Holley began her literary career writing for newspapers and women's magazines. In 1873 she published her first book, My Opinions and Betsy Bobbet's. Holley subsequently published some 20 books based on her successful Betsy Bobbet formulas: dialect and rural humour used to express feminist and temperance views (often incorporating material sent to Holley by the reformers Susan B. Anthony and Frances Willard). She often also criticized the sexual double standard, the exploitation of labour, and race antagonism. Her books were widely read and were translated into a number of languages. They include Samantha at the Centennial (1876), Samantha at the World's Fair (1893), and Josiah Allen on the Woman Question (1914).