So many memoir writers who are either out on submission, working on their book proposal or drafting the manuscript ask me how long it takes to sell a memoir.
Others ask if they should be working on their platform, their proposal or hiring an editor to help them revise the manuscript, because they feel desperate to speed things up. What is the secret? SOME people are getting memoir book deals, others (like you) are waiting months and years) – what can you do differently?
I know how much you need certainty in an industry that’s confusing and elusive at best, and completely disempowering at worst. Waiting 6 months to hear back from a literary agent on an email, for example, or not even being told why your memoir made it to acquisitions and got turned down even though the publisher or the editor really liked it.
I was talking with an author this morning about how confusing and difficult it was to get my first memoir book deal because i’d never known how and in what time-frame a first-time memoir author can actually sell a book.
And how landing a top literary agent (who i eventually had to fire) and having academic qualifications in writing & literature didn’t speed up the process at all.
I had both an agent and two writing degrees by the time I’d written my first memoir draft, but neither equipped me with the skills or know-how to actually structure the manuscript OR the pitch and sell the book. In fact, the general consensus from both was a depressing ‘don’t expect to sell your book…’ Everyone seemed determined to tell me how rare it was to get a book deal, how hard it was to get published, how few manuscripts ever got read, blah blah blah….
Ok, I know that, but for the ones that DO sell, how do they do it?
There’s so much conflicting and wrong information about traditional publishing for memoir, and people tell you all sorts of different things depending on their own experience, agenda, perspective and level of expertise.
I’m determined to clarify this mysterious industry for first-time memoir authors because I don’t want you to have to waste time on a draft or a proposal, sit in turmoil or give up, like I did multiple times that first (emotional rollercoaster of a) year of my memoir publishing journey.
It’s why i do what i do – why i teach memoir, coach memoir writers, and talk about the publishing sales piece, because this was missing from everything I invested in to learn about the industry as a beginner.
Memoir book sales are different.
It’s a true story so it’s nonfiction, but you don’t write OR pitch it like a typical nonfiction. And you also don’t pitch it like a novel.
And you certainly don’t get your first book deal for a travel, literary, family or some other category of memoir by selling it like it’s a celebrity memoir or pitching it like an autobiography.
I never did have an agent tell me this, but I learnt the long and hard way by seeing how and what resonated in my pitch, my draft and then GETTING a deal in weeks with the same story (rewritten and pitched anew).
These nuances of publishing – particular to memoir, and particular to first-time authors with no ‘platform’ – are exactly why I created the 3 Steps to A Bestselling Memoir draft & pitch Masterclass.
If you’re thinking of signing up for some book coaching, or taking a course on your manuscript or your proposal, or hiring an editor or even signing with an agent, I recommend you watch this first to make sure you’re ticking the boxes for what ACTUALLY works in the memoir publishing industry RIGHT now.
Because you can sell your memoir in a matter of weeks or months (as I did), or it can take you years and much turmoil. It all depends on what you do, and when.
As I wrote and developed the comprehensive masterclass, I kept thinking – if i could sum up all a first-time author needs to know before they write – or pitch – the manuscript or the book proposal, what would i say?
I share an enormous amount of personal experiences in this masterclass because i think that’s what writers REALLY need to hear. How the pitching, writing and sales piece of memoir book publishing works from an AUTHOR’S perspective.
We’re always being told ‘agents want this’ or ‘put this in the proposal’ or ‘only memoirs on X sell’ and blah blah blah… most of it is pointless advice because what you REALLY need to know, to write and sell a memoir (that sells so many copies you can call it a bestseller, which IS possible and not an anomaly) really efficiently and really well even if it’s your first book is exactly how it works from the WRITER’S perspective.
The steps to take. The order in which to take them. What you need to know about memoir SPECIFICALLY before you even DRAFT the manuscript or the proposal. Because it’s DIFFERENT to pitching and selling a fiction or a nonfiction that’s not a memoir. And it’s CERTAINLY different to pitching a celebrity memoir. I share exactly how and why in the masterclass.
You’ll learn what took me two memoir book deals to master in a 75 minute recording you can log in and watch as many times as you like…
Specifically, the 3 Steps to a Bestselling Memoir draft & Pitch Masterclass will reveal…
- A PROVEN method to write a SELLABLE memoir manuscript that ticks the boxes for the prestigious world of the traditional book publishing market, in months
- How to avoid the MOST common mistakes first-time memoir authors make in the writing AND pitching process in this widely misunderstood literary genre
- How to get a traditional publisher AND an agent interested in representing and selling your work and the most important things to focus on with your memoir pitch, your memoir manuscript and your author positioning
- An empowering strategy to reach fulfilment and success as a first-time memoir author – in HALF THE TIME you’d expect for such an intense transformation
- The 3 secrets to becoming a bestselling memoir author – EVEN if you’ve been trying for years, EVEN IF it’s your first book and EVEN IF you have no fame or platform!
In essence, the masterclass will show you a 3-step strategy to become a bestselling, traditionally-published memoir author so you can reach your HIGHEST potential and set yourself up for long-term success in the publishing world. You won’t be taking the first offer (or unenthusiastic agent) you can find, because you’ll KNOW how to approach this business like a professional. Because that’s what publishing is – a business.
I share how long my first and second memoir book deals took from pitch to draft to submission (and what slowed me down), as well as exactly what an agent or a publisher needs to see in your memoir manuscript AND pitch to offer you a deal.
If you’re working on a memoir manuscript or a proposal or trying to get an agent or build your platform or considering hiring an editor or a book coach or any of those other things people tell you to do, save yourself time and energy and invest in the class before you do any more work on your book.
It’s going to demystify the process and show you what actually works NOW in publishing, for memoir.
The masterclass on writing and pitching a memoir that SELLS to the traditional book publishing industry will teach you much more than a workshop with ONE agent or editor who can only share how THEIR agency views book sales and pitches. Because MOST literary agents don’t know the nuances of selling non-celebrity memoir.
And, of course, they’re coming at it from a different perspective. They sell all genres, and most agents don’t review or revise the manuscript with you, so you’re going to learn about both the craft AND the sales of memoir in this masterclass. And, of course, I’m not getting a cut of your book deal so I’m not holding back in my information – I want you to be prepared and empowered to make good decisions in your publishing journey.
⭐ Grab the class here for just $88 and save yourself much time, energy and drama on confusion, wondering, or wasting time pitching without the key ingredients of what actually works in literary memoir book publishing.
You also learn my own memoir book deal time-frame and exactly how and when I’d recommend working on the draft versus the book proposal for your memoir.
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