Holly Rubino
Editor
Holly Rubino is an editor with more than fifteen years in the publishing industry. She started her career at Simon & Schuster and has since acquired and edited books for Lyons Press and Skyhorse in a broad range of nonfiction categories, including nature, adventure, memoir, current events, popular reference, history, humor, home and garden, and do-it-yourself. A former high school English teacher, Holly has served as an instructor and coach to writers in the early stages of developing their narrative skills. Holly earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from New York University and has done additional coursework in the Humanities at Wesleyan University. She lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her husband, a professional translator.
AREAS OF SPECIALTY
Nonfiction: nature/adventure, home and garden, lifestyle, food and wine, humor biography/memoir, current events, animals/pets, popular reference, history, humor
Fiction: upmarket women’s fiction; general fiction for a mainstream audience
Book development (including proposal) from creative stage to publication
Holly does NOT work on: children's, poetry, erotica, horror, sci-fi, sports, military history, politics, business
AVAILABLE FOR
Developmental editing, content editing, book proposal editing
“Holly is a seasoned, exceptionally talented editor. During our time together at Globe Pequot, Holly acquired and developed a list of best-selling books across a number of diverse categories. She has a keen eye for writing talent and is beloved by her authors. Her books always display a creative flair. And she is a terrific, collaborative partner!”
—Jim Childs, former publisher of Rowman & Littlefield Trade Division
“Holly was professional, thorough, and constructive. I wholeheartedly recommend her as an editor for non-fiction projects that are pitched at a general readership. Her thoughtful questions about content, matched with her ear for the right word, helped me identify the places where I was leaving out too much background information or hitting the wrong tone in the development of a scene. And her summary of the work, as a whole, helped me see my research as an outsider would, identifying a reader’s potential frustrations as well as expectations. Because of her critique, I was able to sharpen the connection I wanted to build between the reader and the story, and her feedback gave me the reassurance I needed to write for a wider audience.“
—Douglas Boin, author of Gatecrashers (W. W. Norton)
“Holly Rubino was editor for the first book I co-authored, No Buddy Left Behind. As a new freelance writer working under an incredibly short deadline (10 weeks from start to finish for a 250 page manuscript), Holly supported me on many levels. She guided me through the whole process, helped me to make so-so stories into riveting scenes, and she gave my confidence a tremendous boost. Her edits were spot on, while her method of delivery was gentle and respectful. I will definitely recommend Holly to the people whose books I write, and when my novel is completed, I'll be knocking on her door.”
—Cynthia Hurn, author, freelance writer and editor
“Holly Rubino is a gifted editor who not only understands the publishing process, but understands the writer. She works with authors in a way which adds, rather than detracts from their work, dedicated to both the integrity of the work and the writer. A great collaborative partner, she is a consummate professional and an editor’s editor.”
—Carla Knorowski, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation
“What I’d like a book editor to be is someone who is patient, but pushy, and brutally honest, but in the nicest way. The editor needs to be close to the work, but distant enough to ensure that it maintains its focus and its tone throughout. The best editors can figure out how to simultaneously follow the author’s vision and lead the author to it. Holly Rubino is all of those things, and my experience working with her was wonderful and stress-free.”
—Bob Halloran, author of Impact Statement (Skyhorse)
“I found [Holly’s] comments on my book to be thoughtful, measured, and most importantly, unafraid. I had to write the book the way it was in order to get it to be the book I wanted it to be. But I also needed [her] edits to get to that final book and as many of those edits involved some very intense writing about my father, I'm sure it was not easy for [her] to suggest them. But [she was] honest and so was I and working together we found the best possible manuscript (as evidenced by the very kind reviews it has received from some really impressive people). I think [Holly is] a great editor and I would not hesitate to recommend [her].”
—Colleen Mondor, author of The Map of My Dead Pilot (Lyons)
“Holly is great. She edited my A North Country Life with a care and sensitivity too sadly lacking among editors in our time. I have nothing but good to say of her.”