Daniel Nayeri was born in Iran and spent some years as a refugee before immigrating to Oklahoma at age seven with his family. He has had a long career in publishing, first as a literary agent, then an editor and publisher for houses such as HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Macmillan. During that time he edited books in every category, from memoir, cookbooks, board books, picture books, literary fiction, how-to, novelty, and more. He is the author of several books, including Everything Sad is Untrue (A True Story), winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, the Christopher Medal, and the Middle Eastern Book Award, and The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams, winner of the Newbery Honor. He lives in the U.S. with his wife and son.