Book Publishers 101: Behind-the-Scenes at Tiger Tales with Editorial Director Jamie Michalak

One of the best parts of the Book Publishers 101 feature each month is getting a glimpse “behind-the-scenes” at what makes a publishing house tick. More specifically what happens within the walls of the publisher for that month. Well, things work a little differently at Tiger Tales Books because in their case, the walls extend beyond the typical, and into their very own homes. It’s an incredible feat and I’m excited to have Editorial Director, Jamie Michalak stop by today to talk a little bit about that as well as what she does for Tiger Tales Books. Take a look!

I’ve been an editor at tiger tales for the past six years, so I’ve witnessed it grow by leaps and bounds.

My typical day involves lots of back-and-forth emailing with my co-workers and various authors; writing editorial letters; reviewing pdfs; writing copy; brainstorming book ideas; and reading submissions. We seek stories that speak directly to a child. Universal stories about a child’s everyday experiences. Entertaining stories that educate without being preachy. Cozy stories that parents and children can cuddle up with for laptime or bedtime reading. And stories that make kids laugh out loud. (Those fall-down-laughing ones are my favorite.)

I’m one of a staff of five women, who all work from home. Working from home is the ideal situation, really. It makes the publishing process very efficient. No time is wasted on unnecessary meetings, and yet each title is still a collaborative effort. All of our communication happens over email and the phone, and sometimes we’ll have meetings via Skype. We work flexible hours. Most of our work is done in the morning and early afternoon. (But being night owls, we’ve had the occasional email session around midnight!)

The acquisition process is refreshingly informal. We don’t have a publishing committee. If a manuscript has potential, it’s shared with the staff via email. Then we all have an opportunity to offer feedback. tiger tales is extremely selective in what we publish, so the story must be irresistible. A good picture book should make a child cry “Again!” after the last page is turned. Ultimately, our publisher, Elisabeth Prial, decides what titles will be added to our list.

Once an original manuscript is signed up, I’ll work with the author on revisions. Then we’ll search for the perfect illustrator and format. Some children’s books are beautiful, but appeal mostly to adults. Those aren’t the sort of books we publish. Every aspect of a tiger tales book—storyline, language, art, design, and format–is 100% kid-friendly.

You can see all of our titles at www.tigertalesbooks.com. Don’t forget to visit our blog and drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you!

Thank you so much for stopping by today Jamie! It’s incredible to see what you have all been able to accomplish in such a short period of time, all from home. Congratulations!

Make sure to enter this month’s Book Publishers 101 Giveaway for a chance to win a selection of Tiger Tales Books most recent releases!

Today’s guest post is part of our month long celebration of Tiger Tales Books for our monthly feature “Book Publishers 101“. Make sure to stop by the Tiger Tales Books website for more information about this title and more. For more information about our Book Publishers 101 feature take a look at this months opening post.

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