A Selection of Books I've Worked On

Testimonials

“Without exaggeration, Tina is one of the best in the business. Decades of experience have given her deep insight into what makes books work—at the structure, character, plot, pace, and line level—and anyone who has the opportunity to work with Tina should consider themselves lucky. If it weren’t for her, my debut novel, Black Buck, wouldn’t have garnered serious and early interest from editors, eventually becoming an instant New York Times bestseller and changing the course of both my career and life. Tina’s a dream!”

New York Times-bestselling author of Black Buck and This Great Hemisphere

“As a writer you have to choose your first readers very carefully; the wrong advice can be a real distraction. So much of my success is thanks to Tina. She is always the first person to read my work and her precision editing, and fresh perspective, are lifesaving in those early, doubt-filled moments. Tina is every writer’s dream editor, she is meticulous and it is a pleasure to work with her, to have a collaborator who thinks so deeply. The many decades Tina spent as an in-house editor make her feedback invaluable. She has the sensitivity to maintain the purity of a writer’s vision while balancing her knowledge of the publishing industry. I am so lucky to have found her.”

— Douglas Stuart

Booker Prize-winning author of Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo

“I’ve worked with Tina in various roles. As an agent, as an editor, as a reader, and as an encouraging and passionate guide on how to proceed. She knows publishing inside and out and from many angles. More importantly, she understands writing and what makes it good.”  

— Arika Okrent

Author In the Land of Invented Languages and Highly Irregular

“When I started writing the proposal for my book, I had basically no idea what I was doing — I barely even knew what a book proposal was. Tina held my hand throughout the entire process, wouldn’t let me quit, and helped me produce a document that was far better than anything I could have done on my own. She took the book to market, continued coaching me through the process of selling it, and, after we sold it, kept on with the hand-holding throughout the entire writing and editing process. (She also helped me to know when it was time to stop editing and release the book into the world — just as important as everything else!) It is in no way an overstatement to say I would not be a published author without her careful and dedicated guidance.”  

— Kelly Conaboy

Author of The Particulars of Peter: Dance Lessons, DNA Tests, and Other Excuses to Hang Out with My Perfect Dog

“Tina Pohlman is a genius at helping a writer—and any piece of writing—find their way.  In almost thirty years of working with and knowing her, I’ve not encountered a more insightful, wiser, more encouraging person.  Tina is an amazing listener and reads with real perspicacity:  she possesses the rare talent of making a piece of writing more like itself (she has no pre-existing ideas or agenda), to find the clarity and tease out the complexity.  Tina’s pleasure and excitement is always so evident—she’s humble, patient, and her joy at readerly discovery is mirrored by a writer’s illumination.  Certainly, her experience working some of the most widely acclaimed and idiosyncratic contemporary writers testifies to her skills.  Personally, what I treasure and find most rare in an editor is the sense of partnership, of shared respect and belief, that Tina brings to every person, every project.”

— Peter Rock

Author of My Abandonment

“I am so lucky to have had Tina by my side for the publication of my essay collection about badass nuns. This book would not have made it into the world without her. But more importantly we developed a close friendship that has lasted for years and Tina has been my biggest cheerleader throughout my career.” 

— Jo Piazza

Author of The Sicilian Inheritance and If Nuns Ruled the World