After transitioning from acting to various positions in the publishing industry, including several years as a temp at Penguin Books, Holman became the assistant to literary agent Molly Friedrich.

This was followed by the bestselling[2] The Dress Lodger, named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 2000, and a nominee for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

After publishing a young adult title in 2002, Holman returned with The Mammoth Cheese in 2003, which was a finalist for the UK Orange Prize for Fiction.

In 2020, Holman was writer/producer on Filthy Rich, as well as the Fox 21 Television Studios/National Geographic Channel series Barkskins, based on the Annie Proulx novel.

Holman teaches in the Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing at NYU Tisch[10] She is a founding member[11] of the storytelling collective The Moth and serves on its curatorial board.