Memoir Outline Question

havestorytotell · May 15, 2012

I am up to about 90K in my memoir. I have yet to fix the first draft and get Betas and then a good edit. WHEN THE TIME COMES for an agent requesting a submission, I understand they want a few chapters.
1) How many chapters do they want?
2) Must the chapters be in order, the first 3 for example?
3) Must I submit an outline for each chapter and if so, do I do it in first person........
1) I had back surgery
2) Complications to the surgery
3) I went to a specialist in Iowa

Can someone send me a sample of a successful outline of a chapter of their Memoir?

Sorry, I am just trying to write it all down and end of doing an outline after the fact. We all attack this differently!
thanks

Ruth2 · May 15, 2012

Somewhere on AW is a post by Lynn Price (priceless1, I think, is her name here) that talks about what's needed in a nonfiction book proposal. That info will get you a long way down the road on what you need for submitting a memoir to an agent or publisher.

Siri Kirpal · May 15, 2012

havestorytotell said:
I am up to about 90K in my memoir. I have yet to fix the first draft and get Betas and then a good edit. WHEN THE TIME COMES for an agent requesting a submission, I understand they want a few chapters.
1) How many chapters do they want?
2) Must the chapters be in order, the first 3 for example?
3) Must I submit an outline for each chapter and if so, do I do it in first person........
1) I had back surgery
2) Complications to the surgery
3) I went to a specialist in Iowa

Can someone send me a sample of a successful outline of a chapter of their Memoir?

Sorry, I am just trying to write it all down and end of doing an outline after the fact. We all attack this differently!
thanks

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

1) Check their websites. If they don't specify how many chapters, just send the first one.
2) In a narrative work, whether fiction or nonfiction, you send the first chapters, not a sample. That's not true of general nonfiction, but that's not what you're writing.
3) This varies. Usually, you send a synopsis (not chapter by chapter) covering the whole book. But some agents prefer chapter outlines, in which case you just send your table of contents with a line or two about what's in that chapter.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

havestorytotell · May 15, 2012

Thanks both of you for answering1

jerrywaxler · May 17, 2012

Query for memoir

I recently pitched a memoir to an agent at a writing conference and she asked me for the first three chapters. I asked how many pages and she said, "However long your first three chapters are."

I have heard other stories where they asked for 50 pages, and others that asked for a sample without specifying where it came from.

As for the outline, proposals for memoirs are different than for other types of nonfiction. When you propose a memoir, you have to be prepared to send the entire manuscript. When you pitch other nonfiction books, you are just expected to send the book proposal, which would include an outline and sample of writing.

I hope this helps.

Jerry

Memoir Outline Question

havestorytotell

One of the 96% of us

Ruth2

Tam, na Koncu Drevoreda

Siri Kirpal

Swan in Process

havestorytotell

One of the 96% of us

jerrywaxler