As you’re working on your memoir, you’re probably focused on how to tell your story, right? What happened? Who was there? What did it all mean? But there are some non-literary facts that might help steer you toward success. Here are three (helpful) things about writing a memoir you might not know.
Writing a memoir? Did you know you can write more than one memoir?!
You’ve lived a big life—or a long one, or a complicated one. In any case, you don’t have to stuff all of it into a single memoir! Many memoirists write different books about different eras or aspects of their lives. For instance, Frank McCourt gave each chapter of his life its own book: his Irish childhood in Angela’s Ashes, his arrival in New York in ‘Tis, and his years in the classroom in Teacher Man. (And if you’re thinking you’ve left it too late, take heart. McCourt was sixty-six when his first book came out.)
Mary Karr has written three memoirs to date: The Liars’ Club, Cherry, and Lit. Together they span Karr’s childhood, adolescence, and her very adult recovery experience. Karr has described herself as someone who “worries the bone of things over and over and over.” In her case, that “worrying” has created three beautiful books.
And then there’s Maya Angelou. Angelou wrote seven memoirs! She called them her “autobiographies.” They are:
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Gather Together in My Name
Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas
The Heart of a Woman
All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes
A Song Flung Up to Heaven
Mom & Me & Mom
Keep this in mind the next time you’re concerned about leaving something out of your book. No facet of your life is irrevocably lost. You may just need to write another memoir to give it its place.
Writing a memoir? Did you know memoir sells like fiction?
A nonfiction book proposal is a promotional package for informational nonfiction. (“Informational nonfiction” refers to topics like self-help, business, wellness, science, history, politics, and biography.) The proposal provides agents and publishers an overview of the book, a promotion plan, and sample chapters. Writers of these types of nonfiction may garner a contract based on their proposal—well before the book exists.
Memoir is different. Most agents recommend you have a completed manuscript in hand before querying. Agents do vary in their preferences—and some may want a proposal in addition to your manuscript (or, on occasion, part of your manuscript). So it helps to familiarize yourself with book proposals and have a short one ready in case you’re asked for it.
Note: creating a book proposal can be a valuable exercise in itself. To write a proposal, you’ll need to be very clear about where your story fits in today’s market, how it compares to other memoirs, and how it might be marketed when the time comes. All of which will better prepare you for what comes after your final draft is done.
Writing a memoir? Did you know your publisher won’t protect you from a libel claim?
Many writers assume their publisher will stand behind them if someone objects to how they appear in the book. Your contract probably says otherwise. When you sign with a publishing house, you promise that your work doesn’t defame anyone or invade anyone’s privacy. You also agree to indemnify the publisher in the event of a lawsuit. (That means you cover your publisher’s legal costs if someone sues over your representation of them in your book.)
Of course, some publishers carry insurance. But literary attorney Robert Pimm points out that under the indemnity clause (the paragraph of your contract where you promise to pay the publisher’s costs and any damages if someone sues over your book), you can still be “on the hook for a million dollars” if the person suing wins.
So, how do you protect yourself in the first place? If what you wrote is true, you already have a strong defense against a libel claim. Also, most of those who file libel suits don’t end up winning, so there’s that. But privacy claims are separate from libel claims—and the truth won’t always protect you there.
When you’re writing a memoir, there’s a lot to know. In this as in so many cases, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Educate yourself. Hire a literary attorney to look over your manuscript and weigh in on how you portray people and institutions. And definitely don’t rely on your publisher to “CYA” if it needs “covering” at some point. (For more on this, check out this post: “Should You Use Real Names When Writing a Memoir?”)
Want to know more? Here are some resources for you:
- A Writer’s Guide to Defamation and Invasion of Privacy by Amy Cook, in Writer’s Digest. It covers what memoir writers need to know about privacy, defamation, and the law.
- Legal and Ethical Issues in Memoir Writing, an interview with literary attorney Robert Pimm at the National Association of Memoir Writers. He discusses the warranty and indemnity clause in mainstream publishing contracts.
- 6 Signs You’re Ready to Query Literary Agents by writing coach Tiffany Hawk. She explains that a memoir submission can be a complete manuscript or a proposal with sample chapters, depending on the agent.
There are so many facets to writing a memoir—and so much to know! This article touches on just three things you might have missed the memo on. If you’d like to learn more, visit my contact page, and let’s connect. You might also be interested in my books: Plotting Your Novel with the Plot Clock and Jamie Helps Mel Write a Novel.