Eliza Knight is an award-winning and USA Today and international bestselling author of historical women’s fiction. Her love of history began as a young girl when she traipsed the halls of Versailles. As an avid history buff, she’s written dozens of novels, including The Mayfair Bookshop, Starring Adele Astaire, Ribbons of Scarlet, A Day of Fire, and Can’t We Be Friends, which have been translated into multiple languages. She is the creator of a popular historical blog, History Undressed, and host of the History, Books and Wine podcast. Knight lives in Florida with her husband, three daughters, two dogs, and a turtle.

Bernadette Swift isn’t the only woman to take on the boys’ club of Manhattan publishing—her story in Confessions of a Grammar Queen is inspired by real-life women who changed the rules for good. They weren’t always given the bylines or the boardroom power, but their influence was undeniable. With sharp eyes, sharper minds, and the tenacity to climb industries that weren’t designed for them, women like Anna Wintour, Eleanor Gould Packard, and Phyllis E. Grann turned editing, leadership, and creative direction into an art—and a revolution.

Trailblazing Women in Publishing

No list of publishing trailblazers would be complete without Anna Wintour, the iconic editor-in-chief of Vogue and later global chief content officer at Condé Nast. Known for her trademark bob and sunglasses, Wintour redefined the fashion magazine as a cultural and commercial powerhouse. Her mix of vision, authority, and editorial daring proved that taste wasn’t just about aesthetics—it was about influence. In a male-dominated world, she led with unapologetic clarity, becoming one of the most powerful figures in media.

While Wintour shaped trends, Eleanor Gould Packard shaped sentences. As the revered grammarian at The New Yorker, she was famously exacting, with a mind like a scalpel. Writers both feared and revered her—because she made their work better, clearer, and sharper. For nearly five decades, she held the line on clarity and correctness, proving that copy editing wasn’t a secondary skill, but a form of art. Her work behind the scenes elevated not just prose but the value of precision itself.

Then came Phyllis E. Grann, the first female CEO of a major American publishing house, Penguin Putnum, in 1987. While others debated literary value or bestseller potential, Grann did both—fusing editorial instinct with marketing brilliance. She championed blockbuster authors like Judy Blume and Patricia Cornwell, redefining what a commercial editor could be. Grann didn’t just open the door for women in executive publishing—she kicked it wide open. Her strategy became the model many publishing houses follow today.

About Confessions of a Grammar Queen

These women—each powerful in different ways—inspired the fictional character of Bernadette Swift, a sharp-witted copyeditor in 1960s New York who dreams of becoming the first female CEO of a publishing house. Bernadette may be fictional, but her ambition, intellect, and resilience are rooted in the very real paths carved by Wintour, Gould, and Grann. She stands on their shoulders, wielding the tools of her trade—along with her ambition.

Bernadette, like the women who inspired her, knows that words are never just words—they’re power. Her battle isn’t just with dangling modifiers or arrogant bosses; it’s with a system that underestimates her. She navigates office politics, copy edits with surgical precision, and pushes against glass ceilings not with a sledgehammer, but with a red pencil and a relentless belief in her own worth. Through Bernadette, we see echoes of Wintour’s command, Gould’s intellectual rigor, and Grann’s strategic vision. She is, in many ways, a composite tribute to the brilliance and grit of women who never waited for permission to lead.

Modern Publishing

The publishing industry looks markedly different today thanks to trailblazers like Wintour, Gould, and Grann. Women now lead major imprints, steer editorial direction at iconic magazines, and helm literary agencies once closed to them. They showed us that being smart, bold, and visionary has nothing to do with gender—and everything to do with grit. These women didn’t wait for permission or stay on the sidelines. They stepped into the spotlight and rewrote the story entirely. The opportunities available to today’s editors, writers, and executives were made possible by their insistence that women’s voices belonged—not just on the page, but at the table.

As readers, writers, and editors, we owe much to the women who refused to be footnotes in their own stories. The editors behind the scenes. The CEOs behind the bestsellers. The grammar queens and game changers who edited not just the page, but the industry. Their legacy challenges us to continue their work—amplifying new voices, demanding excellence, and making space for those still waiting to be heard. Whether you’re leading a publishing house, crafting the perfect sentence, or dreaming up your own Bernadette Swift, remember: the future of publishing isn’t just being written. It’s being edited, sharpened, and boldly reimagined–by women.

Confessions of a Grammar Queen by Eliza Knight

Confessions of a Grammar Queen introduces readers to Bernadette Swift, a whip-smart copyeditor in 1960s New York with one goal: to become the first female CEO in publishing. But rising through the ranks at Lenox & Park won’t be easy—not with a sexist boss and a jealous coworker blocking her way. When Bernadette joins a secret feminist book club at the New York Public Library, she finds the community, courage, and camaraderie she needs to shake up the boys’ club. With sharp humor, unforgettable characters, and a timely message, Knight’s novel is a love letter to language, ambition, and the women who fight to change the narrative.

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