For this edition of “Black Book People,” we are spotlighting Tyiana Combs. Combs is an associate editor at Penguin Young Readers, Penguin Workshop where she works to champion character-driven books centering young people of color. Combs is also a writer and has published Mad Libs books starring music icons such as Beyoncé and BTS. Her essay, “Being Black in K-Pop,” was published in the 2025 midnight & indigo Music issue.
How did you decide that you wanted to work in the editorial side of publishing, and how did you come to Penguin Workshop?
Since childhood, I knew I wanted a career related to books, but everyone I spoke to made being an author sound a bit unstable, which admittedly scared me and made me look more into the editorial side of things. While I don’t love that I made a decision influenced by fear, I don’t regret it, especially as I’ve now been able to be both an editor and an author; things worked out in the timing they were meant to.
I always knew I wanted to work in Children’s, but graduating in 2020 complicated things. Fortunately, after having been their Editorial intern from Fall 2019 into Spring 2020, I was hired full-time as an editorial assistant at a serious non-fiction Adult imprint in the Summer of 2020, but I was not enjoying it at all.
In one of my daily “Children’s editorial publishing jobs” searches, a position at Penguin Workshop popped up, and I applied immediately. After a series of virtual interviews, I was hired, and on my first day, I appeared on screen with green box braids, after wearing my hair pressed during interviews. When no one batted an eye, I knew I was at the right place.
What are some of the challenges you face as an editor in this moment?
In this moment, shrinking attention spans paired with declining literacy rates are some of the biggest challenges I’m facing as an editor. Being asked to make books shorter, while attempting to publish to trends that are constantly changing, especially given the time it takes to make a book (in comparison to) how quickly public interests shift, can at times feel like an uphill battle. Especially when the stories and characters you want to champion aren’t always the ones the masses want to read—on top of the masses not wanting to read much of anything anymore—but are the ones that will be targeted for book banning.
I’m fortunate to be at a company pushing back against bans, but their existence can be draining. Bans, low literacy rates, and short attention spans (create) a perfect storm of discouraging people from reading, and that has never yielded positive results.
What is a misconception folks have about the role of the editor?
What is your proudest accomplishment so far as an editor or writer?
In mid-December 2025, a book I inherited titled WHERE THERE IS LOVE was published, followed by two more books of mine published in January 2026, A BLACK GIRL AND HER BRAIDS and JUST LIKE TINA, followed by LEO’S LOBO in February, which published in English and Spanish.
While these books coming out in such quick succession (caused) a lot of work and stress, it brings me endless joy and pride to see these books highlighting children of color, written and illustrated by creators of color, all together on my shelves and in stores. These books are my publishing mission in physical form, and I am so motivated by them.
As a writer, my proudest accomplishment is finally feeling confident in calling myself a writer and an author, labels I shied away from, feeling like I had not yet earned them. But I have. I am both a writer and an author, and it feels good to say so without shrinking away.
What is something you hope to achieve with your platform? Is there anything readers can do to help you accomplish this goal?
Something I hope to achieve with my platform is continuing to support as many writers, especially Black writers, as I can, both as an editor and as a reader. This time next year, the first Young Adult novel I acquired, LESSONS IN LETTING GO, will be nearing publication, and it means so much to me to have become the person a Black woman author can experience her debut journey with.
Something else I hope to achieve is demystifying publishing when I can, by helping people learn more about the industry, especially those looking to join. I also love sharing what I’m reading on social media, in the hopes of others potentially picking those books up.
I want to use my platform to encourage more folks to read, from physical books to online magazines to interesting street signs. I hope to be both an editor and an author who makes reading feel fun at best, mildly interesting at (the least). Readers can assist me in this goal by supporting Black authors, myself included, and Black books, whether I worked on them or not.
What have you read recently that made you think? What is something you are looking forward to reading soon?
Currently, I’m reading Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins, and it’s making me think a lot about life for Black women during Reconstruction, specifically in Wyoming. I’m looking forward to re-reading The Legendborn Cycle by Tracy Deonn as I await the next book and to re-reading The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. I’m also looking forward to reading a new manhwa I recently bought, The Big Apple Vol 1.
*Tyiana Combs is an associate editor who works on projects from picture books through Young Adult titles. As an editor, she has a specific interest in character-driven narratives that focus on telling various stories of people of color, with an emphasis on Black projects. Through her work, she hopes to help bring books into the world that readers will carry throughout their entire lives, ensuring they feel seen, heard, and represented at every stage of life. She is also an author, avid reader, and pop culture enthusiast. Instagram: @tyianac_
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