ABOUT THE EDITOR
Rachel Stark is an editor, marketer, and activist with over a decade of experience in children’s and young adult publishing at houses including Macmillan, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Bloomsbury, and Sky Pony Press. The award-winning and bestselling authors they’ve edited include Alexandra Bracken, Mo Willems, Pablo Cartaya, Dhonielle Clayton, Sona Charaipotra, Jen Wang, Rainbow Rowell, Faith Erin Hicks, Ben Hatke, John Patrick Green, Zach Weinersmith, and more. Books they have edited have been #1 New York Times, Washington Post, and Publishers Weekly bestsellers; been longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature; won the Goodreads Choice Award, Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature, and Christopher Medal; been shortlisted for the Schneider Family Book Award; received multiple starred reviews; appeared on the Kids’ Indie Next List, and been listed as best books of the year by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and more.
​
As a marketer, Rachel has worked with beloved authors and illustrators like Jason Reynolds, Sarah J. Maas, Ylvis, Cassandra Clare, Shannon Hale, Emily Carroll, Holly Black, Tim Federle, Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, James Howe, Megan Miranda, and Simone Elkeles to bring their books to wider audiences. They have contributed to campaigns for New York Times–bestselling books and series, as well as winners of the Caldecott Medal, Newbery Honor Medals, the Coretta Scott King Award, the Stonewall Book Award, the Walters Award, and more. They also helped to market the 2015 launch of Saga Press, Simon & Schuster’s dedicated diverse speculative fiction imprint.
​
Rachel is a senior mentor with the Representation Matters Mentorship Program, which is designed to help people of color gain a foothold in the publishing industry, and an activist whose organizing has centered around advocating for workers’ rights, providing sanctuary to immigrants and asylum-seekers, and creating safe and equitable spaces for women and LGBTQAI+ people.