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.

Celia joined Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers as Executive Editor in 2021, where she works with authors and illustrators such as Ashley Woodfolk, Whitney Gardner, Beth Ferry, and more. She previously worked at Scholastic, where she edited for their Cartwheel, Orchard, Scholastic Press, and Acorn/Branches imprints, many of which are New York Times and USA TODAY bestsellers including I Color Myself Different by Colin Kaepernick and illustrated by Eric Wilkerson, and the Press Start! series by Thomas Flintham. Books she’s worked on have also made multiple awards and best of lists, including for the Society of Illustrators, New York Public Library, Kirkus Reviews, and the American Library Association. In addition to editing, she helped start Scholastic’s employee diversity committee as well as acted as a consultant on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the Trade and Book Clubs divisions. She also served on the CBC’s diversity committee and is a mentor for People of Color in Publishing.

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 New York Times bestselling author A.F. Steadman, Linda Sarsour, Brittney Morris, Hanna Alkaf, Dana Mele, Kat Zhang, and Charlene Chua. 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 Twitter at @DeebaZargarpur, and see a complete roster of the books she’s edited here.

An alumna of NYU’s publishing program, Dainese joined the team as an Editorial Assistant in 2019. She cares about stories that center historically underrepresented folks, particularly when those said stories are warm and joyful. Her sweet spot is contemporary romance; having been raised on rom-coms and Asian dramas, she’s a sucker for meet-cutes, crush energy, and things that are fun and frothy. Generally, she loves kids who march to the beat of their own drum, misfits who band together, and friendships that feel a lot like being in love. Like an onion or a parfait, she’s got layers—she’s a fan of both sweet, fluffy romance as well as spine-tingling horror. Superstitious by blood, she especially loves folklore rooted in the traditions of underrepresented cultures; but, as with everything else regarding her taste, there must be joy and warmth at its center.

If on the off chance you’d like to chat with her about something other than books, Dainese can talk your ear off about: being Californian (specifically, Southern Californian); K-pop; anime and manga; improv comedy podcasts; “the moviesh”; and her numerous rarepair, never-canon ships. Find her on Twitter @ChanceofDain.

Daniela Villegas Valle joined Simon & Schuster in 2021 as a Publishing Assistant to Justin Chanda, Anne Zafian, and Denene Millner. 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.

Born in Mexico, raised (mostly) in Chile, and graduated in the US, she is drawn towards multicultural voices that speak about identity and adventure. Whimsical picture books, inspiring coming-of-age stories in middle grade, and empowering YA are some of her favorite things to read across genres.

Alma Gomez Martinez has just recently joined Simon and Schuster in 2022, she supports Kendra Levin and Alexa Pastor. She graduated with her BA in English language and literature from Pace University and is currently a graduate student in the Publishing Program at Pace University. Alma previously worked as a page at the New York Public Library, and prior to that interned at Quarto Publishing Group. She’s a Colorado native, as well as Chicana, who hopes to provide a bigger platform for BIPOC authors and stories. Alma finds herself drawn to fun and fantasy filled stories, especially ones with diverse voices and cultures. A healthy dose of romance and magical realism also hooks her attention.