Photo by Deborah Copaken
Born and raised in West Virginia, I graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a degree in Semiotics and Theater Arts. I studied acting for two years at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, then moved to New York. After balancing auditions, day jobs, and acting work for a few years, I got an open-ended temp gig as an editorial assistant at Doubleday. I didn’t realize it at first (though my boss did), but it was like the mother ship calling me home.
At Doubleday I edited literary fiction (Pure Slaughter Value by Robert Bingham, Stewart O’Nan’s first three novels), memoir (Pulitzer finalist In the Wilderness by Kim Barnes), humorous fiction (Youth in Revolt by C.D. Payne, The Bear Went Over the Mountain by William Kotzwinkle), popular culture (Come As You Are by Michael Azerrad, Bill Graham Presents by Bill Graham and Robert Greenfield, Skeleton Key by David Shenk and Steve Silberman), and humor (The 776 Stupidest Things Ever Said by Kathryn and Ross Petras).
At Random House and its Villard imprint, I edited literary fiction (debut works by Aaron Hamburger, David Hollander, and Matthew Sharpe), and memoir (Hungry for the World by Kim Barnes, Shutterbabe by Deborah Copaken, Girlbomb and Have You Found Her by Janice Erlbaum, Lads by Dave Itzkoff, Girl [Maladjusted] by Molly Jong-Fast), as well as popular culture (Shakey by Jimmy McDonough, Twenty Thousand Roads by David N. Meyer).
“[Bruce] doesn’t question what you are after—his question is, ‘How can I help you do it better?’ . . . He reads deeply and feels deeply. He taught me so much about my own writing. He is simply one of the best.”
I also edited a lot of humorous essay collections and novels, four of which were finalists for the Thurber Prize in American Humor (Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas, Walking in Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe, The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death by Laurie Notaro, The Day I Turned Uncool by Dan Zevin) and one of which won the prize itself (The Other Shulman by Alan Zweibel). I edited bestsellers in travel (The Travel Detective series by Peter Greenberg), self-help/inspiration (Broken Open by Elizabeth Lesser), and dogs (Dog Days and six other books by Jon Katz). I also edited a handful of bestselling books by celebrities, including Trace Adkins, David Blaine, Melissa Etheredge, Aretha Franklin, and Patricia Heaton.
Like so many people, at the nadir of the Great Recession I found myself without a job. That was when I first discovered the joy and freedom of being an independent editor. I wrote about that experience in an essay published in, of all places, the New York Post. After two years, I succumbed to the siren call of salary and benefits and accepted a position at Workman. There I edited the international bestseller Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon (as well his three subsequent books); A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming by Dylan Tuccillo, Jared Zeizel, and Thomas Peisel; History Decoded by Brad Meltzer; How to Be Interesting by Jessica Hagy; and a series of insanely entertaining puzzle and game books by Nancy Linde.
For the last several summers I have lectured at the Columbia Publishing Course at the Columbia Journalism School, where the students’ energy and enthusiasm fill me with hope for the future of this business.
In late 2019 my husband and I decided we wanted more control over our time and location than our office jobs allowed. For me that meant a happy return to freelance editorial work.
“A consummate pro at everything from big picture thinking about structure to the fine details of how to make sentences sing, Bruce’s many years of experience, calm demeanor, and infinite patience make him the perfect collaborator. I cannot recommend him enough.”