

Young Tamra likes fuzzy animals

Before you got your “feet wet” in publishing, you apparently got your feet wet in the Atlantic Ocean. One biography describes you as a “beach bum on the Jersey shore.”

Can you describe your childhood, and how it led to your pursuit of making books?

Yes, that’s right! I did grow up very close to the beach so I was lucky enough to spend my summers either swimming, fishing, or just lounging on the beach. In the winters my friend and I would camp out in the aisles of bookstores, reading books right off the shelves. This probably annoyed the booksellers like crazy, but they never complained, and we loved it.

You worked for several years at Rutgers University’s Program in American Language Studies in English as a Second Language (ESL). Did you teach new arrivals how to speak proper English? Who was Tamra Tuller at that time?

That’s exactly right. I worked with the international student population to improve their language skills to the point where they’d be able to either attend college or graduate school in the US. Both my parents were educators and I have always had a love for language as well as other cultures, so it seemed like a good fit for me. I would never trade the time I spent teaching. I learned so much from my students. But it wasn’t a good fit. I’m really an introvert by nature, so getting in front of a group of people every day and trying to entertain them was a bit draining and caused a lot of anxiety, so I decided to pursue my love of language in a different way.

You decided at some point to venture into publishing, and sent out resumes for every entry-level job in the field. You ended up with Scholastic Book Club as a proofreader. Did you put together those elementary school pamphlets?

Oh man. I wish I could say that when I started I put together those pamphlets, but the reality is that I had to get promoted first to even be the assistant to the person who puts the pamphlets together. My first job was proofreading the ORDER FORMS! You know those tiny order forms? Talk about

Working her way up to this

tedious. But the great thing about that was that I became exposed to children’s books and learned what all the children’s publishers were doing, and it gave me a sense of where I might want to end up. Prior to that, I really knew nothing about books for young readers except what I read as a child myself. It was eye opening.

You moved up to Scholastic’s trade division, Blue Sky Press. What was new and different at this level?

It was totally different and new and I knew nothing at all about editorial yet. I was still really learning about the whole world of children’s books. It was exciting. Scary, but exciting.

You then moved to Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers. It’s been said that the NY publishing scene is “incestuous,” suggesting that a relatively small number of people hop from one publishing house to the next. How did you come to land at Philomel?

Yeah, it’s totally incestuous. I ended up getting the job with Philomel because a former Scholastic Book Club colleague had also made the transition from clubs to trade editorial, and she was also at Penguin. She was able to pass my resume along for me.

From this point in your career on, a google search turns up dozens of workshops and conferences where you brought your editorial expertise. (You appeared at an SCBWI-MI conference at Mackinac Island in 2011.) Was it your love of travel that took you all over the world? The search for new talent? Or a desire to reach out to writers?

All of the above! I do really love to travel and see new places. I’m also just completely fascinated by people, so while I’m a total introvert, I still love to connect with others. I’ve also always been aware that I had to keep learning and growing and stretching myself if I wanted to be the best editor or mentor or, really, just the best person I could be. And those conferences, much like my time teaching, were ways for me to learn—from the other editors, the agents, and all the writers. And they also took me outside my comfort zone and challenged me. I think that is important.

ps—Mackinac remains one of my favorite conferences that I have ever done. 

You moved from Brooklyn to San Francisco to work for Chronicle Books, East Coast to West. It’s a huge change geographically, but was the move a challenge professionally and personally, too?

Yes, the move was very challenging for me. Chronicle Books was an amazing place to work—full of talented, creative, and innovative people. I have immense respect for the work they do, and how they do it. But I underestimated how difficult it would be to live so far from most of the people in my life. It feels silly to say that now, but I thought about missing NYC or even New Jersey. I never thought about missing people and having friends around. I felt very isolated there, and I often felt that culturally it maybe wasn’t the best match. I guess I’m really an east coast girl at heart.

You’ve worked extensively with Beth Kephart. She credits you with the eventual publication of “Small Damages.” She said that your experiences in Berlin inspired her to write “Going Over.” Your love of Spain inspired another of her YA novels. What is it like to affect an author’s output like that?

Beth is unbelievably kind. GOING OVER was such a special book for me for a few reasons. First and foremost because of Beth’s writing and how ridiculously talented she is. Also because it was inspired by both of our experiences in Berlin. She had just traveled there and I had been there not long before her. So the book sprung from a mutual love of that city. My love of Spain (and I do love Spain!) didn’t actually inspire any of Beth’s books, but her writing about Spain inspired me to acquire SMALL DAMAGES. So I mostly just feel lucky to have been able to work with such talent. I mean, I simply gave Beth a one-sentence elevator pitch about a book I had imagined while I was in Berlin. She took it and ran with it and not only made it hers (though she will generously call it ours), but she made it into a piece of art. 

Still likes them

In an interview with Beth, you describe a typical editorial letter from you as a “long string of questions.” You ask her if those questions sometimes drove her crazy, and she responds that the questions were “sanity-giving, not insanity-making.” Are questions still part of your editorial process?

These days I am only doing occasional editorial work. I’m working more with editors now than as one. But yes, when I do editorial, I prefer to pose things as questions. I feel this gets the authors thinking more critically and analytically about what they’re really trying to express rather than simply mandating a specific change. And anyhow, I’ve always found that when you present questions or potential problems to authors, they then have the freedom to come up with their own solutions without feeling the pressure to do it in a specific way. Of course, when they get stuck, I am more than happy to step in and brainstorm and talk it out. That’s actually my favorite part of editing. It’s like solving a puzzle.  

You worked with Ruta Sepetys on her immensely popular”Between Shades of Gray.” With the other “Gray” bestseller muddying the waters, do you ever wish Ruta’s book had been titled differently?

Haha! Only occasionally when I talk about BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY and have to clarify that I’m not talking about that “Other Shades of Grey.” But Ruta’s book came out first, and if anything she probably attracted a few more readers as a result of the confusion. I know more than one person had shown up to an event of hers thinking it was for the other book. It’s pretty funny to think about these people expecting to hear about S&M and getting WWII genocide instead.

Ruta said that her original story of internment and genocide in Lithuania was so grim that “everybody died.” She credits you with bringing some of those characters back to life and giving the work more hope. How do you manage a tightrope balancing act like that, acknowledging the horrific nature of the events yet honoring the human spirit?

It’s hard to find that balance, but some of it comes from simple compromises and not being afraid of ambiguity. I’m not a believer that books need every loose end neatly tied up. So at times it was simply leaving it open and maybe not knowing what happened to a character. And some of it obviously just came from my own emotional reactions as I was reading. I remember every time I started to feel like I needed to put the manuscript down because it was too upsetting, I marked that spot with a post it. (I was still editing on paper back then.) And then other times it was finding moments of light that were already there but that could have been more developed. I noted those as well. So it wasn’t always about toning down the horror—I wanted to recognize that horror—but it was about also recognizing the glimpses of light and beauty in the face of horror.

You took chances, saw compelling stories where others saw controversy and problems. You worked with Hannah Moskowitz, with her gender-challenged heroes, and helped shepherd K.A. Holt’s “Rhyme Schemer” to publication, a prose poem where our protagonist begins as a bully. What do you need to see in a manuscript in order to go all in?

That’s the hardest one to answer. I’m sure you’ve heard this a million times, but it’s about connecting with something. Yes, I love that Hannah and Kari took risks. I love that Hannah created characters who challenged our beliefs about sexuality and gender, and she did it with such an amazingly weird story.

And I love that Kari chose such a difficult topic and turned it on its head and did it with POETRY of all things. She has shown so many kids that poetry doesn’t have to be difficult or scary. But it’s really about their writing and how they tell their stories. I never would have thought I’d be interested in a book about fairy prostitutes at war with gnomes. It’s just not my thing. But I was completely won over by the bottom of Hannah’s first page. And I’m not always a poetry person, but I became so emotionally invested in Kari’s stories and her absolute honesty. I admire both Hannah and Kari’s talent and style as much as I do their bravery as storytellers.

So, to get back to the original question, it’s always just “I know it when I read it.” I know that can be frustrating for writers to hear.

You worked as a freelance editor for a while. Freeing, being your own boss? Or terrifying?

Oh, both for sure. I mean it’s totally freeing to wake up when you want to and work in your pajamas and make your own schedule. But, it’s terrifying to not always know where your next paycheck is coming from. Not to mention that it was a little isolating for me.

You’ve ended up as the in-house editor for Thomson-Shore in Dexter, MI. How did you decide to make that move?

So I am actually the Creative Director. I work with the editors and designers to insure that the books

Even editors deserve a break

we create, though mostly self-published, adhere to traditional publishing standards and that they look polished and professional and not…well, self-published. So I oversee the creative process from manuscript to final files.

I came to work at Thomson-Shore actually as a result of one of your lovely Michigan SCBWI-ers, Debbie Gonzales. She knew I was looking for something more stable than freelancing, and she happens to do yoga with the president and CEO of Thomson-Shore. So she played matchmaker and here we are. Thanks, Debbie!

Thomson-Shore does printing for traditional publishers. (Ruth’s Ellie McDoodle Diaries” series is printed there.) But they also offer indie publishing for authors who want to take control of their own books. What services could you offer a writer hoping to bring their work to print?

We offer everything from content/developmental editing or proofreading to cover design and interior design. We can help create a logo if you’re using your own imprint or want to start your own imprint. We also have some in-house imprints that certain authors can use if they don’t have the desire to create their own. We can also register for copyright and Library of Congress. We do eBook conversion. In some cases we create some light illustrations. We’re pretty much a one-stop shop for most author needs in terms of creating the book, and then to some extent putting it out there in the world. 
I serve as a guide to encourage them to make the best decisions for their books. Authors can use as many or as few of our services as they’d like. Additionally, we offer full distribution and fulfillment services as well as printing the actual books right here on site, which is pretty cool. Local authors can come in and tour our facilities while working with us. Another thing that our authors really like about us is that they get personalized attention and can actually speak to us as much as they would like about their book and the process. Not all self-publishers offer that level of personal attention.

A decade ago, self-publishing was scorned as a“vanity press.” The atmosphere has changed so drastically that traditional publishers have stood on stage at national SCBWI conferences and said that indie publishing is a legitimate path to bringing a book to market. What’s different now?

I think a lot of it is just more exposure and people starting to see higher quality books emerging from self-published authors. It also just seems increasingly difficult for authors to get a book deal or an agent. I think some authors with existing platforms are seeing that they’re doing a lot of their own promotion already and have a loyal following, so if they self-publish, they can maintain a level of control over the process that they don’t have otherwise.  

Is there anything you’d wished I asked?

What my favorite food is. It’s pizza.

Tamra Tuller is currently Creative Director for Thomson-Shore, a printer and publisher located in Dexter, Michigan. She's worked as an editor on both coasts, helping to shepherd into the world amazing book titles and authors.
Find Tamra at https://www.instagram.com/tamratuller/
https://twitter.com/TamraTuller  and https://www.facebook.com/tamra.tuller

Charlie Barshaw enjoys asking questions to fascinating people. He loves traveling to schools and book-related events with his wife Ruth. He finds less joy in finishing his YA novel and sending it out into the world.