Jaimee Garbacik

Jaimee Garbacik – Editor

Editor with an agency background and nearly two decades' experience developing award-winning books, specializing in literary fiction and YA.

Overview

Over eighteen years in publishing, I have been privileged to edit for New York Times bestselling authors, Caldecott Honor and Emmy Award recipients, and some of the world’s foremost scientists. Before freelancing, I handled editorial development for a major New York literary agency, serving more than 200 clients worldwide. I enjoy working on literary and commercial fiction, young adult (YA) fiction, essay collections, long-form journalism, and LGBTQIA and gender studies. I'm also the author of a widely taught book about the evolution of gender roles, and the editor of the Ghosts of Seattle Past anthology. As a published author with broad agency and editorial expertise, I can deliver both the empathy writers want and the critical eye they need. My mission is to enhance authors’ innate voices while never pummeling sentences for sport.


Endorsements:


“Jaimee has impressed me with the depth and precision of her insights. She knows what publishers want, and knows how to communicate those expectations to writers. If you’re looking for an excellent editor, look no further.”

--Damon DiMarco, New York Times bestselling author of Heart of War: Soldiers’ Voices From the Front Lines in Iraq (Citadel); coauthor of My Two Chinas: The Memoir of a Chinese Counter-Revolutionary with Baiquiao Tang (Prometheus)


“Working with Jaimee has been inspirational. More than just an editor, she has become a treasured confidant who made me rethink both my storytelling skills and writing style. Her criticisms are always insightful, constructive, and right on the money. She’s helped me sharpen my characters and plotline and rework the core meaning of my first novel to better reflect my true inner voice. Her style is strong, straightforward, and clearly conveyed in both her written notes and telephone conversations. I value her suggestions and know her editing skills will make any book oh so much better!”

--Jeffrey L. Diamond, six-time Emmy Award-winning television writer and producer, journalist and creator of Dateline NBC, author of Live to Air (Greenleaf Book Group)


“In the years that Jaimee served as an editor for The Literary Group International, I was continually impressed by her dedication to cultivating authors’ voices, her consistent work ethic, and her attention to detail. She has helped many of my clients to develop bare concepts into polished manuscripts and book proposals that sold to major publishers. Jaimee has the unique ability to identify potential in a very rough draft, and articulate exactly what it will need to bring an author’s work to a publishable level. Balancing professionalism with her enthusiasm about the written word, Jaimee was a tremendous asset to our agency.”

--Frank Weimann, Director of Operations and Senior VP, Folio Literary Management; Founder and Former President, The Literary Group International


Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Humanities & Social Sciences LGBTQ Non-Fiction Political Science & Current Affairs
Fiction
Literary Fiction Short Story Thriller & Suspense Young Adult
Languages
English (US)
Certifications
  • Certificate in Editing, University of Washington

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2010 — Present

I offer developmental editing, manuscript evaluations, and consult on fiction and nonfiction book manuscripts for writers, agents, and publishers. I also evaluate, develop, line edit, and consult on book proposals and collateral, including query letters. From positioning book concepts for the current publishing market, to lending creative support for professionals who wish to establish themselves as subject-matter experts, I wear many hats to help authors reach their intended audience. My favorite editorial role is assisting fiction writers with world building and character development.

The Literary Group International

Aug, 2006 — Nov, 2009 (over 3 years)

At LGI (now merged with Folio Literary Management), I provided developmental and substantive editing for fiction, YA, and children’s manuscripts. I developed commercial nonfiction proposals with leading scientists and journalists, including researching and writing, line editing, proofreading, and general project management. I also scouted talent and pitched book concepts to authors, academics, celebrities, and publishers.

Portfolio

Feeding Fascism

Diana Garvin

Feeding Fascism explores how women negotiated the politics of Italy’s Fascist regime in their daily lives and how they fed their families through agricultural and industrial labour. The book looks at women’s experiences of Fascism by examining the material wor... read more
The Hollow Gods

A. J. Vrana

Rich with folklore and paranormal intrigue, The Hollow Gods is an atmospheric supernatural thriller that will satisfy lovers of Maggie Stiefvater's THE RAVEN BOYS, especially those craving a fable with a darker touch. hr Black Hollow is a town with a dark secr... read more
Popular actress and stand-up comedienne Elizabeth Beckwith gives us the parenting guide to end all parenting guides: Raising the Perfect Child through Guilt and Manipulation. A frequent guest on The Late, Late Show and one of seven comics featured in the Time ... read more
The Second Winter

Craig Larsen

**An Indie Excellence Award Winner**“A great historical novel, a touching family saga, and a noir wartime thriller all rolled into one terrific narrative.” —Lee Child, New York Times best-selling authorSet in Denmark in the darkest days of World War II, THE SE... read more
What does sexual orientation mean if the very categories of gender are in question? How do we measure equality when our society’s definitions of “male” and “female” leave out much of the population? There is no consensus on what a “real” man or woman is, where... read more
Ghosts of Seattle Past

Jaimee Garbacik

Seattle is built on booms—logging, fishing, aerospace, and now tech. This anthology gathers essays, interviews, photography, and comix to reconstruct community hubs lost to growth. From the settlements of Native American tribes to the incubators of grunge, fro... read more
Enter a magic spy academy unlike any other where alliances shift and nothing is as it seems. The Year of Four is captivating readers with mystery, edge-of-your-seat-suspense and Hollywood romance. "Fantastically imagined!" ★★★★★ - Evie @ Evie-bookish.blogspot ... read more
Gentleman Practice

Buddy Wakefield

Buddy Wakefield's third book, Gentleman Practice, documents the figurative contents of a man's body attempting to stand firm in the presence of all that is. It's a poetry book, from the perspective of a journal entry in the National Archives. The National Arch... read more
Mania

Craig Larsen

On the foggy streets of Seattle, a serial killer known as the Street Butcher is terrorising the city. Newspaper photographer Nick Wilder is accustomed to seeing gruesome homicide scenes. But when the Street Butcher claims Nick's brother his latest casualty, th... read more
Television, politics, and the Russian mob: Live to Air is a riveting crime thriller, jam-packed with intrigue and unforgettable charactersEthan Benson is a charming and principled—if sometimes difficult—television producer in New York City who detests doing cr... read more
The Ward

Jordana Frankel

Readers who love speculative fiction and crave action-packed stories similar to Veronica Roth's Divergent will find The Ward absolutely unputdownable.Jordana Frankel's thrilling and imaginative YA dystopian novel The Ward is set in a near-future New York City.... read more
Wide as the Wind

Edward Stanton

The lyrical tale of a boy, a girl, their island, and how they saved it. Wide as the Wind is the first novel to deal with the stunning, tragic history of Easter Island (Vaitéa). It could be described as quest fiction for all ages in the line of Tolkien's The Ho... read more
The workout book that really packs a punchWho needs to be in better shape than a professional boxer? Who better to help a woman of any age get into her finest possible physical condition and stay there than WBC Welterweight Champion Mia St. John? In The Knocko... read more
“Fascinating . . . vividly recounts one of the most tragic true stories to emerge from the Iraq War . . . eloquent, disturbing, and haunting.” —Mark Boal, journalist and screenwriter of The Hurt Locker and In the Valley of Elah Army Specialist Richard T. Davis... read more
The true story of the vicious Chicago underworld from a New York Times bestselling author. With a contract out on his life, Nicholas "Nicky Breeze" Calabrese turned government witness and revealed the truth about the murders of a notorious Mob enforcer and his... read more
Baiqiao Tang is one of China’s most influential modern dissidents. Tang’s name became legendary during the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Over the past 21 years, he has remained on the front lines of the Chinese pro-democracy movement, where he has vow... read more
IN AMERICAN GANGSTER, THE FEDS TOOK DOWN INFAMOUS HEROIN DEALER FRANK LUCAS. BUT THE KINGPIN BEHIND LUCAS’S CRIMINAL REIGN, LEROY “NICKY” BARNES, REMAINED “MR. UNTOUCHABLE.” UNTIL ONE UNDERCOVER AGENT PROVED TOUGH ENOUGH—OR CRAZY ENOUGH—TO INFILTRATE HIS DOMAI... read more
Red Helmet

Homer Hickam

Song Hawkins is a beautiful, tough, but lonely New York City businesswoman who thinks she's met the man of her dreams in Cable Jordan, the superintendent of a West Virginia coal mine. But soon after they impulsively marry, Song realizes they're in big trouble.... read more
All-Pro Diet

Tony Gonzalez

A perennial Pro-Bowler, NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez has been an unstoppable force for all of his 12 years in the NFL. But for a long time, he ate like an average American: red meat, pizza, fast food, whatever was plentiful and convenient. Concerned about his l... read more
As Britain's colonial secretary in the 1920s, Winston Churchill made a mistake with calamitous consequences and unseen repercussions extending into the twenty-first century. Christopher Catherwood, scholar and adviser to Tony Blair's government, examines Churc... read more
Blood Secrets reveals how forensic experts read the story of a murder told in the traces of blood left behind, providing crucial evidence that has helped convict criminals who might have otherwise walked free.When Rod Englert began his career in law enforcemen... read more
"A fascinating thriller, well crafted and relentless ... A cross between Tony Hillerman and Larry McMurtry, this is one hell of a good read."--Douglas Preston, author of Tyrannosaur Canyon and BlasphemyThe cowboys who work on the ranchlands of Montana expect m... read more
As Elissa Washuta makes the transition from college kid to independent adult, she finds herself overwhelmed by the calamities piling up in her brain. When her mood-stabilizing medications aren’t threatening her life, they’re shoving her from depression to mani... read more
In her heartwarming and empowering memoir, space pioneer Anousheh Ansari tells the story of her childhood in Iran and her family's exodus to America after the Islamic Revolution. After settling down in Texas, Anousheh built a computer technology firm from the ... read more

Jaimee has 10 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Leila J.

Leila J.

Jun, 2023

Jaimee is fantastic to work with! She's a great communicator and didn't shy away from kindly telling me what I needed to hear.
Michael F.

Michael F.

Mar, 2023

Jaimee was great to work with! I hired Jaimee to help me with my query letter, and they gave some great support. Their feedback was direct and clear. They helped me rewire my hook, clarify the summary of the book, and develop my personal summary further. Jaimee used to work with agents clearing through the stack of queries before, and their experience certainly came through. Jaimee knew just ho...
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E.C. P.

E.C. P.

Jun, 2019

Beyond satisfied with this collaboration. Jaimee was intensely thorough in her developmental edit of my literary fiction novel-in-progress. Jaimee made me feel confident in my own abilities and the draft so far, while also providing unsparing and direct critiques on areas in need of work. Without her input, so many issues would've gone unnoticed. I feel infinitely better about this project and...
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Rockford Y.

Rockford Y.

Apr, 2019

Jaimee is amazing to work with. Her feed guide will guide and inspire you to make your work better than you believed possible.
Noel S.

Noel S.

Feb, 2019

Jaimee was professional and easy to work with. Delivered a well written query letter as promised well within the time frame without comprising its integrity. Would definitely hire again!

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