Convinced Your Memoir Is The Next Best-Seller?

Don't book that world cruise just yet

Most people want to record their life stories for the benefit of their families, friends and descendants, and possibly even for local libraries and future researchers.

However, some are convinced that their life story will produce a best-selling book that may even be turned into a hit movie or a movie for television.

If you are thinking along these lines—your life as bestseller or big box office—please use the information below to help guide you. Even though your life story IS fascinating and dramatic, and IS worth recording, it may NOT be right for commercial publication.

How The Commercial Publishing Industry Develops Material

1. Publishing houses, film studios, and television networks are overwhelmed with material from unknown writers. Most of it they throw away.
2. Producing a bestseller, a hit show, or a hit movie is an extremely expensive and risky investment. Most projects fail to make back their money. Therefore, these businesses invest in "sure things": a celebrity, a writer with a track record of successes, or the hot topic of the month.
3. To reach these businesses and be taken seriously requires representation by a literary agent. The publishing, TV and movie industries expect the agents to screen people and material for them. Most will only accept material submitted from agents.
4. Agents only make money if they sell a book or script. Therefore, they only take clients who are "sure things." Catch-22!
5. And so agents, too, are overwhelmed with material from unknown writers. Most of that material, too, is thrown away.

If You Want to Try It Anyway

1. Go to the library (or online) and search for agents who represent your kind of book and will accept unsolicited submissions. Copy the agency's name, address, phone number, and the name of a person to contact.
2. Look up small publishers who publish your kind of book and accept unsolicited submissions. Copy down the publisher's name, address, phone number, and the name of a person to contact.
3. Look up how to write a book proposal at the library or online. Write the best book proposal you can, show it to several people and ASK for their suggestions before you send it out. Make sure it follows the guidelines.
4. Prioritize your list of agencies or publishers. Manuscripts should be sent to only one agency or publisher at a time.
5. Before submitting your proposal, call the agent or publisher and make sure the contact person is still there; if not, find out the correct person's name. Address your proposal to that person.
6. Send your book proposal in the form they say they'll accept: by mail, fax, or e-mail. Wait several weeks, then if you haven't heard from them, follow up with a short, polite phone call asking if they received the material, and if not, whether you should re-send it.
7. If one publisher or agent rejects your book, go to the next one on your list. That's the process.

Try Selling Your Book on a Smaller Scale

1. Ask neighborhood, religious, educational or ethnic organizations that are part of your story to sell copies of your book in their gift shop.
2. Try placing your books in your local independent bookstore. Sam's Club and Costco will sometimes accept books from local authors.
3. Give talks to groups on a related subject and sell your books at the back of the room.

Sharon Levine Waldman
Family Chronicles

Sharon Waldman is experienced in the publishing, television and film industries as a writer, interviewer, editor and staff member. Since 1998, she has focused on personal history projects for individuals and families. In her business, "Family Chronicles", she has produced family history books, individual life stories, and tribute books.