Gillian Holmes
Editor
Gillian Holmes was an acquiring editor and copy editor at Penguin Random House for the Arrow Books imprint, where she acquired authors such as Katie Flynn, who, before her death, was the bestselling saga writer in the country. Gillian also worked with bestselling authors Kathy Reichs, Dorothy Koomson, Cathy Woodman, Tony Parsons, Rosie Goodwin, Amanda Prowse, Jane Corry, Katie Price, Alan Titchmarsh, Jackie Collins, and Amy Silver (aka Paula Hawkins). Gillian has worked in the publishing industry for over 30 years, with experience at Carlton Books, Quarto, and Simon & Schuster. She has worked on commercial fiction and non-fiction with authors such as Jo Brand, Jonathan Ross, Jane Goodman, and Keven Sampson (whose Away Days, acquired by Gillian, became a bestseller and was later made into a film). As an acquiring editor of film and TV tie-ins, she oversaw franchises including Star Wars and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Gillian is also an author and ghostwriter. Her World War II saga series, written under the name Ginny Bell, comprises four books with another due in 2025.
The Editor & Author
Previously Penguin Random House
Gillian Holmes has been working in the publishing industry for nearly 30 years.
Starting as an editorial assistant at Simon & Schuster, she worked on commercial fiction and non-fiction with authors such as Jo Brand, Jonathan Ross and Jane Goodman. She also discovered Away Days by Keven Sampson, which became a bestseller and was later made into a film. Later, as an acquiring editor in charge of film and TV tie-ins, she oversaw franchises such as Star Wars and Buffy the Vampire Slayer—and even has a vampire named after her in one of the books. She has worked with bestselling authors like Alan Titchmarsh and Jackie Collins.
Gillian’s first love has, and always will be, commercial fiction. She worked as an acquiring editor at Penguin Random House for the Arrow Books imprint, where she acquired authors such as Katie Flynn who, before her death, was the bestselling saga writer in the country. Gillian has worked across a whole range of genres, from crime and thrillers to women’s fiction and historical, including bestselling authors Kathy Reichs, Dorothy Koomson, Cathy Woodman, Tony Parsons, Rosie Goodwin, Amanda Prowse, Jane Corry, Katie Price, and Amy Silver (aka Paula Hawkins). She enjoys helping new writers who are just starting out on their writing journey.
Editor by day, saga author by night!
Writing as Ginny Bell, Gillian’s World War II saga series set in Dover is published by Bonnier Zaffre. The Dover Café at War was published in 2020, with The Dover Café on the Front Line and The Dover Café Under Fire published in 2021 and 2022 respectively. The fourth book in the series, Return to the Dover Café, was published in 2024, with a fifth book due in 2025.
Gillian has discovered that even an editor cannot spot the fatal flaws in their own writing. Let’s just say professional help is always needed!
‘I cannot thank Gillian enough! Her sensitive thoughts on my work (and careful unpicking of my convoluted sentences) have been invaluable. A pleasure to deal with and an absolute star!’—Louise Mumford
‘Gillian, you kick ass.’—Anne Howes
‘With any editor one asks oneself, “Did they make a difference?” and Gillian has done that in spades.’—Martin Lee
Gillian’s Genres
- Contemporary & Women’s Fiction
- Crime & Suspense
- Crime Thrillers
- Historical Fiction
- Memoir
- Romance
- Saga
‘Sylvia Plath famously said, “The worst enemy of creativity is self-doubt.” It’s an editor’s job to silence your internal critic and help you achieve your writing goals.’
