In this video, I’m diving into the world of memoirs—what makes them resonate with agents and editors, and why some stories stand out in such a crowded genre. If you’ve ever wondered how to shape your life experiences into something compelling and publishable, you’ll find some honest guidance here—plus a few tips that might surprise you.
Hello, Jane Cleland here.
Are memoirs popular? How do they do with agents and editors? Memoirs are hard to sell unless you are a celebrity or have a very large platform or a story that is simultaneously unique and universal. That phrase I got from the literary agent, Jessica Berg. “Unique and universal.” Think about that. It’s your story, but it has universal appeal.
Those are few and far between. Most memoirs, uh, address an obstacle, uh, or some passage of life. Some of them are survival stories as some of them are dealing with a life situation that is particularly challenging and that you dealt with de in a particularly successful manner. When you think of a memoir, think of it as a slice of life. It’s not an autobiography. It doesn’t tell a story chronologically. It tells one aspect of a story and a 360 degree view of that story. Best of luck with it. I know you can do it.
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