About Pat Dobie

Are you serious about successful publication?

If yes, you will know that every published book you love has been edited, often at multiple levels.

Here’s a Q&A that will help you decide whether I’m the right person to help with your writing.

Why work with an editor?

Working with an editor is a bit like learning to play tennis better by working (or playing) with a coach–it ups your game quickly, in a way that will improve not only your current book, but everything else you write. A close reading and professional evaluation of your manuscript can transform your writing life for years to come.

What can I do for you?

Whether you seek a literary agent or are self-publishing your work, if you’re ready for professional feedback, I can help. For over a decade I’ve been working with writers from all over the world. My clients have gone on to get agents, self-publish successfully, and win awards.

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, when you work with an editor the ‘fit’ is key. You want an editor who understands your vision for the book; one whose feedback you trust. You don’t just want the objective assessment about what works and what needs work, but a clear roadmap for revision, one that you can follow and implement to the degree that it makes sense for your own vision of the MS.

The best way to find out if any editor is a fit is to ask for a sample edit. Use my contact form, or send an email to pat[at]lucidedit[dot]com

What genres do I edit?

For fiction writers I work across genres and categories, including literary and upmarket commercial fiction, historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, romance and erotica, middle grade, & young adult. I also edit short stories and plays.

For nonfiction writers I work with popular or trade nonfiction titles, including transformational self-help, how-to, essay collections, and life writing (aka memoir).

What else do I do?

I’m a writer myself, author of the novella Pawn to Queen (Arsenal Press) and Fiction Editing: A Writer’s Roadmap (Lucid Editions). My novella What Really Happened took third place in the 2018 International 3-Day Novel Contest, and my historical novel Inventing Paris was a finalist for the 2015 Outstanding New Novel Award from the Historical Novel Society. I am represented by the Wendy Schmalz Agency.

I have an MFA in Writing from Oregon’s Pacific University and am a former June Dodge Fellow in fiction at Mineral School Residency.

I’m an ally of the LGBQT+ community.

I teach writing through A Writer’s Roadmap and fiction editing through the Editorial Arts Academy.

Want to think it over? Absolutely.

If you have a manuscript and are contemplating getting editorial feedback, just check back in for a sample edit when you’re ready. The sample edit is free and entails no obligation on either part. If you’re wondering whether you need an editor at all, check out this blog post with a handy quiz for testing whether your MS is ready for publishing.

In the meantime, sign up for my biweekly newsletter for an inside look at writing books.

Every second Thursday, I send out a “Thursday Postcard” about transforming your writing life. Actually, it’s really about ways to get your book on the page and move it from a manuscript to a published work, then support its journey out in the world.

I’d love to welcome you into my world and hope you will visit my blog over at awritersroadmap.com. Even easier, just sign up for my newsletter here!

Your critique has really forced me to hone my understanding of story structure and to make sure I choose a protagonist in the future who is intimately involved with the story…I’m really glad I stuck with the POV characters I’ve had since the beginning and made them stronger instead of giving up on them and trying to re-draft the story from scratch again.

Amanda H, Writer (US)

Back to Home.

Click the link for a 2-page interview with me that will tell you a lot about my editing style: Interview with Pat at Lucid

 

Some of the titles I’ve worked on…

Nonfiction, including memoir:

Fiction, across genre: