{"id":904,"date":"2021-08-11T18:17:19","date_gmt":"2021-08-11T18:17:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exisleacademy.com\/?p=904"},"modified":"2022-05-03T17:46:07","modified_gmt":"2022-05-03T17:46:07","slug":"how-to-write-a-marketable-memoir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exisleacademy.com\/how-to-write-a-marketable-memoir\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write a Marketable Memoir"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Memoirs, the genre that most wants to be read. As storytellers, we gravitate toward evocative and vulnerable writing that tells us more about the writer and the world we live in. We all have stories, but will every personal story sell?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Autobiography vs. Memoir<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Often writers begin to write a memoir and then the scope becomes much larger, the writer\u2019s entire life is nestled within the pages of the book. But that\u2019s an autobiography, not a memoir. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An autobiography usually begins during early childhood and moves chronologically, detailing key events and challenges they faced. These are often written when the author is older, as there would be more content to pull from. The author writes their motivations and thoughts based on specific life events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Memoirs are selected memories from the author, using the memories to reflect on a larger theme. Memoirs are more focused on certain aspects of an individual\u2019s life rather than giving all information like in an autobiography. In Brian Broome\u2019s recently released memoir, Punch Me Up to the Gods<\/em>, he reflects on masculinity, Blackness, and addiction. The scenes are not chronological but are carefully selected to create an emotional story - making the private life, public. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Types of Memoirs: Celebrity, Trial or Triumph, and Novel-like<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Best-selling memoirs have specific qualities making them stand out from the many. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A person\u2019s fame and public reputation leads to more sales. Michelle Obama\u2019s memoir, Becoming<\/em>, sold 10 million copies after 15 days of publication. <\/em>Celebrity memoirs offer a view of the person behind the fame, making them alluring and marketable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Trial or triumph memoirs focus on a specific part of a person\u2019s life like surviving a plane crash, beating a disease, or unspeakable childhood trauma. These are stories that are so compelling that readers can\u2019t put the book down. An example would be Augusten Burroughs\u2019 memoir Running with Scissors <\/em>which details his abnormal childhood after his mother sent him to live at her psychiatrist\u2019s house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The novel-like memoirs read like fiction. They are page-turners where the writer focuses more on showing, rather than telling. A Life of Extremes: The Life and Times of a Polar Filmmaker<\/em><\/a> by Max Quinn focuses on his experience filming in polar climates and all he\u2019s witnessed in a frigid landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n