Overview
In my 25-year career as an editor and writer, I’ve written for national and regional magazines, dailies and monthlies, websites and newspapers, major outlets and literary journals. My byline has appeared in Vanity Fair, Playboy, The New York Times Magazine, The Believer, Esquire, The New York Post, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and The New York Observer, among many others. I've published ten books, two of them New York Times bestsellers, as an editor, writer, and ghostwriter, for publishers including HarperCollins, Penguin, and St. Martin's Press.I am well-versed in everything from magazine query letters to book proposals, in-depth first draft assessment to copyediting. There is not an editor, pitch or genre I haven’t figured out how to crack. My specialties include, well... everything. I've covered entertainment and politics, sports and finance, health and parenting, sex and music, finance and grieving, American history and fringe culture. I've worked with celebrities and non-creatives, helping them bring their ideas to the page. I've collaborated with Jeff Tweedy and Ron Jeremy on their respective memoirs, and worked with Chelsea Handler and Gilbert Gottfried on their magazine essays. I have been on all sides of the creative process, so I'm well-equipped to help shepherd your idea through every stage of its journey to publication.
Services
Fiction
Anthologies
Humor & Comedy
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Entertainment
Music
Parenting & Families
Sex & Relationships
Languages
English (US)
Work experience
Men's Health Magazine
Aug, 2014 —
Apr, 2016
(over 1 year)
Worked with a team of junior editors to create six original stories every day for the website. I solicited pitches, gave assignments, made deadlines, collaborated on revisions, and eventually gave the final top edits before publication.
The Believer Magazine
Jan, 2005 —
Jun, 2013
(over 8 years)
I worked primarily in features, assigning and editing longish essays and interviews (4000-plus words) by writers like Chuck Klosterman and Nick Hornby, among many others.
I also co-created the Sedaratives advice column with comedian Amy Sedaris. When Ms. Sedaris retired from the column, I edited a rotating cast of celebrity "guest" columnists like Sarah Silverman, Judd Apatow, Lena Dunham, and Zach Galifianakis, among hundreds of others.
I also edited two humor anthologies with the Believer: You’re a Horrible Person, But I Like You (Vintage, 2010) and Care To Make Love In That Gross Little Space Between Cars? (Vintage, 2012).
The Second City
Jan, 1997 —
Jun, 2010
(over 13 years)
I've been a writing instructor at Chicago's Second City theater since 1997. During my first few years as a teacher, I helped design and implement a creative writing curriculum that the theater continues to use. Between 1997 and 2002, I taught everything from beginner classes ("Fundamentals of Comedy Writing") to the advanced levels, in which students write and produce an original sketch revue. Since leaving Chicago in 2002, I've continued to teach online writing classes.
Self-employed
Jan, 1994 —
Present
My byline has appeared in dozens of magazines since 1994. I’ve covered entertainment and politics, sports and finance, health and parenting, sex and music, finance and grieving, American history and fringe culture. I’ve profiled celebrities and criminals, 90-year-old country legends and 7-year-old thespians, Bigfoot hunters and the ghost of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (via a medium), and everyday people who have done extraordinary things.
Portfolio
Offers a humorous look at the popular television series, describes the program's characters and themes, and tells how to write your own episode
A comprehensive guide to junk food extols the virtues of Captain Crunch cereal, M&Ms of various colors, chocolate in every shape and size, soft drinks, cola wars, coffee, donuts, and chewing gum
The Believer magazine presents a compendium of advice from producers, writers, and actors of The Daily Show, Saturday Night Live, Parks and Recreation, Late Show with David Letterman, The Hangover, and The Colbert Report, along with other musicians, cartoonist... read more
A compendium of advice from the producers, writers, and actors of The Office, Saturday Night Live, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Knocked Up, Flight of the Conchords, The Daily Show, Arrested Development, Reno 911!, and The Hangover along with other people... read more
*A New York Times Bestseller**A Rolling Stone Best Music Books of 2018 selection**A Pitchfork Pick: Best Music Books of 2018*The singer, guitarist, and songwriter—best known for his work with Wilco—opens up about his past, his songs, the music, and the people ... read more
Bachelorhood used to be something young men aspired to. A man alone was a man empowered. But not anymore. As we cross the threshold into the twenty-first century, the state of being stag has lost its luster. In A Guy's Guide to Dating, Brendan Baber and Eric S... read more
Excellent Book
A Hudson Booksellers Best Non-Fiction Book of the Year, with foreword by Wilco's Jeff TweedyHigh Fidelity meets Killing Yourself to Live when one man searches for his lost record collection.As he finds himself within spitting distance of middle-age, journalist... read more
Eric has 2 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Responsiveness
Marc S.
Sep, 2020
Jared S.
Jan, 2020
