“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
Winner of the Booker Prize and New York Times-bestselling author of John of John, Young Mungo, and Shuggie Bain
“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
“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 of 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 with 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, The Night Swimmers, and Passersthrough
“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
“Tina Pohlman is one of the best people I’ve met in my writing career. Not only do I love working with her, but I’m just so impressed with her range of projects. Poetry, short stories, novels, essays…no matter what it is, Tina finds a way to spot what her writers are trying to say, and bring it to the surface. She is the ideal combination in an editor: someone who can release the authentic energy of a work and also understand how it fits into a fast-changing market.”
— Mark Cecil
Author of Bunyan & Henry; Or, The Beautiful Destiny and host of The Thoughtful Bro podcast
What My Colleagues Are Saying
“If you are in search of a trusted literary advisor, look no further—you cannot do better than Tina Pohlman! I’ve known Tina for almost 20 years, first as a colleague and mentor at Harcourt, where she was both a passionate advocate for her authors and a publishing savant, expertly navigating the industry. More recently, she attended the literary conference I direct, Aspen Summer Words, as a publishing consultant, where she was a gentle and encouraging advisor to many aspiring writers. Tina is smart, funny, collaborative, and kind, and I do not know a more enthusiastic champion of writers.”
— Adrienne Brodeur
Executive Director of Aspen Words and bestselling author of Wild Game and Little Monsters
“I’ve admired Tina since she was an editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, where she curated an enviable list of award-winning writers. Tina knows what works in fiction and nonfiction, and she knows how to coach great writing out of her authors, with a combination of editorial acuity, tough love, and genuine enthusiasm. Writers looking to take their work to the next level before reaching out to agents should think about hiring Tina. Not only will she give your proposal or manuscript that extra bit of polishing it needs to get an agent’s attention, she’ll share her wisdom about publishing that comes from years of experience working as an editor at Big Five houses and indie presses and as an agent.”
— Renée Zuckerbrot
Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agents
What Parents and Students Are Saying
“Tina provided exactly what my son needed in his college essay process—structure to compel progress, coaching to develop meaningful substance, and expert writing guidance to draft and hone an excellent personal statement in his own voice. I appreciated the care she took at the outset to vet her match with my son, to lay out what was expected of him, and to be clear about what she could (and couldn’t) deliver. Over the course of their sessions, she proved herself to be thoughtful, professional, encouraging, and talented. I am a tough critic and was very pleased with his essay. I recommend Tina without reservation.”
— Julie L
Parent
“Working with Tina was very seamless. Our daughter actually enjoyed the process of creating a college essay for the common app under Tina’s guidance. She was able to dig deep and create an essay that really represented who she is as a person, let alone a student. The final product helped our daughter gain admission to many of her choice colleges and the feedback received from these schools showed that the essay played a part in her admission. Tina’s patience and skills were evident throughout the process. Our daughter was in great hands. We highly recommend Tina for her ability to work with student writers.”
— Donna A
Parent
“Having had all 3 of my children get accepted to their first-choice schools, I am incredibly grateful for all the help Tina gave to each child as they navigated the challenging process of writing multiple college application essays.
We began with another firm with our first child and we were really disappointed with the quality of the common app essay under their guidance. We were incredibly fortunate to switch to Tina as she immediately recognized that his voice wasn’t in his essay and helped redirect him to an essay he was proud of!
Each of my children are very different, and Tina was able to work with each of their styles and backgrounds to craft incredible essays that I truly believe helped them stand out. Tina’s background as an accomplished editor makes her perfect in this role and I highly recommend her.”
Parent
“Tina’s help with my essay was incredibly valuable in making me a competitive college applicant. She gave me the tools to create a strong personal statement while making sure the ideas and voice still came from me. Through the process, she helped me grow as a writer and discover my own voice. I was able to pull deeper meaning from my experiences and better show colleges how I see myself. Tina pushed me to work hard on an essay that wouldn’t have been possible without her and it ended up getting me into my top school.”
— Marty
UVA ‘30
“Prior to working with Tina, my Master’s motivational statement existed as little more than a hastily assembled set of ideas. Through repeated meetings and many, many drafts, Tina helped me shape my floundering essay into a proper flowing narrative. Beyond mere revision, Tina taught me several methods for successful editing which have already paid dividends. Most importantly, rather than dictating to clients what the essay should look like, Tina asks the right questions, coaxing clients into finding the answers themselves, thus ensuring the final product is entirely their own creation.”
— Marco
LSE ‘27