Testimonials for Wendy Holden

Editors & Agents

“Working with Wendy has been a complete joy. I don’t think I’ve ever worked with an author who works harder or who cares as much – while also being a total blast! She worked tirelessly with me all the way through the edit, took my notes on board at every stage and was assiduous in her research for the book we worked on together. She also has a contacts book like no other and has jumped into every PR opportunity. The whole team at Zaffre have loved working with her and hope to continue to for many more books.”
Sarah Benton, co-CEO, Bonnier Books UK

“As first the Executive Editor of Harmony Books and later its Publisher, I had the opportunity to work with Wendy Holden on a number of wonderful books. On some she was the author and on others she was helping talented people who had amazing stories but were not writers. In both cases she was a consummate professional. When working with a co-author, she was always focused on what was needed, always aware of both the talents and shortcomings of the people involved, always intent upon realizing the book they most wanted to see published, the story they most wanted to tell. They, in turn, appreciated their great good luck in having such a talented writer and empathetic person as their partner. Whether she was dealing with a celebrity or a little-known hero of World War II, everyone was given the same care and consideration. Several editor friends and I consider Wendy Holden a national, no, an international treasure! If she is working with you, you may relax and await a book that you can be immensely proud to say you published, edited, or wrote.”
Shaye Areheart, former Publisher, Shaye Areheart Books, Random House NYC

“It has always been a joy to work with Wendy Holden, a consummate professional who delivers immaculate copy before her deadlines. Wendy has a ventriloquial brilliance at capturing the voice of her subjects, a rare gift, and her special qualities of empathy and perceptiveness guarantee that the collaboration generates a book of real value, a true portrait that respects its subject.”
Alan Samson, former Chairman and Publisher, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003–2021

“I absolutely love working with Wendy. Her care, rigour and attention to detail are unmatched — she brings not just commitment but a fierce intelligence and emotional precision to everything she writes. Her research is meticulous, her storytelling instinct razor-sharp, and she gives more to a project than anyone. What’s a phrase stronger than ‘going above and beyond’? I think it might just be ‘Wendy Holden’.”
Katya Shipster, Senior Non-Fiction Editor, Harper Collins UK

“Wendy Holden is a wonderful author to work with – always at hand when it comes to answering questions from the translators, always ready to come to promote the books, always active in social media. She is a lovely person who can steal the hearts of a publisher’s team, as well as readers at meetings with them. She is a superb interlocutor for journalists, showing a profound knowledge of the subject of each book, as she prepares long months for each of her writing projects, doing deep research in the field.”
Sonia Draga, Publisher, Sonia Draga Books, Poland

“Wendy brought the joy to the project we collaborated on. The author adored her, the narrative was full of love and life, and the finished project was a delight to read. The icing on the cake - Wendy writes fast! Working with Wendy Holden is pure pleasure.”
Sarah Durand, Senior Editor, Atria, New York

“It has been both an honour and a pleasure to work with Wendy Holden on several book titles, in my roles as a product manager and later as a programme director at a leading publishing house. She is highly professional, reliable, and meticulous, and she communicates with great clarity and warmth. She approaches her work as a calling, dedicating herself to it not only with passion, but also with the deep sense of responsibility required by the subjects she engages with.”
Romana Jarolinová, Programme Director, Euromedia, Prague, CZ

“I have been fortunate to secure Wendy Holden’s services for a number of my clients and the experience has always been successful and personally rewarding. Not only is she at the top of her game as a writer, but to every project she brings an unprecedented level of warmth, curiosity, and co-operation that endears her to clients, agents, and publishers in equal measure. I feel certain that anyone who has been lucky enough to work with her would say the same.”
Annabel Merullo, Agent, Peters Fraser Dunlop, UK

“In a former position as a publisher, I had occasion to work with Wendy Holden, most closely on a non-fiction prescriptive book that was inspired by the work of a noted celebrity. After more than one attempt to shape the book with other collaborators, I turned to Wendy who was able to pull the work together, fashion a comprehensive outline, and write the complete text, gaining my and the celebrity’s unqualified approval. The work was published to much acclaim and became an international bestseller. Wendy’s work has always impressed me with the breadth of subject matter, its clarity, and the depth of research.”
John Duff, former Senior Commissioning Editor, Perigree Books, NYC

“Wendy is without question one of the most dedicated, professional, and talented authors I've had the good fortune to work with. I've collaborated with her on many occasions and in each case her diligence, writing expertise and inherent understanding of people have combined to produce successful books that have been a pleasure and a privilege to publish.”
Adam Strange, former Publisher, Hachette, currently Director of Author Strategy at KAA

“Wendy Holden is an amazing writer, who combines rigorous research with a touching and beautiful style. Her books are outstanding and more necessary than ever in our conflicting days.”
Amanda Orlando, Senior Commissioning Editor, Globo Livros, Brazil

“What can I say about Wendy Holden other than that if you get the chance to work with her in publishing, you will be very fortunate indeed. A consummate professional and one of my favourite humans, she is the kind of person who lights up a room and makes everyone feel immediately at ease. Coupled with her skill as a writer, it is a gift that she uses to devastating effect.”
Mark Lucas, Director Soho Agency, London

“Wendy is a delight to work with from start to finish, with that rare ability to put everyone from the client to the publisher completely at ease.”
Jeremy Trevathan, former Managing Director, Pan Macmillan UK

Clients

“Dear Wendy, there are not enough words to express to you how much I thank you and appreciate all that you did to make Lady Blue Eyes the wonderful success that it is! I enjoyed the journey from beginning to end. I look back at our first meeting and I just knew it would be a wonderful collaboration. You are a terrific writer and you expressed my feelings so eloquently. I wish you continued success in everything you do, Wendy… You have become a treasured friend and I hope our paths will cross again soon. I miss you! With much love and affection, Barbara x”
Barbara Sinatra, 2011

“To the Queen of Words, who can turn a phrase and make your heart sing. What a gift you are to me. I love you, Goldie.” “Wendy, you are heaven sent! I love you from the bottom of my heart, Goldie.” “Your gentle touch, your kind and loving words give everyone around you a feeling of warmth and safety. This is a gift, Wendy. You are a gift. I hold your friendship in great care, Very close to my heart.”
Goldie Hawn, Actress and Head of MindUp

“Wendy Holden is simply a delightful, interesting, conscientious and thoughtful person with whom to work. She is meticulous in checking all the historical detail contained in her books and having this information endorsed by experts. In my experience of working with Wendy during the writing of 'Born Survivors', she listens intently and gets the measure of the people she is writing about, my mother included - despite never having met her. Wendy has a wonderful sense of humour and time spent in her company is invariably such fun. I bless the day we first met over ten years ago.”
Eva Clarke, Holocaust survivor, Born Survivors

“I don't know how to begin to thank you for all you have done in writing my life story. I expected the whole process to be gruelling and yet you made it so easy for me. Your friendship has been a wonderful bonus and surprise. I am so proud of what we have done together. Love Pauline xxx”
Pauline Prescott, 2010

“Wendy is consistently cheerful, energetic, and outgoing. Whenever she interviews anyone, she inspires trust and openness. She is thorough and meticulous in eliciting information, verifying it and conducting further research. She writes in an engaging, easy to read style that resonates with readers at very diverse levels of sophistication. She is such an articulate and engaging speaker that she is an instant star at any event. I would trust her with my life and with anything that’s dear to me.”
Dr Mark Olsky, Holocaust survivor and one of the miracle babies of Born Survivors

“When I sat down to write the 'Foreword' to Intimate Audrey, I had already experienced the joy of collaborating - a first for me - with Wendy…Like any good doctor who should never treat a member of his own family, I asked my agent who might be the perfect filter – an objective narrator and guide. Without hesitation, he suggested his client and friend, the British author Wendy Holden. Since my mother’s life had essentially started and ended with war, I was immediately drawn to Wendy, who’d been a war correspondent before shifting to become a writer of more than forty books, many of them bestsellers about those who’d survived the Second World War. As my mother often referred to her final years as a UNICEF ambassador as her second and most important career, it made perfect sense to have someone by my side who didn’t have to second-guess what the fear, hunger, and stench of death smelt like. This book is as much Wendy’s as it is mine, if not more so…Thank you Wendy ... for 'smiling in the dark' with me.’
Sean Hepburn Ferrer, son of Audrey Hepburn