Justin Chanda joined the editorial staff at Simon & Schuster in 2005. A graduate of New York University, Justin was named publisher of the S&S Books for Young Readers imprint in 2007 and McElderry Books and Atheneum Books for Young Readers in 2009. He oversees the publication of nearly three hundred and fifty titles per year ranging from the youngest picture book to the edgiest YA. He is keenly interested in publishing books that are equal parts commercial and literary, books that make a contribution to the tradition while truly entertaining kids. Aside from having the honor of working with the best editorial staff in the industry, he also has the opportunity to edit some of its best talent, including the likes of: Neal Shusterman, Peter Brown, Seema Yasmin, The Fan Brothers, Aaron Reynolds, Michael Ian Black, Karma Wilson, Lucy Ruth Cummins, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, and Morgan Matson. Justin is also an adjunct instructor for the NYU Graduate Publishing Program.

Anne Zafian spent the first half of her publishing career at what was then the Time Warner Book Group—now known as Hachette—selling both adult and children’s books to every kind of domestic customer. She cut her teeth on children’s books with TW’s Little, Brown Books for Children, as well as TW’s distribution client, Hyperion Books for Children. Together these experiences fostered her love of children’s publishing, and in 2004, she joined S&S’s sales team, once again overseeing sales of both adult and children’s books, eventually managing our entire distributor sales and retail marketing team. In 2008, Anne made the move from sales to the Publisher’s office, where, as Deputy, she focuses largely on working with the Publisher and the sales, marketing, publicity, and supply chain teams to help usher our books into the world, from cradle to…NOT the grave. Working to get books into the hands of booksellers, children, parents, teachers, and librarians—and doing so with a dynamic list of books and authors—is her favorite job, ever.

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Sarah Barley is Editorial Director of Sarah Barley Books, a new imprint of Books for Young Readers dedicated to vibrant, innovative, and entertaining literary and commercial books for readers eight and up. Sarah edited the New York Times bestselling debut Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet, the national bestseller Love Me Tomorrow by Emiko Jean, and the forthcoming Indie Next pick Heiress of Nowhere by Stacey Lee. She joined Books for Young Readers after nine years at Flatiron Books, where she established the YA program and published more than a dozen New York Times bestsellers, including the New York Times Notable Children’s Book The Hazel Wood, The Night Country, and The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert; the Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart series by Stephanie Garber; and the Tokyo Ever After duology by Emiko Jean. Her books have been #1 New York Times and indie bestsellers, #1 Indie Next picks, national book club selections, and received recognition from the Printz, Morris, and Stonewall, and Walter Award committees, among others. Follow Sarah and her authors on Instagram @SarahBarleyBooks.

Young adult fiction
Young adult nonfiction
Middle grade fiction
Middle grade nonfiction
Graphic novels

Celia is an executive editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers where she works with creators on all things illustrated, from picture books and illustrated middle grade to graphic novels for all ages. She previously worked at Scholastic, where, in addition to editing, she helped start their employee diversity committee as well as coordinated their partnership with We Need Diverse Books ™. Celia served for two years as a member of the Children’s Book Council (CBC) Diversity Committee and is a mentor for POC in Publishing. She studied English Literature and Art History at Virginia Tech and earned a MS in Publishing from NYU.

Deeba Zargarpur joined Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and Salaam reads in March of 2020 after previous roles with Disney Publishing Worldwide and a book packager. She has the privilege of working with talented authors and illustrators such as Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai; New York Times bestselling authors A.F. Steadman and Sarwat Chadda; critically acclaimed authors Brittney Morris, Hanna Alkaf, and Dana Mele, Olivia Abtahi, and LL McKinney. Her aim is to acquire commercial books that empower young people from diverse backgrounds. As a self-taught polyglot, Deeba’s love of literature across various languages stemmed from the tales spun throughout her childhood. She is always on the hunt for stories that inspire a sense of magic and wonder, plot lines that challenge traditional assumptions about morality, and strong character arcs that redefine what it means to be the hero of your own story. Visit her at deebazargarpur.com, follow her on Tiktok and Instagram at @deebazargarpur.

Having been part of the team since 2019, Dainese is an associate editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. In her time here, she has had the great fortune to work alongside incredible authors and illustrators, such as Mary H.K. Choi, Emily Calandrelli, Renée Kurilla, Julie Falatko, Marissa Valdez, and Priyanka Taslim. 
 
Appropriate for someone who hails from the sunny shores of San Diego, California, her favorite stories to tell are bright, warm, and playful, especially when they center historically underrepresented folks. Raised on 2000s romcoms and Asian dramas, she’s a sucker for meet-cutes, crush energy, and things that are fluffy and frothy. Her taste, which she describes as “big and silly,” leans more commercial versus literary, and her favorite characters are kids who march to the beat of their own drum, walking disasters, and friends who are nuanced and complicated. 
 
Contemporary realistic romances are her sweet spot in YA; for MG, she loves anything that captures the unique, hilarious chaos of being in middle school; and her picture book tastes are on the silly and sweet side. And though she’s usually not the best fit for speculative fiction, she loves horror and will never turn down a good ghost story, especially when it brings something fresh to the genre. 
 
Find Dainese on Twitter/X @ChanceofDain.

Daniela Villegas Valle joined Simon & Schuster in 2021 and is now an assistant editor to Justin Chanda and Anne Zafian. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in both English and Spanish and a minor in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University, after which she completed the NYU Summer Publishing Institute.

She is drawn towards multicultural voices that speak about identity and adventure. Whimsical picture books, cozy fantasy, and character driven stories are some of the things that she loves. Currently acquiring.

Alma Gomez Martinez joined Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers in 2022 and supports Alexa Pastor and Sarah Barley. She graduated with a BA in English language and literature and an MS in Publishing from Pace University. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado in a tight-knit Chicano community, Alma is passionate about championing under-represented authors and stories. She finds herself drawn to fun and-fantasy filled stories, especially ones that make kids forget that they’re learning something new about the world.

Jessica Egan started at Simon & Schuster in 2024 and supports Krista Vitola and Nicole Ellul. She has received her Masters in Publishing from NYU and has continued to read any and every book that comes across her path. She loves character-driven stories that follow anything from a heart-pumping heist to a never-before-told historical account with a twist to a thrilling fantasy adventure with a mystery to solve (and romance is a must!). Some of her recent favorites include The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, The Swifts by Beth Lincoln, These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong, and A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher.

Tionne Townsend joined Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and Denene Millner Books assisting Kendra Levin and Denene Millner in 2024. Before joining these imprints, Tionne first came to Simon & Schuster in 2022 by way of the S&S Associates Program. Born and raised in the vibrant NYC neighborhood of East Harlem, she graduated from Williams College with her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Spanish with a concentration in Africana Studies.

Tionne is most interested in stories that highlight BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ voices in ways that push beyond simple explorations of identity. Her wish is for young readers to not only see themselves in the characters on the pages, but for the characters in those stories to invite readers to aspire to bolder dreams.
 

Xenia Weakly joined Simon & Schuster Books for Younger Readers, supporting Celia Lee and Deeba Zargarpur, in 2024. She graduated with a BA in English and Comparative Literature and Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before joining Simon and Schuster, Xenia previously interned at Macmillan with the imprints Farrar, Straus and Giroux for Young Readers and Feiwel & Friends. Originally from North Carolina, she’s a proud master of Southern small talk. 

Having a background in childcare, Xenia is most interested in social-emotional learning picture books as well as heart-warming cultural stories. She will also never say no to a YA story that features BIPOC characters, wholesome platonic bonds, or a healthy dose of magic!