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I am a nobody amateur writer who has a true story about a medical miracle that happened to me. I believe the thing going for me is my story is so amazing and the very illness that almost made me die is popping up in national news more and more lately as it’s increasingly beginning to taking lives. A few US Senators are currently working on getting Congress to pass a bill for more education and a creation of a new medicine to prevent this epidemic. I feel that is my true way in to getting published.
I am trying to determine the correct way to get a memoir of this type to an agent & publisher. I’ve read where agents speak that you need a proposal for nonfiction writings, but for memoirs, they are treated like a fiction novel and you must have it completely written first. Then I also read where other agents want a proposal. It’s all over the fence.
Before I started researching how to get published and found out you need a proposal to get a nonfiction book published, I did email the synopsis of my story to approx 8 agents just to see what would happen. Out of the 8 agents, 1 responded back to me. This agent requested the first 3 chapters and nothing else. I never responded because the agent was in Minneapolis and I thought only the real agents are in NY, so I didn’t want to waste my time. From my research, it sounds like there is neither rhyme nor reason to presenting a memoir story to an agent, as long as you follow their submission requirements, submit to them if they represent that type of work, have good writing and a story of interest.
The long and short of what I am asking is, for a memoir, do you need to write the full novel first or a proposal in order to get representation & published?
Thanks in advance for your info.
I am trying to determine the correct way to get a memoir of this type to an agent & publisher. I’ve read where agents speak that you need a proposal for nonfiction writings, but for memoirs, they are treated like a fiction novel and you must have it completely written first. Then I also read where other agents want a proposal. It’s all over the fence.
Before I started researching how to get published and found out you need a proposal to get a nonfiction book published, I did email the synopsis of my story to approx 8 agents just to see what would happen. Out of the 8 agents, 1 responded back to me. This agent requested the first 3 chapters and nothing else. I never responded because the agent was in Minneapolis and I thought only the real agents are in NY, so I didn’t want to waste my time. From my research, it sounds like there is neither rhyme nor reason to presenting a memoir story to an agent, as long as you follow their submission requirements, submit to them if they represent that type of work, have good writing and a story of interest.
The long and short of what I am asking is, for a memoir, do you need to write the full novel first or a proposal in order to get representation & published?
Thanks in advance for your info.