This directory lists Black Editors who edit or have edited YA books that are traditionally published.

If there is a Black editor who edits traditionally published YA books and is missing from the directory below or you are on this list and there is missing information/information that needs to be updated, please email info@melanininya.com.

Last Updated: September 19, 2026

NOTES: Submissions should go through a literary agent. Do NOT email editors directly. Editors are either noted with their Current Publisher or Previous Publisher, so we suggest only submitting to Editors noted with a Current Publisher.

Publishers Marketplace is an industry database behind a paywall. Any other links below are public.

Foyinsi Adegbonmire

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Current Publisher: Editor at Feiwel and Friends, an imprint at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Black YA Books: Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide, Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Abike-Iyimide and Adiba Jaigirdar, The Heirs by Faridah Abike-Iyimide, Mermaids Never Drown anthology edited by Zoraida Cordova and Natalie C. Parker, Study Break by Aashna Avachat, Sisi Americanah by Jane Igharo, Donut Fall in Love by Adiba Jaigirdar, Model Minority by Louisa Onome, The Changing Man by Tomi Oyemakinde, Under the Heron’s Light by Randi Pink, Love in 280 Characters or Less by Ravynn Stringfield, Ghosted by Talia Tucker, And Other Mistakes by Erika Turner, Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao
  • Other Notable YA Books: Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao, The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar
  • Interviews: Eastern PA SCBWI (July 2021)

Kwame Alexander

  • Pronouns: He/Him
  • Current Publisher: Kwame Alexander Books, an imprint at Sourcebooks
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Black YA Books: Rage of Angels by Lola Stvil

Stacey Barney 

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Current Publisher: Associate Publisher at Nancy Paulsen Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House
  • Publishers Marketplace: Profile / Dealmaker Profile
  • Black YA Books: The Shape of Water by Tonya Abari, Delete Before Reading by Jade Adia, Forgive Me Not by Jennifer Baker, DOE by Rebecca Barrow, So Not The Drama and Don’t Get It Twisted by Paula Chase, Drama High series by L. Divine, The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass, Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray, Any Other Place by Kai Harris, Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywoode Henry, A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy, Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis, The Magic of Las Mariposas by Jasminne Mendez, When the Mapou Sings by Nadine Pinede, African Town by Irene Latham and Charles Waters
  • Other Notable YA Books: Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi, The Beautiful and Flame in the Mist and The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh, City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson, A Psalm for Lost Girls by Katie Bayerl, The Reader by Traci Chee, Gods & Comics and Wicked Fox by Kat Cho, Last Chance by Ellen Hopkins, Black City trilogy by Elizabeth Richards, Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte, We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sim, All the Love Under the Vast Sky by Kip Wilson, etc…
  • Interviews: The Blabbermouth Blog (January 2015)

Crystal Castro (Note: This Editor is no longer in the business.)

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • PREVIOUS Publisher: Assistant Editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  • MSWL: Profile
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Notable YA Books: May the Dead Keep You by Jill Baguchinsky
  • Looking For:
    • Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Horror, Fantasy, Adventure
    • Character-driven narratives
    • Debut projects from BIPOC authors, especially more Puerto Rican voices
    • Voicey manuscripts
    • Mermaids
    • Anything that feels dark and feminist, girls who are angry, vengeful, and powerful, something with a Bunny by Mona Awad (from the Bunnies POV), The Craft, girl-squad-that-eats-people vibe
    • Books about cults/cult-like groups. Bonus for dark academia vibes (think The Secret History by Donna Tartt or We Were Villians by M.L Rio, but with a punchy YA voice), or cannibalism as a metaphor for something OTHER than consumerism
  • Not Interested In: Graphic Novels, Novels in Verse, racism plot lines

Cassandra Pelham Fulton

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Current Publisher: Associate Publisher at Graphix, an imprint at Scholastic
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Notable YA Books: Since You Asked by Maurene Goo, The Darkest Path and The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
  • Interviews: Publishers Weekly (July 2026), LiteratiCast Podcast (October 2017)

AZ Hackett

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Current Publisher: Assistant Editor at Viking Children’s Books
  • MSWL: Profile
  • Looking For:
    • Genres: Open to all, especially Dystopia, Fantasy, Romance
    • Stories featuring characters from diverse and marginalized groups
    • Character driven stories
  • Not Interested In: Horror, Thriller

Jess Harold

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • PREVIOUS Publisher: Editor at Holt Children’s, an imprint of Macmillan
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Black YA Books: Roar of the Lambs and I Feed Her To The Beast And The Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea
  • Notable YA Books: The Great Cool Ranch Dorito In the Sky by Josh Galarza, A Guide to the Dark by Meriam Metoui, Painted Devils by Margaret Owen
  • Interviews: POC in Publishing (July 2021)

Alexandra Hightower

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Current Publisher: Senior Editor at Little Brown Children’s, a division of Hachette
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Black YA Books: Wicked Endeavors and So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole, Love Times Infinity by Lane Clarke, We Are Not Broken by George M. Johnson, Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis, Like Home by Louisa Onomé, Who Put This Song On? by Morgan Parker
  • Other Notable YA Books: The Truth About White Lies by Olivia Cole, Beyond the Ruby Veil by Mara Fitzgerald, The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones, The Other Side of Perfect by Mariko Turk
  • Interviews: Writer’s Digest (April 2026)

Lauren Kisare (Note: This Editor is no longer in the business.)

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • PREVIOUS Publisher: Assistant Editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  • MSWL: Profile

Maya Marlette

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Current Publisher: Senior Editor at Scholastic
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Black YA Books: It’s Only Dancing by Jasmine Guillory, Rise to the Sun and You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson, Louder Than Words by Ashley Woodfolk & Lexi Underwood
  • Notable YA Books: This Time It’s Real by Ann Liang, Why Would I Lie? by Adi Rule
  • Interview: Minorities in Publishing (2016)

Amanda Meadows

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Current Publisher: Editor at Andrews McMeel Publishing
  • MSWL: Profile
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Looking For:
    • Very Selective with YA, see MSWL Profile for details on the below:
    • Comics & Graphic Novels, Illustrated Books, Humor
    • Authors with unique perspectives, relatable humor, and inspiring messages that encourage readers to grow
    • Stories from BIPOC & LGBTQIA+ creators
  • Not Looking For: Long form narrative humor, narrative memoir
  • Interviews: LinkedIn (April 2025)

Denene Millner

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Current Publisher: Editorial Director at Denene Millner Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • YA Books: Laced in Gold and Other Side of the Tracks by Charity Alyse, Ashes of Gold and Wings of Ebony by J. Elle, Turning by Joy L. Smith
  • Interviews: BookPage (September 2020), Publisher’s Weekly (April 2020), Kweli Journal (January 2020), KidLit411 (October 2017)

Sydnee Monday

  • Pronouns: She/They
  • PREVIOUS Publisher: Editor at Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Black YA Books: Bless the Blood by Walela Nehanda
  • Looking For:
    • Black metropolitan aesthetics from the past, present, & future
    • Black immortality
    • Poetry collections, particularly by black and brown and queer creators
    • Black cheer story
    • Nuanced sports stories
  • Interviews: Windmill: The Hofstra Journal of Art & Literature (March 2024)

Anu Ohioma

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Current Publisher: Editor at Freedom Fire, an imprint of Disney-Hyperion
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Black YA Books: Flyy Girls series by Ashley Woodfolk
  • Notable YA Books: Firsts and Lasts anthology edited by Laura Silverman
  • Interview: POC in Publishing (2020)

Rae Swain Page

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Current Publisher: Assistant Editor at Entangled
  • MSWL: Profile
  • Looking For:
    • Edgy Upper YA Contemporary
    • Romance plots or subplots, particularly sweeping romance
    • Genre blends
    • Witty & comical voices
    • Multigenerational dynamics
    • Unique secondary worlds
    • Stories from diverse and marginalized voices
  • Not Interested In: Fantasy

Bria Ragin

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Current Publisher: Editor at Joy Revolution, an imprint at Random House Children’s Books
  • MSWL: Profile
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Black YA Books: Seasick by Kristin Cast & Pintip Dunn, What Lies Beneath the Flowers by Natasha Diaz, Highly Suspicious, Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert, Charlie and Davine by Janae Newsom, You Bet Your Heart by Danielle Parker, House Party anthology edited by Justin A. Reynolds, Who’s All Going (To Die)? and There’s No Way I’d Die First by Lisa Springer, Love Requires Chocolate by Ravynn K. Stringfield, An Ocean Apart and The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew
  • Other Notable YA Books: Queen Bee by Amalie Howard, Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Leem, Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manansala, Sinner’s Isle by Angela Montoya, The Borrow a Boyfriend Club by Page Powars, The End of Us by Sandra Proudman
  • Interviews: SCBWI Conference (August 2026)

Simone Roberts-Payne

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Current Publisher: Associate Editor at G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House
  • MSWL: Profile
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Notable YA Books: 13 Little Love Stories: An Anthology Inspired by Taylor Swift Songs
  • Looking For:
    • Autumnal Romance, Romance with couples you just can’t help but root for
    • Grounded fiction that is dynamic and diverse
    • Highly commercial Romance with a twist by BIPOC authors
    • Pacey romantic thriller that is set in a small town
    • Magic + Murder + Romance
    • Stories that explore complicated familial or romantic relationships, have a hint of mystery or magic, and are a touch heartbreaking
    • Girls that feel like outcasts
    • Thrillers with twists that leave your jaw dropping
    • The dissection of systemic issues like colonialism
    • An author similar to Britt Bennett but for young readers
    • Books that deal with race in a nuanced way
    • Astory with the darkness, humor, and detective element of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Netflix TV show Wednesday or Veronica Mars
  • Not Interested In: Animal focused stories, high fantasy, unlikeable main characters, locked-door mystery, desert stories, Groundhog Day stories, robots, space stories

Tiffany Shelton

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • PREVIOUS Publisher: Editor at St. Martin’s Publishing Group
  • MSWL: Profile
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Black YA Books: Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours, Night of the Living Queers anthology edited by Alex Brown and Shelly Page, Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood, Somebody That I Used to Know by Dana L. Davis
  • Other Notable YA Books: Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa, The Karma Map by Nisha Sharma, Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz
  • Looking For:
    • Upper YA/Crossover Genres: Contemporary Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, Thriller, Horror, Dark Academia, Southern Gothic
    • Historical Fantasy that doesn’t erase POC
    • Joyful Black teens (falling in love, figuring out who they are, having great friendships, etc…)
    • Voice-driven narratives and character-driven narratives with dynamic storytelling
    • Stories featuring ​ retellings of ancient legends, myths, and fairy tales
    • Stories about female friendships (with the ups and downs that go along with it), friendship breakup stories
    • Twisty story set in New Orleans where the setting feels like a character
    • Senior year hijinks, college stories
    • A revenge story a la the movie, John Tucker Must Die
    • The next Tell Me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon
    • Marginalized voices, especially stories set in or inspired by the land and culture of Jamaica, India, or China.
    • Witches, Vampires in the vein of The Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Cain
  • Not Interested In: Romance, RomCom

Mekisha Telfer

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Current Publisher: Editor at Farrar, Straus Children’s, an imprint of Macmillan
  • MSWL: Profile
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Black YA Books: I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest, We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds, Daughters of a Dead Empire by Carolyn Tara O’Neil
  • Other Notable YA Books: Becoming a Queen by Dan Clay, May the Best Man Win by Z.R. Ellor, The Buried and the Bound by Rochelle Hassan, Dangerous Play by Emma Kress, Her Name in the Sky and This Must Be the Place and Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen
  • Looking For:
    • Genres: Contemporary, Speculative, Psychological Thrillers, Fantasy, Mystery, Graphic Novels, Nonfiction featuring and written by underrepresented and marginalized voices, Own voices with intersectionality, Own voices stories from black trans women
    • Stories featuring brown kids in America: Carefree stories, protest stories, queer stories, monster stories, magic stories
    • Black boys as the heroes, Black Boy Joy and Black Girl Magic
    • LBGTQ+ coming of age stories (not necessarily about coming out)
    • Deaf and HoH #ownvoices stories
    • Funny, sex-positive, sex-informative
    • Manuscript sounds like it could be a John Hughes movie
    • A story featuring the adoption of an older kid. Like Finding Forrester, only funnier and with fewer dudes.
    • A story about a sexual late bloomer, prude shaming, femininity and that awful feeling when everyone in the room knows something you don’t
    • Strong and nuanced sibling relationships: Good siblings, bad siblings, murderous siblings, magic siblings, etc…
    • Awkward first relationships
    • Timely “5 minutes into the future” sci-fi
    • Dark magical realism, anything supernatural, witches
    • Fantasy with rich non-eurocentric/pseudo-European world building)
    • Folktale/Fairytale retellings from underrepresented cultures and communities
    • Heartbreaking YA with a happy ending
    • Mysteries, Monsters, and Natural Disasters
    • Funny and irreverent historical fiction
    • True love, Soulmates, and Soulmarks
    • Quirky plots that explore heavier topics like grief, adoption/foster care, sexuality, disability, abuse, poverty, prejudice, etc…
    • Contemporary stories featuring POC characters that are not centered around race or racial violence
    • Non-fiction (narrative and pop culture based) from a POC/queer perspective
    • Emotionally compelling and voice-driven, authentic stories
  • Not Interested In: Anthologies, spies, epistolary novels, love triangles
  • Interviews: Slush: A Publishing Podcast (May 2022)

Erika Turner (Note: This Editor is no longer in the business.)

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • PREVIOUS Publisher: Executive Editor at Little Brown Children’s
  • MSWL: Profile
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Black YA Books: The King is Dead by Benjamin Dean, The Invention of E.J. Whitaker by Shawnee Gibbs & Shawnelle Gibbs, Illustrated by Mark Hernandez
  • Other Notable YA Books: Horny Lover Boys by Corey Liu, Everything Glittered by Robin Talley, Brownstone by Samuel Teer, Illustrated by Mar Julia
  • Looking For:
    • Genres: Romcom, Dark Historical ROmance, Mystery, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Contemporary, Graphic Novels with Magic, Magical Realism, Fluffy Romance, Historical Fiction with surreal or speculative edge, Light Horror
    • Immersive, literary world-building: the kind of project that makes you want to hide under a blanket and get swept away
    • Stories that grapple with humanity, where hope wins out, but not without some bruises along the way
    • A moody romantic comedy that feels like it should be set in the 80s/90s, think My Best Friend’s Wedding
    • Thoughtful, emotionally engaging books with strong world-building and dynamic characters, sometimes with a moral element to the narrative
    • Clever mystery with a smart investigation – I find I’m often less interested in whodunit, and more interested in how the pieces fell together / the person who is doing the investigating
    • Lyrical, whimsical, magic in the mundane
    • Books that deal with religion or history in a unique or unexpected way
    • Projects by marginalized creators, and stories that center marginalized voices especially related to queer women and femmes
    • Stories that play with time, history, and science
    • Stories that center marginalized voices, especially queer women
    • Characters who fight to be kind even in the darkness
    • Complicated family relationships
    • Weird ambitions

Weslie Turner

  • Pronoun: She/Her
  • PREVIOUS Publisher: Senior Editor at Versify
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Black YA Books: A Crown So Cursed and A Dream So Dark by L.L. McKinney, Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance anthology edited by Bethany C. Morrow
  • Other Notable YA Books: Vampires Never Get Old anthology edited by Zoraida Cordova and Natalie Parker, How Maya Got Fierce by Sona Charaipotra
  • Looking For:
    • Creators from underrepresented backgrounds and identities telling revolutionary stories with an identity‐specific perspective on the world, especially (but not exclusively) if they are in the science fiction, fantasy, or speculative fiction genres
    • Sci-fi-and Speculative Fiction with strong immersive world building

Kiara Valdez

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Current Publisher: Editor at Inklore, an imprint of Random House Worlds
  • Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker Profile
  • Notable YA Graphic Novels: Tripping Over You by Suzana Harcum and Owena White, President of the Anime Club by Stephanie Evangelista & Daigo Fukuda, Always Raining Here by Hazel & Bell, Himawari Share by Harmony Becker, Full-Court Crush by Hannah Blumereich, Volta by Dorian Christo & Andy Robles-Valdez, Grimoire Noir by Vera Greentea & Yana Bogatch, Anamnesis by JCJB, Scholar’s Mate by Chris Kindred, Illustrated by Coleman Engle
  • Looking For:
    • Category: Graphic Novels
    • Stories bout a kid juggling two environments, “code switching”, and seeing their beloved neighborhood changing because of gentrification
    • More Latinx voices
  • Interviews: WOC Reads (August 2022), Geeks Out (August 2021), Childrens Illustrators (Undated)