Dana Leydig, Executive Editor

Dana Leydig is Executive Editor at Viking Children’s Books. She began her publishing career as an intern for Puffin Books in 2008, and returned full-time in 2010 before moving to her current role at Viking in 2018. A graduate of the University of Florida (Go Gators!), she earned a degree in English with a minor in Jewish studies, and as a result, has read Daniel Deronda by George Eliot more times than she can count. Dana is open to both commercial middle grade and YA fiction with an emphasis on the latter, and is aiming to grow her graphic novel list for all age groups. Rom-com is her genre of choice, and she loves a good fairy tale retelling, but is also drawn to stories that infuse humor (and/or romance) into the macabre (think Tim Burton’s The Corpse Bride). Her priority is to support and celebrate creators of marginalized communities, and bring their stories into the spotlight. She is the editor of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling The Last Kids on Earth series by Max Brallier and Douglas Holgate, Right Where I Left You by critically acclaimed author Julian Winters, and beloved YA author couple Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (AKA #Wibbroka). Dana enjoys belting out show tunes (poorly), and is a sucker for period dramas and salacious gossip.