Sarah Hochman has been Editor in Chief of Blue Rider Press and Plume, divisions of Penguin Random House; and held positions previously at Simon & Schuster, W magazine, The New York Observer, and Esquire. She has acquired and edited a broad range of literary and popular fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir, humor, and lifestyle books. Some of the authors she has worked with include Nicholson Baker, Bill Maher, Lesley Stahl, Parker Posey, Eddie Izzard, James Taylor, Delia Ephron, Damien Echols, David Milgrim (aka Ann Droyd), Jeff Bridges, Jean Thompson, Marisa Silver, Jewel, Chris Elliott, Adam Resnick, Simon Doonan, Amanda Brooks, A.A. Gill, Bruce Eric Kaplan, Bruce McCall, David Letterman, Annabelle Gurwitch, Ric Ocasek, Ben Schott, Penn Jillette, John Lanchester, Don Winslow, Jeffery Deaver, Howard Jacobson, Bruce Wagner, Eric Bogosian, David Rabe, Robert Littell, Jed Mercurio, Leanne Shapton, Julie Hecht, Mike Birbiglia, and Lee Israel.
EDITING AND CONSULTING
Manuscript reading, review, editing: From assessing a first draft, to providing detailed notes and suggestions for revision, to line-by-line editing.
Collaborative writing: For first-time or experienced authors who have a strong sense of the story they want to tell, I can provide hands-on help to get ideas and narrative onto the page.
Ghostwriting: Whether creating a full-length manuscript or interstitial/connective material, I work with authors and writers to translate their voice and narrative style into seamless content.
Illustrated and art books: From cookbooks to lifestyle, humor, and gift books, I oversee and execute editorial and production, including design consult and permissions clearance.
Book development: I work with writers and authors to expand, outline, and structure an idea or concept into a full-length narrative.
TESTIMONIALS
“Sarah gets inside your work, and once there fiercely advocates for it. She knows when to hold your hand and when to give you a shove, when to protect you from the vagaries of the publishing business and when to ask you to adapt to them. She is, in short, the kind of editor that most writers only dream of.”
Gary Greenberg, author of Manufacturing Depression and The Book of Woe
“Sarah Hochman brings a sharp eye and a very contemporary sensibility to what can be an overwhelming task. She was the editor I needed: smart, urbane, literate—what I hoped my potential audience would be. Sarah made my book come together.”
Eric Bogosian, actor, playwright, and author of Perforated Heart
“Sarah Hochman is the chicest, smartest, and most ardent bibliophile on Earth. It’s really that simple.”
Simon Doonan, former Creative Director for Barneys New York, author of Gay Men Don’t Get Fat, Soccer Style, and judge of NBC’s Making It
“It was a pleasure to work with Sarah Hochman on the three books we shared, two novels and a play collection. Her approach to the task, always rooted in her love of books in general, was insightful, caring and smart, her editing clearly aimed at making the book the best possible version of itself.”
David Rabe, Tony Award winning playwright and author of Dinosaurs on the Roof and Girl By the Road at Night
“Sarah Hochman is a writer's dream of an editor; penetrating yet sensitive, encouraging and inspiring, she helps you reshape your work as the best version of itself.”
Tom Shroder, former editor of The Washington Post Magazine and author of Acid Test and Old Souls
CONTACT
Please email sarah@hochmanbooks.com with inquiries or for more information including timelines, scheduling, and fees.