Leila Sales, founder

Leila Sales founded the Book Engineer as a book development agency after more than a decade in New York City publishing. The goal of the Book Engineer is to collaborate with storytellers, brands, literary agents, and publishers to conceptualize and create books that the market needs.

Leila has edited award-winning and bestselling fiction and nonfiction books for readers of all ages. Her authors have included award-winning actors Viola Davis and Bob Balaban; New York Times bestselling authors Gayle Forman, Max Brallier, and Ame Dyckman; National Book Award Finalist Elizabeth Partridge; MacArthur Fellow Xu Bing; and many more. She has edited books published by Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Chronicle, Lerner, Arctis, Sleeping Bear, Callisto, The University of Chicago Press, and elsewhere

Leila has developed IP for a variety of consumer-facing brands and properties, running the gamut from classic children’s characters such as Corduroy to cutting-edge entertainment startups such as TOGETHXR. She has adapted stories, ideas, and characters for various age groups and across various forms of media.

Leila is the author of eight critically acclaimed novels for children and young adults—including This Song Will Save Your Life and The Museum of Lost and Found—published by Abrams, Chronicle, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. Her books have been optioned for stage and screen, selected for many state award lists, translated into a dozen languages, and received numerous starred reviews. Learn more about her writing at leilasales.com.

Leila grew up in Boston, Massachusetts; received her degree from the University of Chicago; and worked at Penguin Random House in New York City. She is now based in Austin, Texas, and she speaks about books and publishing all over the world.

Meghan Maria McCullough, editorial associate

Meghan Maria McCullough is a children’s book editor based in New York City, with experience at HarperCollins, Levine Querido, Scholastic, and Penguin Random House. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from The New School.