David Cashion

Executive Editor
New York Times-bestselling, former Big 5 acquisitions editor

A twenty-year veteran of the publishing industry, David Cashion has worked with professors and rock stars, scientists and actors, historians and comedians, in addition to experienced journalists and novelists. These partnerships have resulted in multiple national bestsellers and many critically-acclaimed volumes. He began his career at Hyperion, where he edited the memoirs of songwriter Jimmy Webb and TV personality Drew Carey. At Viking Penguin, he worked with nonfiction writers such as Jeff Gordinier, Kathleen Flinn, and Peter Irons, and novelists such as Robert Alexander and James Robertson. While an Executive Editor at Abrams Books, he collaborated with authors including James Ellroy, makeup artist Lisa Eldridge, John Leguizamo, and Metallica’s Kirk Hammett. Having edited across a wide spectrum of categories, David is comfortable guiding aspiring and established book writers through their efforts on multiple subjects and in many categories.

Selected Publications

Nonfiction

  • Editor, Letters from Hollywood: Inside the Private World of Classic American Moviemaking by Rocky Lang & Barbara Hall (Abrams, 2019)
  • Editor, Lost Transmissions: The Secret History of Science Fiction and Fantasy by Desirina Boskovich (Abrams, 2019)
  • Editor, Bruce Springsteen: The Stories Behind the Songs by Brian Hiatt (Abrams, 2019)
  • Editor, Ask a Native New Yorker: Hard-Earned Advice on Surviving and Thriving in the Big City by Jake Dobkin (Abrams, 2019)
  • Editor, The Downton Pop Underground: New York City and the Literary Punks, Renegade Artists, DIY Filmmakers, Mad Playwrights, and Rock n’ Roll Glitter Queens Who Revolutionized Culture by Kembrew McLeod (Abrams, 2018)
    • Pitchfork Best Book of the Year
  • Editor, Joan Rivers Confidential: The Unseen Scrapbooks, Joke Cards, Personal Files, and Photos of a Very Funny Woman Who Kept Everything by Melissa Rivers with Scott Currie (Abrams, 2017)
  • Editor, Ungrateful Mammals by Dave Eggers (Abrams, 2017)
  • Editor, The Kings County Guide to Dead Distillers: A History of the Upstarts and Outlaws Who Made American Spirits by David Haskell & David Spoelman (Abrams, 2016)
  • Editor, Face Paint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge (Abrams, 2015)
    • New York Times bestseller, six translated editions

  • Editor, Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking, and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way by Lars Mytting (Abrams, 2015)
  • Editor, Ghetto Klown by John Leguizamo, illustrated by Christa Cassano and Shamus Beyale (Abrams, 2015)
  • Editor, The History of Fly-Fishing in 50 Flies by Ian Whitelaw (Abrams, 2015)
  • Editor, LAPD ’53 by James Ellroy and the Los Angeles Police Museum (Abrams, 2015)
  • Editor, Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s by Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein (Abrams, 2014)
  • Editor, Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff VanderMeer (Abrams, 2013)
  • Editor, Marijuanamerica: One Man’s Quest to Understand America’s Dysfunctional Love Affair with Week by Ryan Alfred Nerz (Abrams, 2013)
  • Editor, Commando by Johnny Ramone (Abrams, 2012)
  • Editor, Julia’s Cats: Julia Child’s Life in the Company of Cats by Patricia Barey and Therese Burson (Abrams, 2012)
  • Editor, Churchill Style: The Art of Being Winston Churchill by Barry Singer (Abrams, 2012)
  • Editor, One Good Deed: 365 Days of Trying to be Just a Little Bit Better by Erin McHugh (Abrams, 2012)
  • Editor, Kraken: The Curious, Exciting and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid by Wendy Williams (Abrams, 2011)
  • Editor, The Last Day: Wrath, Ruin, and Reason in the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 by Nicholas Shrady (Viking, 2009)
  • Editor, X Save the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything from Suckingby Jeff Gordinier (Viking, 2009)
  • Editor, The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears at the World’s Most Famous Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn (Viking, 2008)
    • New York Times bestseller

  • Editor, Life as We Do Not Know It: The NASA Search for (and Synthesis) of Alien Life by Peter Ward (Viking, 2007)
  • Editor, God on Trial: Dispatches from America’s Religious Battlefields by Peter Irons (Viking, 2007)
  • Editor, Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand by Alex Kapranos (Penguin, 2006)
  • Editor, Grammar Snobs are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite by June Casagrande (Penguin, 2006)
  • Editor, Read the Beatles: Classic and New Writing on The Beatles, Their Legacy, and Why They Still Matter by June Skinner Sawyers (Penguin, 2006)
  • Editor, Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine by Mark Oldman (Penguin, 2004)
  • Editor, Ballet 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving the Ballet by Robert Greskovic (Hyperion, 2005)
  • Editor, What They Don’t Teach You at Film School by Camille Landau and Tiare White (Hyperion, 2001)
  • Editor, Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined by Drew Carey (Hyperion, 2000)
    • New York Times bestseller

  • The Power of Positive Prophecy: Finding the Hidden Potential in Everyday Life by Laurie Beth Jones (Hyperion, 1999)

  • Editor, Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting by Jimmy Webb (Hyperion, 1999)
  • Editor, Screenwriters on Screenwriting by Joel Engel (Hyperion, 1995)

Fiction

  • Editor, The Deadly Embrace by Robert J. Mrazek (Viking, 2006)
  • Editor, The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander (Viking, 2009)
  • Editor, The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson (Viking, 2008)
  • Editor, Rasputin’s Daughter by Robert Alexander (Viking, 2006)