Trace Murphy

Trace Murphy – Editor

Editor specializing in spirituality, religion, and self-help with 25 years of experience at Penguin Random House and Paulist Press.

Overview

I have extensive experience in content development, publication, and marketing. My work in publishing has focused on collaborating with authors to effectively express their ideas and shaping that content to reach the largest possible readership. If you need developmental editing, I can guide you through each step of your project, whether you are at the idea stage, developing a full book proposal and outline, moving from proposal and outline to a complete first draft, or progressing from a draft manuscript to the final manuscript.

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Health & Wellbeing Humanities & Social Sciences Inspirational Religion & Spirituality Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Languages
English (US)
Awards
  • JIBF Editorial Fellowship
  • Advertising Age Marketing 100

Work experience

Paulist Press

Dec, 2011 — Sep, 2022 (almost 11 years)

Penguin Random House

Jun, 1993 — Nov, 2011 (over 18 years)

Portfolio

Hope Will Find You

Naomi Levy

How can I get my life off hold? When will my life really begin? We all ask ourselves the same questions when we are struggling to move forward. As a rabbi, Naomi Levy frequently offered spiritual guidance to people seeking the answers. But when a doctor told h... read more
No Future Without Forgiveness

Desmond Tutu

The establishment of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a pioneering international event. Never had any country sought to move forward from despotism to democracy both by exposing the atrocities committed in the past and achieving reconcili... read more
Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light

Mother Teresa

This historic work reveals the inner spiritual life of one of the most beloved and important religious figures in history--Mother Teresa.During her lifelong service to the poorest of the poor, Mother Teresa became an icon of compassion to people of all religio... read more
Life Without Limits

Nick Vujicic

ECPA BESTSELLER—Over one million copies sold! • What Would Your Life be Like if Anything Were Possible? Born without arms or legs, Nick Vujicic overcame his disabilities to live an independent, rich, fulfilling, and “ridiculously good” life while serving as a ... read more
Spirit Junkie

Gabrielle Bernstein

“So long, Carrie Bradshaw—there’s a new role model for go-getting thirty-somethings. Gabrielle Bernstein is doling out inner peace and self-love for the postmodern spiritual set.”—ElleForeword by Marianne WilliamsonBefore she became a celebrated teacher and le... read more
Maternal Body

Frost, Carrie Frederick

Places Orthodox sources—icons, hymns, and prayers—on motherhood into conversation with each other. In so doing, this work brings an anchored vision of motherhood to the twenty-first century—especially the embodied experience of motherhood.
The Order of Days

David Stuart

The world's foremost expert on Maya culture looks at 2012 hysteria and explains the truth about what the Maya meant and what we want to believe.Apocalypse 2012: An Investigation into Civilizations End. The World Cataclysm in 2012. 2012: The return of Quetzalco... read more
Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

Hanh, Thich Nhat

Maimonides

Joel L. Kraemer

This authoritative biography of Moses Maimonides, one of the most influential minds in all of human history, illuminates his life as a philosopher, physician, and lawgiver. A biography on a grand scale, it brilliantly explicates one man’s life against the back... read more
Papal Sin

Garry Wills

Look out for a new book from Garry Wills, What The Qur'an Meant, coming fall 2017. "The truth, we are told, will make us free. It is time to free Catholics, lay as well as clerical, from the structures of deceit that are our subtle modern form of papal sin. Pa... read more
Mercy

Cardinal Walter Kasper

"This book has done me so much good." —Pope Francis From one the leading intellects in the church today—one whom Pope Francis has described as a "superb theologian"—comes perhaps his most important book yet. Available for the first time in English, Cardinal Ka... read more
Toward a True Kinship of Faiths

Dalai Lama

‌No country, no culture, no person today is untouched by what happens in the rest of the world. Technological innovation, environmental degradation, economic gain & loss, nuclear weapons, instant communication have all created unprecedented familiarity among t... read more
Heartstorming

Wicks, Robert J.

Heartstorming encourages us to be more mindful of how the spiritual impregnates all of life’s joys, sorrows, and even unexciting times if we have the eyes to see.
The Inner Voice of Love

Henri J. M. Nouwen

This is Henri Nouwen's "secret journal." It was written during the most difficult period of his life, when he suddenly lost his self-esteem, his energy to live and work, his sense of being loved, even his hope in God. Although he experienced excruciating angui... read more
The Future Church

John L. Allen, Jr.

One of the world’s foremost religion journalists offers an unexpected and provocative look at where the Catholic Church is headed—and what the changes will mean for all of us.What will the Catholic Church be like in 100 years? Will there be a woman pope? Will ... read more
Replenishing the Earth

Wangari Maathai

An impassioned call to heal the wounds of our planet and ourselves through the tenets of our spiritual traditions, from a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize It is so easy, in our modern world, to feel disconnected from the physical earth. Despite dire warnings an... read more
We Plan, God Laughs

Sherre Hirsch

The old Yiddish proverb, “We plan, God laughs,” expresses a truth everyone can relate to. At every stage of life we make plans, setting out where we want to go and imagining what we will be like when we have “arrived.” But things have a way of turning out not ... read more

Trace has 32 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Laurette S.

Laurette S.

Jul, 2026

Trace gave me helpful feedback on my manuscript. He pointed out two different directions my material could take and explained what each option would require. This helped me make an informed decision instead of guessing. His feedback was very specific. He did not just say the manuscript needed “m...
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Trace M.
Laurette was a pleasure to work with throughout the collaboration. She communicated clearly, was genuinely receptive to editorial feedback, and approached the process with care and professionalism....
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Michelle S.

Michelle S.

Jul, 2026

As an aspiring author, I found working with Trace to be a genuine partnership. His editorial assessment was thoughtful, thorough, and demonstrated that he truly understood my voice, my identity, and the heart behind my manuscript. He offered clear, practical guidance for strengthening my manuscri...
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Trace M.
Spencer was an engaged and highly receptive collaborator. Her manuscript reflects a distinctive spiritual vision and a strong commitment to biblical precision, and she approached the editorial proc...
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Scorpio L.

Scorpio L.

Jul, 2026

Trace's background and experience were in alignment with the audience and temperament of my manuscript. The perspective of his editorial assessment helped me see clearly the opportunities available to make marked improvement in my decisions and processes along the way. Our conversation was easy...
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Trace M.
Scorpio was communicative and highly engaged throughout. I especially appreciate how he approached the editorial process with clear goals and a genuine willingness to consider feedback. It's been a...
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Ashley V.

Ashley V.

Jul, 2026

Trace was so easy to work with, was timely in his communication, met all deliverables on time, and exceeded my expectations. His expertise during my development and copyediting stages was instrumental in completing my book and achieving the professionalism I desired. Would definitely work with Tr...
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Trace M.
I really enjoyed working with Ashley from start to finish. She's a great communicator—clear, thoughtful, and genuinely open throughout the editorial process. What struck me most was how seriously s...
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Nishil K.

Nishil K.

Jun, 2026

Trace has been invaluable in my editing journey thus far. His feedback was well thought out, specific and actionable. He delivered everything on time, and with great attention to detail. I am now using his feedback to continue working on my manuscript with more intention and clarity on what needs...
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Trace M.
It has been a pleasure working with Nishil. I admire his voice and the sincerity with which he approaches his work. His manuscript reflects an insightful mind and he has a real gift for drawing mea...
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