You Should Really Write a Book: How to Write, Sell and Market your Memoir

by Regina Brooks, Brenda Lane Richardson

Even if you don't happen to be a celebrity, this book will teach you methods for striking publishing gold—conceptualizing, selling, and marketing a memoir—while dealing with the complicated emotions that arise during the creation of your work. If you've ever been told that "You should really write a book" and you've decided to give it a try, this book is for you. It hones in on the three key measures necessary for aspiring authors to conceptualize, sell, and market their memoirs. Written especially for those who don't happen to be celebrities You Should Really Write a Book reveals why and how so many relatively unknown memoirists are making a name for themselves. With references to more than four hundred books and six memoir categories, this is essential reading for anyone wanting to write a commercially viable memoir in today's vastly changing publishing industry. The days are long gone when editors and agents were willing to take on a manuscript simply because it was based on a "good" idea or even because it was well written. With eyes focused on the bottom line, they now look for skilled and creative authors with an established audience, too.Brooks and Richardson use the latest social networking, marketing, and promotional trends and explain how to conceptualize and strategize campaigns that cause buzz, dramatically fueling word-of-mouth and attracting attention in the publishing world and beyond. Full of current examples and in-depth analysis, this guide explains what sells and why, teaches writers to think like publishers, and offers guidance on dealing with complicated emotions—essential tools for maximizing memoir success.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Self Help

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2012

About the author

Regina Brooks is an award-winning author and literary expert with an indefatigable passion for guiding the careers of some of the publishing worlds best and brightest stars. As the founder and president of Serendipity Literary Agency LLC., a full-service company based in Brooklyn, NY, which was hailed by Writers Digest Magazine as one of the top 25 literary agencies of 2004, Ms. Brooks continues to break down barriers and shape the literary landscape by signing authors who challenge the written word.

Led by Ms. Brooks, Serendipity Literary Agency LLC., has established a diverse base of award-winning authors in the adult and young adult fiction, non-fiction, and children's genres; including three-time National Book Award finalist, Newberry and Coretta Scott King award-winning author Marilyn Nelson, and Coretta Scott King Award winner, Sundee Frazier, author of Brendan Buckleys Universe and Everything in it, an Oprah Book Pick and an Al Roker Book Club selection.

With over fifteen years of experience in senior positions at major publishing houses, including John Wiley & Sons Inc (where she was the youngest member of the editorial staff and the first African-American editor in their college division) and the McGraw-Hill companies, Ms. Brooks, a graduate of the Howard University Publishing Institute and faculty member of the Harvard CME publishing course, is also the author of the childrens book, Never Finished! Never Done! (Scholastic, 2004). She is a book blogger for the Huffingtonpost.com

Ms. Brooks is also the founder and executive director of YB Literary Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote the reading of literature as a meaningful, lifelong activity and transformative experience for youth. Much to her delight, this aspect of her charitable work in particular keeps her apprised of the latest teen trends. Through a roster of community-focused programming that draws on popular culture, YBs goal is to expose youth to literature that is relevant to their livesliterature that speaks to their realities, their experiences and to their potential as future leaders. The organization has touched thousands of high school students in the NY/NJ area alone. Under her guidance, the YB Literary Foundation established a partnership with The National Urban League to launch the hiphopreader.com program.

A New York Urban League Rising Star Award winner and a 2004 finalist for the StevieTM Award for Women Entrepreneurs, Regina Brooks is featured in books such as The Guide to Literary Agents and the NAACP nominated Down to Business 10 steps for Women Entrepreneurs. She is also listed in International Who's Who under the categories of Professional Management, Technology, Entrepreneurs, and Engineering.

Ms. Brooks serves on the board of Soul Mountain Literary Retreat Center and is a member of the Brooklyn Book Festival Committee for Childrens and Young Adult Literature. An active member of the National Association of Female Executives and NY Women in Television and Film and a member of the National Association of Professional Women, she lectures at over a dozen conferences annually, including the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Bologna Book Fair and the American Library Association.
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Reviews

[Mary K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this awhile back and forgot to review it. Quite a lot of helpful and original info

[Vonetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is helpful if you're really at square one with a memoir--you've got ideas, but you haven't gotten any words on the page yet. If you're farther than that, this book isn't for you because it gives such a broad overview of the genre. I was hoping it would spend more time on the proposal, but it got one small section, whereas the different types of memoir (coming of age, addiction, etc) got multiple pages each.

[W. Whalin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life provides us with amazing experiences--some tragic and some joyful. As you go through these experiences, people will say to you, "YOU SHOULD REALLY WRITE A BOOK." Because almost everyone has a computer and keyboard, writers put their fingers on the keyboard and produce manuscripts. In fact, millions of these "books" are circulating inside publishers and agents. I wish each one of them could carefully read and apply the information inside this book.

I've got many shelves of how-to-write books which I have carefully read and written about for years. In a matter of a few pages, I knew YOU SHOULD REALLY WRITE A BOOK was a winner and rang with solid information mixed with what every writer needs--the truth about this complicated business of publishing.

The key reason for getting this book is highlighted in the subtitle--"How to Write, Sell, and Market Your Memoir." This benefit for you the reader is substantiated on the second page: "People may have told you that the events in your life have been so dramatic that you should really write a book. The challenge, though, is not only how to write the story and make it readable, but how to sell and market it, too. While this book does not aim to give you line-by-line writing, editing, or structural advice, it is designed to show you how to turn your dream of writing a published memoir into a reality, from conceiving the story to selling and marketing it. "Writing," "selling," and ""marketing" are the operative words here. Most people assume that it's best to write a memoir first and then consider how to sell and market it. But these days, that's a counterproductive idea. Working through YOU SHOULD REALLY WRITE A BOOK can make the difference between producing a manuscript written to appeal to friends and relatives versus one that can convince an agent to invest energy and time on your behalf in trying to sell it to an acquisitions editor for publication."

This book is full of relevant insight for every writer (and especially writers of memoirs). The contents are divided into three major sections: an overview of the genre, details about the major categories of memoir and finally the publishing business aspects of working with a collaborator and contacting an agent.

Through reading this book, I learned the term RU or what the authors call "Relative Unknowns." As the authors explained, "It was designed for RUs, people generally not widely known or recognized outside their own circles. It is especially for those who do not have household names. Our aim is to level the playing field for those who are not super rich, or famous, or powerful. Written to give you a competitive advantage, this book will teach you to think like publishing professionals, so you will know what they will expect of you." (Page 13)

This book achieves this purpose. If fit their target audience (Relative Unknown), then I hope you will read this book cover to cover--as I did. Keep your yellow highlighter handy because it will call to your attention memoirs that you haven't read but need to and much more. YOU SHOULD REALLY WRITE A BOOK is a title I enjoyed and highly recommend because of the how-to information mixed with personal storytelling and current publishing insights.

[Beth Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned about this book from a colleague of the authors and purchased it right away. The book is very readable, well-organized and helpful for anyone in any stage of the memoir process. It's encouraging without being unrealistic about expectations. The authors used dozens of examples of memoirs, along with bullet lists and suggestions. It also includes a section on acquiring and working with an agent and details on six different categories of memoir. I highly recommend this book to anyone considering writing a memoir.

[Sue Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reference tool to help with writing and publishing your own book/memoir.

[Patti Townley-Covert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for anyone who is thinking about writing a memoir. Though I've been a writer for a long time, I needed a breakthrough to figure out how to tell my story and this book gave it to me in its discussion of themes. Now I can see how my story can becomes a series of books. I also really appreciated lists of memoirs to read and the suggested resources for developing a platform.

[Rachel Goodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about the business of getting into the world of memoir writing.

[Jase · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just started this book and have high hopes for some of the Rock Concert Trail Memoir.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chock full of information from a literary agent. For the aspiring memoirist who might want to sell their memoir.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has really practical, useful suggestions.