When Should You Publish Your Memoir?
Everyone has a story to tell, so it’s no wonder that so many people are drawn to the idea of capturing their story in a memoir. The pull gets even more potent when someone survives a particularly harrowing, challenging, or unusual experience like escaping a cult, surviving a massive accident, or recovering from a debilitating injury. It makes sense to immediately start writing about your experience and the emotional journey you went through as soon as you find yourself on the other side of the event. That way you can capture as many fresh memories as possible, and work through your feelings as they happen. In fact, some might even find writing down their experiences and emotions is a great way to help them process and heal.
Just because you’re getting a lot of content that is poignant and helpful to you fresh off of surviving something life-changing, however, it might not be the right time to publish your story. There are a lot of things that go into publishing a great memoir, and it certainly is a delicate balancing act between proverbially “striking while the iron is hot,” while also making sure you and your story are ready for to interact with strangers. To help you navigate those choppy waters, here are a few things to consider when preparing to publish your memoir.
IS THERE A NEWS ANGLE TO THE STORY?
Admittedly, this question feels a bit slimy to ask. If you’re looking to use your memoir as a springboard for any kind of long-term publishing or speaking career, however, this is important to consider. Are you writing a memoir about an event that was in the news or will be in the news when you come out with your story? For example, Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus were three women held captive in a home for years, and in 2013 were rescued. These women had been imprisoned for around a decade and they not only survived, but Berry escaped and led police to where she was being held. They survived something horrifying and harrowing; a trauma that massive certainly would take years to unpack and heal from. However, Knight released a memoir telling her story in 2014, and Berry and DeJesus shared their story in a joint memoir in 2015. Both books were published traditionally, so given the timeline of traditional publishing, the three likely signed book deals very quickly after their escape. Regardless of the healing and processing they were likely still working through, their story was timely and in the forefront of the public interest. And with Lifetime releasing a movie about them and various true crime authors telling their stories, it likely became clear that if they wanted their story to come out in their words, they had to tell it as quickly as possible. Whether you’re exploring traditional, self, or hybrid publishing, if your story has a news angle to it—especially if you want to use the book to bolster your career in writing or speaking—it’s definitely worth considering speeding up your publication timeline as much as possible.
WHAT ARE THE OPTICS OF PUBLISHING NOW?
A tricky thing about a memoir is that the story is often a way to directly profit from a challenging or traumatic event, and that can be challenging in the public eye if not handled carefully. Take, for instance, the example mentioned above about Knight, Berry, and DeJesus. The story, the trauma, and the experience belonged wholly to those three individuals. On the flip side, if a memoir is about the trauma, challenges, or struggles of another person, the optics of when that memoir releases is everything. Is the book about the death of a loved one who only just passed away? Is the memoir about your interaction with an individual who survived a traumatic event that just happened? If so, take a moment to think about how the release might look to the general public, people who don’t know you and might not give you the benefit of the doubt. Obviously, you’ll never please anyone, but it’s important to think of the optics of your release date, so it doesn’t seem like the book is being published in bad taste and profiting off another’s pain, thereby alienating a majority of your readers.
HOW EASY IS IT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED?
It can be easy to think, especially if you have any sort of public platform, that if you get a memoir out there, your story will be told and you won’t have to talk about it ever again. Instead, you’ll just be able to point the curious to your book. And while you could certainly operate in that fashion, the reality is if you want your book to have a more evergreen, consistent shelf life, you’re going to have to be okay with talking about your story in interviews and speaking engagements, and with interested readers. Additionally, if you’re going the route of a ghostwriter or collaborator to bring your story to life, you’ll not only have to tell your story several times for publicity, but you’ll have to be okay with really digging around in the event you want to capture in your memoir so your ghostwriter or collaborator can best relay what happened and how you felt. Because of all this (especially if your memoir is chronicling a loss or other traumatic event), you might find that while you’re ready to write out your thoughts and explain what happened, you’re not quite ready to rehash the ordeal over and over with relative strangers. If that’s where you find yourself, even if your story is timely, it might be worth waiting to start your publishing journey.
Although only you will truly know when you’re ready to write your memoir, you should always feel empowered to process and heal through your own writing. Remembering things like audience opinions and the realities of having your story published, however, will help you know if you’re ready to go beyond writing and work toward getting your memoir published. But don’t feel like you have to take that journey alone! We’d love to help you bring your story to life! You can schedule a free consultation with us to discuss your project, and you can look at our services page to see if working with one of our editors or writing coaches might help you reach your writing goals.