7 Tips for Writing a Marketable Memoir
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People write memoirs for many reasons. For some, it’s a legacy project; they want to record and preserve their story for posterity. Other memoirists seek healing, hoping to close a difficult chapter in their lives by writing about it. Then there are those who have lived a very fascinating life — those urged on by friends and families with the phrase “You should write a book!” who sit down at their computer and start to tell their story. But somewhere along the memoir writing journey, a disturbing question starts to haunt them: “What if nobody reads my book?”
As a book writing coach and ghostwriter, I divide memoirs into two categories based on who the book is written for: public or private consumption. There is absolutely nothing wrong with writing a memoir for your family and friends. A legacy project is a worthy goal, and this kind of book is perfectly suited for self-publishing. I’ve had clients who wrote their memoirs with an audience of a few dozen people in mind, writers who never expect anyone outside that circle to buy a copy. That said, most memoirists imagine a larger market for their narrative. Unfortunately, how they reach those potential readers and sell books to them often becomes a panicked afterthought once their memoir is already written.
You’re much better off considering how to write a memoir that’s marketable as you begin to tell your story. You’ll save yourself time, money, and headaches by working backwards from the imagined moment of someone buying your book. This will help you to understand what makes a saleable product and how to write one — from the very first sentence. Here are 7 ways you can make your memoir marketable:
1. Start with the best part
I have a client who survived a terrible car accident and lost all vital signs. He suffered a debilitating brain injury and was forced to quit his professional career. Somehow, he’s managed to remain positive through all of his challenges and excruciating recovery and now inspires others with his remarkable story as a motivational speaker. But the first fifty pages of his initial manuscript described his childhood and early adult life. It took three chapters before getting to the fateful day when his life changed forever. I told him to start his book as he awoke from a month-long coma in the hospital. This helps grab the reader’s attention right away by establishing the stakes and getting them invested in the outcome of his story.
Memoirs should always start with the best part. You have to grab the reader’s attention. The goal is to make someone who doesn’t know you either care about you or at least become very interested in what happens to you. (Preferably both.) You need to do that on the first page of your memoir. Potential customers are reading those first pages online before they even buy your book. They will not wade through ten thousand words about your carefree bike rides in the countryside surrounding grandpa’s farm before getting to the meat of the story.
It’s easy enough to flash backwards and forwards in memoir writing. Open with a bang and then go back in time if you still think those bike rides add important context. An added benefit of starting with the best part is that it puts you in the right frame of mind for producing a marketable memoir. You’ll be inspired to maintain the reader’s interest at that same level throughout the entire book.
2. Put your reader on your radar
Have you ever rounded a corner in your car and hit a patch of ice? You pump the brakes but it’s too late; you’re out of control and sliding off the road completely. You were so focused on getting to wherever you’re going that you didn’t notice what lay ahead. This is how many memoirists approach book sales. The big day finally arrives when their work is published and then — like they’re hitting that icy patch — they realize they weren’t prepared for marketing. Who are they trying to reach? How will they reach them? When a book publishes, authors have a fairly short window (usually about 6 months) to capitalize on their debut with media, interviews, in-store events… They should have been considering who is waiting around the corner for their book: readers!
Most of our clients are first-time authors, so it’s only natural that they are focused foremost on the story they’re trying to tell. But if you want to write a marketable book, you have to keep the customer in mind, too. Imagine your ideal reader. How old are they? What gender? Where do they live and what do they do? What is it about your story that would make this kind of person click “buy” on your book?
One of my clients is a man in his seventies. He’s writing a memoir about his phenomenal success as an entrepreneur. We know from research that his target audience is younger women. So, he’s dialing back the sports analogies while increasing the quotes from successful women in business. His book will be more likely to appeal to the right audience when it’s published because he put his reader on his radar while he was writing.
3. Make your memoir relevant today
It’s hard to write a book about something that has just happened to you. Memoirists need to put a bit of retrospection between their story and writing about it. This time and distance can easily add up to decades, which poses a problem … but also an opportunity. The challenge is to make your memoir relevant to the reader in the present time.
I’ve been working with a retired nurse for the past year. In the mid-1990s, she was at the center of one of the greatest medical tragedies in Canadian history. At the time, her story was all over the news. The CBC even made a TV movie based on her experiences. But that was almost thirty years ago. Because of COVID, people and publishers today are again interested in books about the dysfunctional healthcare system in Canada. We’re making that connection in the memoir. There’s also a theme about silencing women’s voices at work because almost all nurses in the nineties were women while most doctors were men. That, too, is relevant today. There’s even a #MeToo angle in this memoir — although nobody called it that back then.
Imagine telling a stranger what your memoir is about and their response is, “so what?” They’re telling you that you haven’t made it relevant to them today. Sure, it might be a real page-turner because you lived such a wild life, made millions of dollars, lost it all in a bet at the race track, and then started again. But to someone who doesn’t know you, that’s not enough. Why should they care? If you make your memoir meaningful to a reader today, you’ve already answered the “so what?” question and made your book significantly more marketable in the process.
4. Don’t write an autobiography
Memoirs recount a specific period of time (just the 1990s, for instance, or just your teenage years), a specific area of focus (your job, childhood, or talent), or just a singular episode in your chronology (like an accident, a divorce, or becoming a parent) that changed everything. An autobiography describes your entire life. While many authors use the terms interchangeably, these are two distinct genres and one of them is best avoided (for most of us).
Autobiographies are suitable for someone who is famous. These folks have a built-in audience because they are public figures and many people already know something about them. While the public might clamor for “the rest of the story” when it comes to a celebrity, people don’t have the same interest in strangers. You’re better off focusing on a much tighter narrative that will hold a reader’s attention.
Think about movies you’ve enjoyed. Have any of those movies encompassed an entire life of the protagonist? I doubt it. That’s because even the most skilled filmmakers find it next to impossible to hold their audience’s attention while covering a subject’s saga from birth to old age. If Steven Spielberg can’t do it in film, what do you think your chances are with an autobiography? In a way, writing a memoir is less of an overwhelming task, because you don’t need to cover everything. Just one specific angle.
Keep it simple and targeted. Tell one great story about a particularly fascinating period of your life. Find a narrative that has a clear beginning, middle, and end, and tell that story to the best of your ability.
5. Blend genres
I recently searched for “memoirs” on Amazon. There were over 60,000 results. Then I searched “being positive in the face of hardship,” which yielded only 34 results. Let’s imagine that you are writing a memoir about overcoming a difficult time in your life. You’ve learned a few inspiring things, and you want to be explicit about those lessons. Suddenly, you’re a genre blender. By adding a self-help component, you will make your memoir more marketable and easier to find. Now, it’s one of only 34 titles within a very searchable category.
Self-help is the most obvious crossover genre for making your memoir more marketable. Travel stories are also a good option. I’ve seen authors mix history or spirituality into their books, too. My stepson is a professor of philosophy and also the frontman for the wildly successful Celtic punk band The Dreadnoughts. He could write a memoir about the philosophy of mosh pits.
The secret is searchability. It’s much better being in a category of a few dozen titles than battling tens of thousands of similar books for the eye of a reader.
6. Write for podcasts
It’s estimated that there are currently over two million podcasts. Apple Podcasts alone has over 700,000 different shows to choose from. Nearly all of those programs require a new guest with something interesting to talk about every week. That next guest could be you!
I ask my book coaching clients to consider what kind of podcast they would like to appear on when their book is finished. Imagine how the host would introduce you. Think about the “hook”: the short marketing blurb that makes your memoir sound really interesting to the podcast’s listeners. The hook is what the host will use to lead your segment in; how will they entice their audience to tune in?
Most authors wait until their book is finished before they consider marketing themselves as a podcast guest. But if you know who that audience will be as you begin to write, you can shape your words so that the book will be easier to market after publication.
7. Write like a pro
Anyone who considers buying your book is likely to be an expert reader. They will have read dozens if not hundreds of books in their lifetime. They have experience and can spot shoddy prose from miles away. They will know whether you write like a pro just from reading a few sentences online. The problem is that you’re not a professional writer … yet. Your memoir may well be the first book you’ve ever written. This puts you at a distinct disadvantage with your potential customer. Therefore, the single most important tip for writing a marketable memoir is to write a great book.
FriesenPress offers a free writing guide with valuable lessons on taking your craft to the next level. Book writing coaches like those on my team are just a few clicks away and can provide the support you need. Maybe you have a friend who is a writer, and they’ve expressed a willingness to review your work in progress. The goal is to find the right kind of guidance to make sure you produce good quality writing.
Even if your manuscript is already complete, the editors at FriesenPress can conduct an evaluation and give you clear advice on how to improve the text. Friends and colleagues who like to read can review the first draft and share their impressions of your work. Don’t assume that the A+ you received in high school or college on your final essay means you’re able to meet the high standards readers demand today. Learn to write like a pro so your book will be more marketable than your competition, regardless of the Amazon category you ultimately choose to define your book. That learning will take practice, so start writing those words down, and you’ll be on your way to creating a great memoir.
Steve Donahue is a professional speaker, book coach, and the author of two bestselling nonfiction books. His works have sold over 100,000 copies and have been translated into Korean, Turkish, Russian and Greek. Steve helps new and experienced authors turn their book ideas into well-crafted publications that delight readers and inspire change. To learn more, visit his website at MyBookCoach.ca.
