Amy McIlwaine

Amy McIlwaine – Editor

Skilled wordsmith with 20+ years of revamping memoir, social justice, personal/professional growth, and other books. Let's WOW your readers!

Overview

Are you a debut author, a published storyteller, or accomplished in your field but not much of a writer?

Does your book need a complete makeover . . . just the finishing touches . . . or something in between?

For over 20 years, I've helped authors craft books in many genres, from memoir/biography, business, personal development, social justice, and political affairs to middle grade/young adult, historical/literary fiction, sci fi/fantasy, thriller/suspense, and travel. High-profile and unknown authors alike appreciate my integrity and work ethic, consistently recommending my services and returning for sequels and series.

My work includes bestsellers, award-winners, and must-reads by CEOs, activists, ambassadors, NGO leaders, teachers, doctors, lawyers, fighter pilots, astronauts, politicians, economists, engineers, speechwriters, journalists, scientists, actors, and entrepreneurs . . . books with forwards and endorsements by well-known figures like Jane Goodall, Mark Ruffalo, Al Gore, Stacey Abrams, Cory Booker, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bill Clinton, Lesley Stahl, General David Petraeus, Nancy Pelosi, Ben Carson, John Kerry, Chef José Andrés, and more.

I love working with first-time authors, always providing top-notch service and treating your goals as my own. Going beyond just revising errors, I offer an insightful approach and a deep, intuitive review of your text. Together we will choose strategic, vibrant language that touches hearts and minds, transforming your draft into a professional manuscript for your target audience. Your ideas will be clear. Your facts will be checked. Your voice will be consistent and captivating. Your story will be compelling.

Let's invest power in your words . . . share your message . . . and make a difference for your readers.

TESTIMONIALS:

You have a beautiful, light touch, a wonderful sense of nuance, and an elegant conciseness—all executed with breathtaking detail, precision, and consistency. Thank you so much for what you did with my book—you made an amateur's souffle look like a chef's signature dish.

– Les McKeown, author of PREDICTABLE SUCCESS

All I can say is, hallelujah for Amy McIlwaine! Amy's specific suggestions throughout my book were spot on. Her keen insights and gift with words made my entire book better. She is also a joy to work with.

– Rachel Egan, author of NEW WOMAN, NEW MOM

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Health & Wellbeing Nature Political Science & Current Affairs Self-Help & Self-Improvement Travel
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • Certificate in Editing, NYU School of Continuing and Professional Services

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2007 — Present
Writing, editing, and proofreading services, from editorial assessment to ghostwriting and all levels of editing in between. Partners with publishers and authors to develop and enhance manuscripts in any genre, transforming rough drafts into high-profile, award-winning works.

ProofreadNOW.com

Jan, 2007 — Present
Online, fast-turnaround editing and proofreading service. Delivers exceptional, intelligent review of legal, business, financial, academic, medical, tech, and government documents, eliminating errors and fine-tuning text to match the client's preferred style and audience.

Fine Creative Media

Mar, 2002 — Dec, 2006 (almost 5 years)
Guided hundreds of books through the editorial process. Wrote and edited marketing, jacket, and web copy for two distinct imprints: MJF Books and Barnes and Noble Classics. Developed and directed freelance editorial program for updated classic works (up to 15 titles per month).

Portfolio

The New Global Possible

Ani Dasgupta

Disruption Books

Global environmental leader Ani Dasgupta takes an honest look at lagging climate action and maps out what can be done to rebuild hope for the future. In 2015, world leaders came together in Pa... read more
Copy Editing
Lost and Found In Spain

Susan Lewis Solomont

Disruption Books

"In these pages, Susan Solomont has shared an exhilarating story of the challenges and the special joys of representing America abroad, which will inspire, educate and delight." —Nancy PelosiA... read more
Copy Editing
All Is Not LOST

Shannon Kenny Carbonell

Greenleaf Book Group

All Is Not LOST is the sad, funny, self-effacing yet soul-bearing story of what happened when one woman set aside a lifelong dream in favor of her kids, only to find herself battling her own e... read more
Developmental Editing
We Choose To

Curtis Boyd

Disruption Books

"An invaluably intimate glimpse at a delicate subject. It's a must-read." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) "We Choose To is a story of love, shared humanity, and the power of choosing to st... read more
Copy Editing
The Art of Impact

Paul Orzulak

Disruption Books

"One of the most significant conservationists of our time—indeed, of all time." —Vice President Al Gore, from the Foreword He is the most impactful conservationist in the world, a man responsi... read more
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
For ALL the People

Michael Slaby

Disruption Books

A leader in digital communication and grassroots political campaigns explains how the internet and modern media have undermined America and how we can reclaim our voices for the good of civic ... read more
Copy Editing
The Green Amendment

Maya K. van Rossum

Disruption Books

A veteran environmentalist shares her roadmap to a healthier world—one that uses the law to empower activists and provide hope for communities everywhere.We have reached a critical tipping poi... read more
Copy Editing
How We Heal

La June Montgomery Tabron

Disruption Books

In How We Heal, La June Montgomery Tabron, President and CEO of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, makes a powerful case for hope through racial healing. From a vivid portrait of her childhood in 1... read more
Copy Editing
Developmental Editing
Copy Editing
Facing Hard Truths

Stephen J. Cloobeck

Disruption Books

"It's a great book and he should be proud of it." —President Bill Clinton Successful businessman, activist, and philanthropist, and 2026 candidate for governor of California Stephen J. Cloobec... read more
Copy Editing
Frank's Shadow

Doug McIntyre

We leave shadows, not footprints. Newlywed Danny McKenna’s honeymoon ends abruptly when he learns his father has died, uncannily, on the same day as his hero, Frank Sinatra. Returning home to ... read more
Editorial Assessment
Editorial Assessment
A step-by-step guide to harnessing the power of digital strategies and AI to transform your commercial real estate operations It is time for commercial real estate owners, operators, and inves... read more
Copy Editing
The Mismeasurement of America

Gene Ludwig

Disruption Books

The Mismeasurement of America reveals, at long last, why public perceptions of the economy differ so drastically from prevailing statistics. The truth turns out to be disconcerting: The statis... read more
Copy Editing
The Gillespie County Fair

Marc Hess

Greenleaf Book Group

The Gentrification of Rural Texas ​The Gillespie County Fair, the oldest fair in Texas, looms insistently over the shoulder of Marc Hess’s new novel. As rampant land development and tourist mo... read more
Copy Editing
An Accident of Geography

Richard C. Blum

Greenleaf Book Group

Advances in global development have helped lift hundreds of millions of people from poverty in recent decades, but major challenges in fighting poverty remain. Billions of people continue to h... read more
Copy Editing
A Brother’s Insight

Joe-Joe McManus

Greenleaf Book Group

A Brother's Insight is an invitation to get off the sidelines and contribute to ending racism in your own unique way. This empowering and thought-provoking guide draws on the author’s personal... read more
Developmental Editing
The Vanishing American Dream

Gene Ludwig

Disruption Books

As we remap our economy, we have an opportunity to rebuild the American Dream for the long-term. The gap between low- and moderate-income Americans and their wealthier counterparts has become ... read more
Copy Editing
Unraveled

Laura Cook Boldt

Greenleaf Book Group

With intense courage and candor, mother and son coauthors, Laura and Tom Boldt, share the raw accounting of Tom’s journey into alcohol and drug addiction and how that trauma reverberated throu... read more
Developmental Editing
Conflicting Webs: Book 5 of the Webs Series

Darlene Quinn

Greenleaf Book Group Press

Copy Editing
Unpredictable Webs: Book 4 of the Webs Series

Darlene Quinn

Greenleaf Book Group Press

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Beneath the Lion's Wings: A Novel

Ohanesian Nardin, Marie

Waterline Publishing

Developmental Editing
Designing the Olympics

Jilly Traganou

Routledge

Designing the Olympics claims that the Olympic Games provide opportunities to reflect on the relationship between design, national identity, and citizenship. The "Olympic design milieu" fans o... read more
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
The Mahdi: A Novel

Cook, Robert

River Grove Books

Developmental Editing Editorial Assessment
False Light: A Novel

Eric Dezenhall

Greenleaf Book Group Press

Copy Editing
Love, Across The Divide

Ford, Krystal

Krystal\Ford

Developmental Editing
Who Is to Blame?

Jane Marlow

Greenleaf Book Group

Jane Marlow’s debut novel is a beautifully written twenty-five-year saga of two families—one born of noble heritage and the other bound as serfs to the noble’s household. Set during the mid-18... read more
Copy Editing
The Yellow Ticket

Jane Marlow

Greenleaf Book Group

This third book in Jane Marlow’s Petrovo Series brims with pathos, poignancy, and humor.In the mid-1800s, naïve fifteen-year-old Anna finds herself pregnant out of wedlock and is banished from... read more
Copy Editing
How Did I Get Here?

Jane Marlow

Greenleaf Book Group

Lives pivot on small moments, but which way they pivot is up to the person. Jane Marlow's second book in her moving Petrovo Series is a powerful story of war told in intimate, human terms that... read more
Copy Editing
As You Wish

Jackson Pearce

Harper Collins

Ever since Viola's boyfriend broke up with her, she has spent her days silently wishing—to have someone love her again and, more importantly, to belong again—until one day she inadvertently su... read more
Copy Editing
Warriors Super Edition: Bluestar’s Prophecy is an epic stand-alone adventure in Erin Hunter’s #1 nationally bestselling Warriors series! In this Super Edition, discover the secrets behind lege... read more
Copy Editing
Wait, It Gets Worse

Lydia Slaby

Disruption Books

Lydia Slaby was 33 years old and had everything she believed would make her happy: three fancy private school degrees, a successful husband who was in the inner circles of Barack Obama's presi... read more
Copy Editing
The Land of the Trade

Summer Nilsson

Greenleaf Book Group

A timeless tale about the trades one should or should not make in the name of reaching their destiny. Sequel to Amazon Bestselling Novels THE LAND of the PINES THE LAND of the STRAYS They say ... read more
Copy Editing
Eco Reign

L. Galuppo

Greenleaf Book Group

They came. They conquered. There was no hero to save us.Their stated goal: Correct humanity’s environmental devastation of the planet and reverse the ripple effects felt throughout the infiniv... read more
Developmental Editing
Starting Up Silicon Valley

Katherine Maxfield

Greenleaf Book Group

From Fruit Shed to Fortune 500: The inside story of ROLM and its continuing influence on Silicon ValleyDecades before Facebook, seven years before Apple, four young men were hard at work in a ... read more
Copy Editing

Amy has 3 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Shelley H.

Shelley H.

Oct, 2025

Working with Amy was an absolute joy! As a first-time author, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in this process — she just got my voice. Her feedback was constructive, creative, and challenging. She immediately inspired trust, and made the entire process feel collaborative and fulfilli...
Read more
Amy M.
Thank you so much, Shelley! Working with you has been an honor and a delight. Your openness, humility, humor, and creativity made the entire process super productive and a real pleasure. Your excep...
Read more
Szilvia G.

Szilvia G.

Aug, 2025

Her and I were a perfect match when it comes to working together. Always punctual, receptive to my comments and super creative. She perfectly said what I meant. ;-) Highly recommend working with her.
Amy M.
I am so grateful, Szilvia, for your kind and encouraging review. Working with you and your beautiful, insightful, intriguing manuscript was an editor's dream! This truly was one of my best editing...
Read more
Bissan D.

Bissan D.

Jul, 2025

Working with Amy has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my writing journey. She brought extraordinary care, insight, and professionalism to my deeply personal short story. Her edits were thoughtful and precise, and she approached every sensitive topic with empathy and respect. Amy not...
Read more
Amy M.
I'm so touched by your review, Bissan. Thank you for your uncommon trust and openness throughout our collaboration, and for allowing me to be part of your process. Your innate, exceptional storytel...
Read more

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