Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers has announced a new imprint to be helmed by Sarah Barley, previously editorial director of young adult publishing at Flatiron Books. Sarah Barley Books will launch in spring 2026 with three YA titles, and will add middle grade books in subsequent seasons. The imprint’s focus is on literary and commercial fiction, aimed at readers ages eight and up.
Barley started her career at Random House Children’s Books in 2007 and later served as senior editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books, before moving to Flatiron in 2014 and starting the publisher’s YA publishing program in 2016. “For the last 10 years I’ve done mostly teen books, but I always knew I’d want to go back to a children’s book division,” she told PW, adding that she fell in love with reading as a child because of middle grade books. Reflecting on the opportunity to build an imprint, she said, “I feel like the luckiest person in publishing to get to do this not once, but twice.”
At Flatiron, Barley published more than 10 bestsellers, including Stephanie Garber’s Once Upon a Broken Heart and Caravel series, Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood, and Somaiya Daud’s Mirage. Her books have also received critical acclaim, including the Stonewall Award-winning If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo.
The imprint’s first list includes three YA titles. Beth Is Dead is a debut mystery-thriller inspired by Little Women, with the March sisters recast as sleuths and perhaps even suspects. Barley described Love Me Tomorrow by Emiko Jean as a book with a lot of humor and heart with a very relatable character; Barley previously worked with Jean on Tokyo Ever After and Tokyo Dreaming. Also on the list is Heiress of Nowhere, by Stacey Lee, a Gothic mystery about a girl racing to uncover a killer before there is another victim.
While there are no middle grade novels planned for spring 2026, Barley is actively acquiring them. She said she is glad to be part of a children’s division “making sure kids and teens are reading,” and excited to focus on expanding readership. Barley said she expects the list to grow organically and intends to be open to a wide range of genres, but will limit the list to around 10 books per year. She is currently the imprint’s sole editor. “I’m trying to pick the books I really love,” she added.
In a statement, S&S BFYR publisher Justin Chanda said: “I have long been a fan of Sarah’s work—her editorial vision, passion for books, and market savvy. I had a hunch that she’d be an incredible asset to Simon & Schuster, but now having worked with her and having seen the range of books she is about to bring to shelves, [I realize] that hunch was an understatement!”
Barley adds that she is “grateful to authors who are trusting me to start something new with them.”
