Such thing as a book proposal for a memoir?

sense · Jan 17, 2012

my friend keeps pestering me about getting some advice from an experienced person in the field BEFORE I get too far along in writing my memoir. basically, he's worried I might be "doing it wrong." (this is solely based on his knowledge of my inexperience in writing, NOT based on anything I've written so far).

is it possible to submit a book proposal for a memoir by a first-time author? since I doubt any agent would read and give feedback just because, is it possible that an agent would consider representing you based on the proposal alone and X number of chapters (but not a full ms)?

Old Hack · Jan 17, 2012

Memoirs are very difficult to sell if you're not well-known already. If you were involved in a notorious legal case, for example, or worked for a criminal or a celebrity, then you've got a good chance of selling your story. If you're writing a misery memoir then you're going to struggle because the market is already saturated so your writing will really need to stand out; if you're writing a memoir of your unexceptional life then with all due respect, you're unlikely to find an agent or publisher willing to take the book on.

If your story fits into one of the "easy to sell" categories I've discussed above then you might well be able to sell it on the basis of three chapters and a proposal. If it fits into one of the more difficult categories then you'll need to write it all and then try to find someone to take it on.

quicklime · Jan 17, 2012

i think Hack is right.....finishing ANY book is no easy task. well, maybe that isn't correct, but it is a task that, statistically, a great many people who START a book never get around to. So unless you can offer a proposal so hot no agent would drop it ("My name is Renee McSweeny, and you can't see it in the assassination footage, but my head was in Kennedy's lap the day he was shot. I was his mistress, and we were engaged in fellatio that very moment." ) or you're famous ("My name is Mel Gibson, and I want to tell you about me, and how I was savaged by the press.) you're probably going to have to be able to offer more than just an assurance that you WILL finish it, at some point.

memoirs are a tough market if you aren't either famous or offering something WAY out there. Saying you aren't done, but "intend to be" only makes the sale harder because it makes the product more of an uncertainty.

IceCreamEmpress · Jan 17, 2012

The usual practice in the US publishing world is to sell memoirs the same way as novels--on the basis of a finished manuscript.

As Old Hack says, if there's a newsworthy angle, it might be possible to sell a memoir on the basis of a proposal and three chapters. But the angle has to be pretty newsworthy on a national (or even international) level. If you're one of the Chilean miners who was trapped underground, yeah; if you are a survivor of a locally notorious case of clergy abuse, not so much.

sense · Jan 17, 2012

thanks for the replies.

i'm not so much interested in an advance or sale at this point as I am in getting guidance or some mentorship by a professional as i continue writing this book. so i'm curious, would an agent consider representation based on a proposal and 3 chapters?

Ruth2 · Jan 17, 2012

sense said:
thanks for the replies.

i'm not so much interested in an advance or sale at this point as I am in getting guidance or some mentorship by a professional as i continue writing this book. so i'm curious, would an agent consider representation based on a proposal and 3 chapters?

If you're high profile, maybe. If not, highly doubtful.

If it's mentorship and guidance you want, you might be able to find an organization that works with memoir writers, e.g. The National Association of Memoir Writers. http://www.namw.org/ I'm sure there are others as well.

IceCreamEmpress · Jan 17, 2012

No, an agent will want to see a completed manuscript before offering you representation, unless your memoir deals with the kind of national/international headline-making events we discussed.

Siri Kirpal · Jan 17, 2012

Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

You can ask for a mentor in the Beta Readers section of this site. But no, agents aren't writing mentors; they don't have the time. In the case of a high-profile person or situation, they'd probably suggest you use a ghostwriter, unless your writing is outstanding.

If you want a professional as a mentor, you can find a few online: Word into Print and Independent Editors are both reputable places to look, but be aware that using them will cost a bunch.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

kidcharlemagne · Jan 19, 2012

The key word is platform. If you have a big enough platform then a proposal will get you an agent. For an exceptional story and no platform then what the other contributors have said here, I believe, applies: full manuscript.

quicklime · Jan 19, 2012

sense said:
thanks for the replies.

i'm not so much interested in an advance or sale at this point as I am in getting guidance or some mentorship by a professional as i continue writing this book. so i'm curious, would an agent consider representation based on a proposal and 3 chapters?

like i said, unless you have something insanely titillating (think "Running With Scissors"--were you given away by a mother with mental illness to a shrink who was himself crazy enough he was divining his future from his own shit? Or, were you Snooki, and you're about to tell us how you're actually a MENSA member, and you slept with Obama?) they are going to want to see a finished book--lots of people have ideas and even three chapters, but never manage to finish.

That said, you are also perhaps under a bit of a mis-impression. An agent will recommend some changes, if they take a book, but they take books that are either almost there and show a lot of promise, or books that are a ways off but show an OBSCENE amount of promise--their primary job is selling, not proofing or mentoring.

Mentoring comes other places, like the beta forum here, SYW, workshops, etc.

RLV · Jan 25, 2012

Memoir Proposal

Hello everyone,
Well I am a newbie to this whole thing. I just signed up after realizing I read so many of these discussions to help get some advise, I might as well sign up already!

Anyways, I've written a memoir too and it's complete. I have my query letter and synopsis, and basically I sent a query to the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency and just received a request for a complete proposal. I just wondered if anyone has sent a proposal to this agency before... I was wondering what they required in a proposal package since it doesn't appear to be on their website and the email wasn't specific.

Siri Kirpal · Jan 26, 2012

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Check the agency's website for details on what they want, but proposals usually include: An Overview (what this book is and why it was written), Author Bio, Comparitive Titles (what's the competition? and why is my book different?), Marketing (who is this book written for), Promotion (suggestions for selling the book), Table of Contents (just chapter numbers and titles), Expanded Outline (take the toc and write a bit about what's in each chapter), 1-3 sample chapters.

That's from memory. I hope I've got all the details, but that give you something to go on.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

RLV · Jan 26, 2012

Siri, thanks for your help. I checked the website but they don't have any specifics listed regarding what to send, and in the writers market book I have, it's also not listed. But I think you're right as to the items that are typically in a proposal. I just have a hard time with some of it, like the marketing part of it, and the suggestions as to how I would sell the book, etc. It's discouraging because it makes me feel like "Ok, if I knew all this stuff I'd just self publish and not have an agent."

Old Hack · Jan 26, 2012

Susan Page's book, How To Get Published And Make A Lot Of Money, has good instructions for writing a non-fiction proposal.

Siri Kirpal · Jan 27, 2012

RLV said:
Siri, thanks for your help. I checked the website but they don't have any specifics listed regarding what to send, and in the writers market book I have, it's also not listed. But I think you're right as to the items that are typically in a proposal. I just have a hard time with some of it, like the marketing part of it, and the suggestions as to how I would sell the book, etc. It's discouraging because it makes me feel like "Ok, if I knew all this stuff I'd just self publish and not have an agent."

Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

This site has a self-promotion section; you could check it to get ideas. Basically, it amounts to: can you find someone to endorse the book? do you blog? or are you willing to blog? are you on facebook or willing? do you have friends who are willing to talk the book up on their blogs, etc? are you willing to hire a publicist? is there anyone or any group that would be willing to carry the book for sale on their site or in their store? Etc.

Marketing: What genre is your memoir? That right there tells you the audience. Are you blowing the whistle on a corporation? Are you telling an inspiring tale of how you survived x? Are you telling a true adventure story? Are you talking about yourself across the sweep of some important swath of history? Etc. Figure that out and then figure out who would want to read that type of book.

Hope that helps.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

Bushrat · Jan 27, 2012

I disagree with the above posts that you need to be famous to scoop an agent for a memoir. I found an agent (but no publisher yet) for my wilderness memoir and nobody knows me from Adam.

But I would agree that you'll probably have to write the whole thing first. Because memoirs can be structured quite differently from novels, I think an agent might want to see how you string your story together, apart from how well it's written and if the topic is marketable.
Also, if you're an unknown entity in the publishing world, showing up with a finished manuscript shows the agent (and publishers) that you can not only start a book, but finish it. Which a lot of people can't.

IceCreamEmpress · Jan 27, 2012

Bushrat said:
I disagree with the above posts that you need to be famous to scoop an agent for a memoir. I found an agent (but no publisher yet) for my wilderness memoir and nobody knows me from Adam.

Nobody said that, I don't think. What they did say is that you have to have a completed manuscript unless your story is a newsworthy one.

Best of luck with your memoir!

RLV · Jan 27, 2012

Bushrat said:
I found an agent (but no publisher yet) for my wilderness memoir and nobody knows me from Adam.

Congrats on finding an agent! What did you have in your proposal package, if you don't me asking?

RLV

RLV · Jan 27, 2012

Siri Kirpal said:
Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Siri, thanks so much for the website and info you have given me. That is very helpful. It's funny because I find the proposal is more difficult somehow than completing the manuscript. Awe, oh well. Thanks again!

RLV

Bushrat · Jan 28, 2012

RLV said:
Congrats on finding an agent! What did you have in your proposal package, if you don't me asking?

RLV

Thanks. I didn't use a proposal, I treated it the same as querying a novel and had my manuscript completed before sending out queries.

RLV · Jan 28, 2012

Bushrat said:
Thanks. I didn't use a proposal, I treated it the same as querying a novel and had my manuscript completed before sending out queries.

I see. I have my book completed as well, but the agent said to send a complete proposal.... :-|

RLV

Giant Baby · Jan 28, 2012

RLV said:
I see. I have my book completed as well, but the agent said to send a complete proposal.... :-|

RLV

Have you considered responding to the agent that the manuscript is complete, but you don't have a proposal as you've always understood memoir to be queried like fiction? You could just ask her whether she'd like you to send her the completed manuscript, or wait until you've written a polished proposal.

Memoir really is treated like fiction, generally. This shouldn't catch her by surprise.

Bushrat · Jan 28, 2012

What Giant Baby says

RLV · Jan 28, 2012

Hmm. No. I didn't think of that. I've been freaking out about this since she emailed me last week so I've been trying to put together some kind of "proposal package." I kinda feel awkward about the proposal, but was afraid to send the email back saying "I don't have this proposal package you speak of"

I thought she would be upset over that? Or maybe think it was bad, or unprepared of me...

side note: how do I do the thing you guys do with quote? When I click the quote Icon it copies what people wrote, but it doesn't look as pretty as yours. Hehe. It's not in a cute purple box anyway...

CaoPaux · Jan 29, 2012

RLV said:
side note: how do I do the thing you guys do with quote? When I click the quote Icon it copies what people wrote, but it doesn't look as pretty as yours. Hehe. It's not in a cute purple box anyway...

That's the way to do it: The box doesn't show until you post. (And you can Preview your post to check how it looks.)

Such thing as a book proposal for a memoir?

Such a nasty woman

all out of fucks to give

Hapless Virago

Tam, na Koncu Drevoreda

Hapless Virago

Swan in Process

all out of fucks to give

Swan in Process

Such a nasty woman

Swan in Process

reaching for the sun

Hapless Virago

reaching for the sun

Oh, the humanity.

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