As part of Puzzability, Leighton has coauthored many books of puzzles, as well as puzzle-oriented Op-Ed pieces for The New York Times.
[2] Work that Leighton both wrote and drew has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal,[3] Games,[4] Nickelodeon Magazine,[5] Slate,[6] and SpongeBob Comics.
[11] As one of the three principals of Puzzability, Leighton has co-authored a number of puzzle books ranging from crosswords to puzzles for children: In May 2014, Puzzability was hired by Campbell Ewald advertising agency to create an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) for the U.S. Navy’s cryptology division.
While at Northwestern University, Leighton cofounded and edited the college humor magazine "Rubber Teeth."
He also wrote individual episodes for live action and animated cable shows including Bear in the Big Blue House, Cartoon Network's Ed, Edd n Eddy and Nickelodeon's The Off-Beats with creator Mo Willems.