Meet the Pub Pros
The Pub Pros was founded by Beth Blachman, Maria Gagliano, and Celia Johnson, a dynamic team of editors with thirty+ years of experience working at big 5 houses, including Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Hachette. We three editors were also the force behind SLICE Literary, a New York–based literary nonprofit. For nearly two decades, SLICE served as a hub in the publishing community, bringing together top agents, editors, and writers with the goal of nurturing emerging voices. SLICE published 27 issues of SLICELiterary magazine and, for nine years, brought together a community of 400+ writers, editors, agents, and publishing professionals for the annual SLICE Literary Writers’ Conference in Brooklyn.
After years of working behind the scenes at big 5 houses, we launched the Pub Pros, a book and editorial services firm dedicated to connecting writers with elite professionals from the most prestigious avenues of publishing. This firm leverages our deep industry network and behind-the-scenes knowledge of the publishing world.
We have a roster of 150+ elite pros. We’ll find the best match for your project.
Just like the founders, our Pros are publishing industry veterans.
Pick a row in the bookstore, and you’ll find something our Pros helped produce, whether it’s a New York Times bestselling business book, a literary gem, a noteworthy memoir, or a commercial novel that everyone is talking about.
Each Pub Pro is an expert in a specific aspect of book publishing. We’re editors, writers, and designers. We know what is discussed in editorial meetings because we have sat around the editorial table. We know how to deliver a manuscript that will thrill an editor because we have been thrilled (and disappointed) ourselves. We’ve designed book covers and interiors for New York Times bestsellers. We’ve ghostwritten bestselling and award-winning books, working hand in hand with creatives to make their visions a reality.
We’re going to bring that industry experience to your book
Whether you’re an agent or a publisher looking for an editor to work with your authors, or a business that needs creative content to help build your brand, the Pub Pros will ensure that your project pops, is polished and professional, and—most importantly—is something that will connect with your audience.
The Founders
Beth Blachman
Beth Blachman learned grammar at her mother’s knee and has now mostly memorized the Chicago Manual of Style. After studying literature at NYU she spent twelve years as a professional ballet and modern dancer. She has worked as a staff writer for a weekly news and arts magazine in Virginia, writing articles and cover stories and overseeing the paper’s copyediting. She was the editor-in-chief of SLICE Literary magazine for eight years and is a freelance writer and editor.
Maria Gagliano
Maria Gagliano is an editor and bestselling ghostwriter. She spent eleven years at Random House and Penguin, where she helped launch the careers of several first-time nonfiction authors in the business world, the food world, and beyond. Her bestselling titles as an editor include #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso, Do Over by Jon Acuff, and Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek. Her recent ghostwriting projects include titles for Penguin Random House and HarperCollins. In 2007, Maria co-founded SLICE Literary with Celia.
Celia Johnson
Originally from Australia, Celia Johnson moved to New York as soon as she could, excited to join its literary community. She was an editor at Random House and then Grand Central Publishing, where she helmed Mysterious Press. Her list includes bestselling and award-winning fiction and nonfiction, with a particular focus on mysteries, suspense, and true crime. In 2007, she co-founded SLICE Literary with Maria. She is the author of two books: Odd Type Writers and Dancing with Mrs. Dalloway.
Selected titles we’ve edited, ghostwritten, or packaged
