Author's Note (probably jumping the gun here)

My impression is that no, if they ask for pages you wouldn't send it. Author notes tend to be seperate from the work itself. Often they're thank you's, sometimes they go into how they did their research, etc., but they're not the meat of the book.

I would think perhaps the "why" of writing it would be addressed in the query, but memoir queries are not my strength. I focus on fiction. Someone in QLH might be able to provide more advice on that part.

Planning what to say in a query before a story is written is a waste of time and energy (for fiction). And the story itself, and its quality of writing, are much more important to agents and editors than the author's motivation for writing it. Writers have come up with all kinds of (clever?) ways to attempt to show the agents/editors how heartfelt the project was, but that won't change their emphasis on the quality of the story itself.

But the real reason for not agonizing about it now is the story, as you imagine it now, and the story, as it finally ends up, may very, very different. Most stories go through an evolution of sorts when passing from rough draft to final submission-ready version. And sometimes this evolution goes in huge jumps and in unexpected directions. This may be particularly true if you aren't sure about how much to fictionalize the story (which may not be resolved until the editing passes).

Your conundrum is kind of like planning what to buy with a million dollars when you have only a lottery-ticket chance of that million coming your way in a lump sum.

With the passion you have for this story, get writing. If something like the query structure is going to vex you and get in the way of your writing, this is a bad sign. We want to read your story, so we want you to learn to cut the distractions and get it written. This site has a very useful forum for working on query letters, but do not work out your query until you are sure about the form the final version of your story will take.

It sounds to me like the author's note might help you summarize or crystallize an outline of the book. In which case, maybe you should just write an outline.

1. as neuro said, things change...a lot.

2. re: a novel vs memoir, with a memoir you're probably going to realize you aren't famous enough to be interesting, or interesting enough to be famous.....at least from a "let's sink tens of thousands into publishing this under our imprint" standpoint. That's not a slight on you, it is a "you gotta be a Kardashian or someone with a life as weird as the guy in 'Running with Scissors'" and very few folks are....memoirs are just a really tough market.

write the story. THEN try to package it. Because doing the reverse is a bit like trying to stitch a glove before you have the hand.

quicklime said:

1. as neuro said, things change...a lot.

2. re: a novel vs memoir, with a memoir you're probably going to realize you aren't famous enough to be interesting, or interesting enough to be famous.....at least from a "let's sink tens of thousands into publishing this under our imprint" standpoint. That's not a slight on you, it is a "you gotta be a Kardashian or someone with a life as weird as the guy in 'Running with Scissors'" and very few folks are....memoirs are just a really tough market.

write the story. THEN try to package it. Because doing the reverse is a bit like trying to stitch a glove before you have the hand.

Click to expand...

On point number two, I somewhat disagree. there are tons of memoirs about people I have never heard of, but they seem to find a market. Being famous helps get you get a contract, but having a story people want to read is more important.

Perhaps Lynn Price might pop by and give us her opinion on this. She has published stories about people that I didn't consider famous.

The other two points I agree with.

allenparker said:

On point number two, I somewhat disagree. there are tons of memoirs about people I have never heard of, but they seem to find a market. Being famous helps get you get a contract, but having a story people want to read is more important.

Perhaps Lynn Price might pop by and give us her opinion on this. She has published stories about people that I didn't consider famous.

The other two points I agree with.

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absolutely. But most of them because their "wierdness" is beyond the pale....hence my referring to Running with Scissors. Or The Glass Castle. Or any number of other ones. The OP may have that level of unusual, but a lot of folks do not, and below that, it is just a tough, tough market to crack.

To answer your key question first, no, you would not include such an "author's note" in your query. f you take a look at successful queries that got representation and/or a book deal (at various agent blogs or publishing industry sites), you'll see that the "credentials" paragraph could maybe have a sentence about how your experience lends authenticity to the novel...but don't take up a lot of space with a detailed explanation. A query is meant to pique an author's or editor's interest in the manuscript.

To answer your memoir vs novel issue, if you plan to fictionalize or embellish the truth, then you should focus on writing a novel. Novels can be loosely based on reality, but they don't need to stick to the actual events the way memoir needs to. James Frey, for instance, got in a lot of trouble for selling his story as memoir when so much of it was really fiction.

As others have said in this thread, you do sort of seem to be getting ahead of yourself. Write the story. Then worry about the query. If you want to write an author's note for yourself to sort out your motivations, that's great. But, as has also been said, a lot can change from first inspiration to final draft. Whatever you start with now, I suggest you considering it part of your brainstorming and getting started process--work out some of your initial ideas and intentions and maybe plan some of the key events/experiences you want to cover. Then just write.

Many people end up going through multiple drafts and revisions, even after putting together a first draft that they at first think is fabulous. This takes time and development. Don't rush yourself.

quicklime said:

2. re: a novel vs memoir, with a memoir you're probably going to realize you aren't famous enough to be interesting, or interesting enough to be famous.....at least from a "let's sink tens of thousands into publishing this under our imprint" standpoint. That's not a slight on you, it is a "you gotta be a Kardashian or someone with a life as weird as the guy in 'Running with Scissors'" and very few folks are....memoirs are just a really tough market.

Click to expand...

Actually, 'memoir' is the word generally used for a book about someone who isn't famous. The word used for someone who is famous is 'autobiography'.

But 'memoir' is the correct word for a non-fiction book about a person's memoirs, regardless of their level of fame.

The wave for miz-lit (misery memoirs) has crested and passed, but that doesn't mean there's no market left for them at all. As with any other trend, the sub-genre will come back some day, and in the meantime, some books in the sub-genre will still get published.

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

Memoirist here:

Write the author's note, but don't send it with query. Only if asked for the full.

An autobiographical novel can and should be more than just a change of names and indentifying details. Otherwise, it's still technically a memoir. The advantage of a novel is that you can tweak it more. The advantage of a memoir is that you can use the quirkiness of real life. Take your pick.

Memoirs can and do still sell, even by non-celebs. However, the writing has to be first-rate and the story interesting. Novels that are thinly veiled memoirs may not appeal as much as the real thing, because they haven't got the fullness or the validity of real life.

Hope that helps.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

An author's note should be written only after one is an author, which is to say, accepted for publication by a commercial publisher. Even then, only when the editor accepts such a thing. When you write something, you're a writer. You're not an author until you get it published.

Writing an "author's note" prior to that latter occurrence is an affectation, a brag.

caw