I coach aspiring nonfiction authors to write killer book proposals that attract agents and publishers.

You’ve had this book idea (or a bunch of ideas) in your head for a loooong time…

…And you’re annoyed that you still want to do it and it’s just not getting done…

I bet these thoughts take up your mental real estate:

  • You feel a little intimidated and overwhelmed by the enormity of the task of writing a book?

  • You think you don’t have enough clarity on your book idea? You have a lot of ideas… how do you know which one is the best?

  • You know there’s a lot you don’t know about publishing: do you need an agent? How do you get one?

  • You wonder if you have the right credentials and experience for this?

  • You want to know what can you expect in terms of time, money, and effort? Is it even worth doing?

I’m here to tell you:

You CAN write the book you secretly want to write,

the one that helps a lot of people with your message or your method,

and get it published.

I GOT YOU.

Let’s talk about the book you want to write.

If you are interested in exploring whether book and proposal coaching will help catapult you to your goal, I offer a complimentary discovery call. I only work with a small number of aspiring nonfiction authors with whom I can make a significant impact. If it isn’t the right mutual fit, I will be happy to refer you to another coach or point you in the right direction, so you have a next step you can take.

Click here to book your complimentary discovery call.

I’m Amy.

I’m a book coach because I’m an anthropologist. I study how people make meaning out of their experiences in the world, and I love solving problems by looking at and analyzing why people do the things they do. I bring my 20+ years of expertise in the art and science of pattern-finding, sense-making, and structuring information to the book you want to write. 

I’m a book coach because I’m a traditionally-published author. I’ve been down the road you’re thinking about walking. I know what it’s like to face those writing demons, fear (What if I don’t finish? What if I do finish and it’s no good?) and self-doubt (I can’t do this! I’m not good enough!). I also know what it’s like to set an intention to publish and achieve that goal.

I’m a book coach because my first career was in publishing. My first job out of college was at an academic publisher because I wanted to play a part in bringing books into the world. I had positions in editorial, marketing, and sales, which gave me multiple perspectives on the processes in publishing.

I draw on my diverse careers and my book coaching training to provide you with everything you need as you go through this process. I cut through the clutter and bring out your best book.

Find out more about how we work together on your book here.

  • Amy Goldmacher is a rarity in the world of book coaching: an anthropologist by training, she brings her keen observer’s mind and her deep analytical skills to every project she works on. She took a scalpel to my unwieldy 35 chapter memoir outline and presented me with a streamlined document that contained the essential ingredients of my story, nothing more. She’s methodical, thoughtful, and just plain ol' brilliant. Who wouldn’t want that in their book coach?

    — Suzette Mullen, The Only Way Through is Out, University of Wisconsin Press, Feb. 2024

  • I'm accustomed to writing short forms. Writing a book is a different story! Amy helped me formulate a plan and mold those ideas into long-form. She created the accountability and guidance to do something I'd always wanted to do but had been too intimidated to attempt. Amy has a validating approach that is also no-nonsense, keeping a stubborn personality like mine in line. Amy, I love you and I hate you right now. I can't stop writing! You are a gift, a woo whisperer.

    — Kate Evans, Ditch Your Sh*t: Declutter the Crap out of Your Life and Home, represented by Cindy Bullard of Birch Literary

  • I was eager to meet every deadline Amy and I set simply because I couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say! Amy brings great analytical skill to book coaching. She quickly identified where I was missing the mark and where I was hitting it. Her comments assured me that what I had to say would have value for others and then showed me what I needed to work on if I wanted to deliver that value. Her support kept me on track in a most clear-minded fashion. Thank you, Amy.

    — Mary Bernstein, Memoir Writer

  • A huge step up in confidence. Which came from working with you, through the coaching sessions and the homework assigned, but more importantly also offline. I am now raring to go to finish my first memoir’s first draft. Ultimately, it was a combination of your intense reader persona, intense anthropologist/UX expert eyes, and your consummate generosity, that got me to a place of sense making and meaning making of my own process.

    — Nirupa Umapathy, Memoir/Essay Writer

  • I was blown away by the coaching process. Amy led me through highly detailed exercises which allowed us to identify weak points in the narrative or gaps in the overall story arc which needed to be filled in. With this blueprint in hand, editing down and adding a few new chapters was a breeze, because I knew exactly what I was shooting for. The really great part of this process was that the exercises we had worked on led naturally to a book synopsis and query letter! Amy researched agents and publishers to query and even made an agent submission spreadsheet to work from. I would highly recommend Amy as a book coach for anyone who needs help with the structure of their book, or who feels blocked, or who needs help transitioning from the writing to the publishing process.

    — Heidi Brumbaugh, Tales From The Hygiene Center, self-published

  • Amy, you are a brilliant, supportive coach full of answers, suggestions and hands on help. I am extremely satisfied with your service!

    — Monique Clesca, Silence and Resistance: A Memoir of Girlhood in Haiti, represented by Yona Deshommes of Riverchild Media

  • I have a completed proposaI I feel proud of! I’m proud of the fact I did this and it’s done! Now it’s to be bought, written, and received so it can help people. This is a way of sharing thoughts at scale.

    — Petrushka Bazin Larsen, Prescriptive Nonfiction Writer, seeking agent representation

  • Writing a first book is kind of like having your first kid. You're all excited about it and have no idea what you're getting yourself into. You get overwhelmed and freaked out and want to pretend it isn't happening regardless of how much you want it. Then the kid (or book or proposal) is here and all of the work was totally worth it, even if there are still a ton of hurdles to still get over like getting an agent, getting published, will people even read it? I had zero idea that writing a book required so much. I wouldn't have a book if it wasn't for you.

    — Kate Evans, Ditch Your Sh*t: Declutter the Crap out of Your Life and Home, represented by Cindy Bullard of Birch Literary

  • If I didn't have some accountability and structure for writing this book, I would likely put it off inevitably. The structured approach is so helpful!!

    — Tosca Fasso, Prescriptive Nonfiction Writer

  • I had no idea any of this stuff existed. I didn't know about proposals. I didn't know you needed a process. It never occurred to me that I needed to have a picture of the whole book. I just thought you wrote a book. I didn't understand how much I needed what you had to offer. Writers think they can do it on their own, regardless of the evidence they can't; they can keep bumbling along on their own, but it'll be decades before they get where they want to go. Whereas with your help it can be so much faster. You helped so much with the structure of my book. I was all over the place and you kept pulling me back in. I needed the accountability and the honesty. Not to mention your experience and expertise.

    — Kate Evans, Ditch Your Sh*t: Declutter the Crap Out Of Your Life and Home, represented by Cindy Bullard of Birch Literary