Olivia Roberts

Olivia Roberts – Editor

I have been an editor at Chronicle Books for almost a decade, specializing in nonfiction, pop culture, humor, and more.

Overview

I am an editor at Chronicle Books, a publishing company based in the Bay Area. I tend to gravitate towards narrative nonfiction, humor (visual and essay collections), music, sex, and pet publishing, but am open to all sorts of projects. I also lead our calendar program and work on many gift products, so I enjoy the occasional non-book format.


I'm thoughtful, thorough, collaborative, easygoing, and love a good bit. I have been in the business for over seven years and would love to help you make your dream book!


I specialize in a number of areas and am usually tasked with a variety of roles from acquiring editor to project manager, developmental editor to proofreader. I'm prepared to help you with whatever you need and I can be as involved as you'd like. So whether it's a thorough developmental edit, a line edit, or even just lending an ear, I'm here for you!


I work on a variety of subject matter and love all of my projects dearly! Some of my recent projects include:


-NEGATIVES: A PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE OF EMO (1996-2006) by Amy Fleisher Madden, the founder of Fiddler Records, home to Dashboard Confessional, New Found Glory, and more. A moving photographic time capsule of the second and third waves of emo, featuring a foreword by Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional and revealing essays from Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance), Geoff Rickly (Thursday), Norman Brannon (Texas Is the Reason), Matt Pryor (The Get Up Kids), Jesse Johnson (Motion City Soundtrack), Andrew McMahon (Something Corporate), and Bob Nanna (Braid, Hey Mercedes).


-MUSEUM BUMS: A CHEEKY LOOK AT BUTTS IN ART by heritage scholars and art educators Mark Small and Jack Shoulders, the pair behind the viral Twitter and Instagram accounts @MuseumBums. A humorous history book that takes you on a whirlwind tour of the finest rear ends in museums around the world.


-I'M MORE DATEABLE THAN A PLATE OF REFRIED BEANS by comedian Ginny Hogan, a collection of humor observations about modern dating. Received praise from Karen Chee, Whitney Cummings, Dana Schwartz, Hannah Einbinder, Jon Cryer, Vulture, and more.


-LOOK I BOUGHT PLANTS by comedians Eva Victor and Taylor Garron, a hilarious poetry collection that distills the millennial experience into 200 cheeky poems. Won a 2021 Pubwest Book Design Award.



Let's make a book. Contact me today!

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Calendars Entertainment Inspirational LGBTQ Non-Fiction Music Sex & Relationships
Fiction
Romance
Languages
English (US)
Certifications
  • Ux Writing

Work experience

Chronicle Books

Apr, 2024 — Present

-Project Management: See a title through editorial, design, and production from the very beginning stages to the product's publishing date and beyond

-Brainstorming and Refining: Help an author/illustrator/artist fully realize their vision, provide thorough developmental and line edits, brainstorm and advise

-Content Writing: Write copy for the front cover, back cover, inside flaps, various web pages (Amazon, Goodreads, and more), catalog

-Copyediting and Proofreading: Review manuscripts and check for grammar, misspellings, consistency, etc

-Author Outreach and Scouting: Attend conventions/craft fairs/makers markets/etc and reach out to author/illustrators/artists

-Calendars: Lead and acquire for our calendar program (walls, dailies, and engagement calendars)

-Fellowship Management: Oversee our fellow, who participates in a comprehensive year-long editorial fellowship

Chronicle Books

Jul, 2021 — Apr, 2024 (almost 3 years)

Chronicle Books

Jul, 2019 — Jul, 2021 (about 2 years)

Chronicle Books

Jul, 2017 — Jul, 2019 (almost 2 years)

Fish Rap Live!

Sep, 2012 — May, 2016 (over 3 years)

Portfolio

Cat People to Judge in Art and Life

Tersigni, Nicole

Chronicle Books

How to Pet a Cat

Staehling, Angela

Can I Pet Your Dog?

Nguyen, Jeremy

Emo Poetry Generator

Chronicle Books

Penny

Stevens, Karl

Olivia has 7 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Rebecca G.

Rebecca G.

Sep, 2024

Olivia gets it! She took the time to understand my goals, was easy to work with, flexible with how we structured our partnership and gave me the support I needed right when I needed it. I hope to continue working with Olivia as my project progresses.
robyn W.

robyn W.

Aug, 2024

we look forward to working with olivia again on future projects!
Alison M.

Alison M.

Jul, 2024

Wonderful work.
Alexander R.

Alexander R.

Jul, 2023

It was a pleasure working with Olivia. She completed the job within the requested time frame, and I appreciate her wisdom and clarity.
Elle Y.

Elle Y.

Nov, 2022

Working with Olivia has been a great process.

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