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A Lifetime Can’t be Summed Up in One Letter

A Lifetime Can’t be Summed Up in One Letter
“As I near age 80, I feel that the story I have carried in my heart since childhood should be written,” begins a letter to the Chicago Tribune published last week. The letter goes on to summarize the writer’s happy childhood, which takes a total of eight paragraphs.
It’s nice that a major newspaper gives people the opportunity to relate their memories, but this also made me sad. The letter-writer is 80 years old and bursting with the desire to share the story she’s has carried in her heart all these years. So why has she waited until age 80? You can never be sure that you will be physically and mentally capable of sharing your story if you wait. Also, why limit your reach to one letter in one newspaper when you can write a book to have forever or list on amazon.com?
One of our WriteMyMemoir authors who asked us to publish his memoir started out last summer with 20 books. He’s already twice asked us to print up 20 more, because people see the book and want a copy for themselves. It’s so special to have a memoir available! As the New Year approaches, think about what you want your life to represent. You can shape the concept people have of you by crafting it in a memoir, and you don’t have to wait until your golden years or limit yourself to eight paragraphs when you have a whole book in you to write!
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-vp-1224voicelettersbriefs-20111224,0,5671839.story?page=3

“As I near age 80, I feel that the story I have carried in my heart since childhood should be written,” begins a letter to the Chicago Tribune published last week. The letter goes on to summarize the writer’s happy childhood, which takes a total of eight paragraphs.

It’s nice that a major newspaper gives people the opportunity to relate their memories, but this also made me sad. The letter-writer is 80 years old and bursting with the desire to share the story she has  carried in her heart all these years. So why has she waited until age 80? You can never be sure that you will be physically and mentally capable of sharing your story if you wait. Also, why limit your reach to one letter in one newspaper when you can write a book to have forever or list on amazon.com?

One of our WriteMyMemoir authors who asked us to publish his memoir started out last summer with 20 books. He’s already twice asked us to print up 20 more, because people see the book and want a copy for themselves. It’s so special to have a memoir available! As the New Year approaches, think about what you want your life to represent. You can shape the concept people have of you by crafting it in a memoir, and you don’t have to wait until your golden years or limit yourself to eight paragraphs when you have a whole book in you to write!

December 27th, 2011 by admin


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You May Live On Digitally

Publishing a memoir is one way to create a record of your life that lives on after you die. For many people, that’s the main motivation for writing one. Now consider this: you’re also creating a record, and possibly a less deliberate one, if you’re involved with social media. Every time you update your Facebook status or issue a tweet on Twitter, you’re leaving a written account of a piece of your life. Emails contribute to this, too.

Adam Ostrow, editor-in-chief of mashable.com, takes a closer look at the possibilities of the digital afterlife on a ted.com post. He speculates that people who miss you ultimately may be able interact with a hologram of you that communicates thoughts developed through a computer-generated guess at what you might say next based on what you’ve posted and tweeted in the past.

By that time, of course, it will all be out of your control. Such futuristic possibilities provide an even more compelling reason to write a memoir that you craft with purpose. Your own written account of your life will stand as a sort of “last word” on what you wanted to say and, ultimately, how you wanted to be remembered. It trumps a tweet that you may have issued in an emotional moment. So continue writing your memoir! Still, it’s interesting to contemplate what else will represent your life in years to come.

October 18th, 2011 by admin


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Branding Yourself With a Memoir

Branding Yourself: the Memoir Piece
If you have your own business, marketers recommend branding yourself as the best way to establish expertise in your field. Branding yourself simply refers to controlling how you’re defined and then getting your name, and even your face, out there in front of current and potential customers. Today people rely on blogs, podcasts, Facebook, Twitter and the “dinosaur??? of branding—personal appearances.
It’s also smart to become an author. Once you’ve written a book, you have something tangible to talk about as well as a reference through which people can learn more about you. You might be able to get the press to review the book or schedule radio interviews to talk about it. Typically, your book will deal with subject matter relating to your industry. A chef writes a cookbook; a landscape architect might publish a guide to creating a beautiful yard. But to let people get to know you and want to work with you, what’s more effective than writing a memoir?
It doesn’t have to be a long book recounting your entire life story. You can be very selective about the stories from your life that you share. In fact, a smaller book makes it easy to mail out to people or show in pdf form on your website. Instead of including TMI—too much information—you can focus on topics such as what inspired you to go into your field and perhaps some of your most interesting projects. The memoir itself will set you apart from your competition!

If you have your own business, marketers recommend branding yourself as the best way to establish expertise in your field. Branding yourself simply refers to controlling how you’re defined and then getting your name, and even your face, out there in front of current and potential customers. Today people rely on blogs, podcasts, Facebook, Twitter and the “dinosaur??? of branding—personal appearances.

It’s also smart to become an author. Once you’ve written a book, you have something tangible to talk about as well as a reference through which people can learn more about you. You might be able to get the press to review the book or schedule radio interviews to talk about it. Typically, your book will deal with subject matter relating to your industry. A chef writes a cookbook; a landscape architect might publish a guide to creating a beautiful yard. But to let people get to know you and want to work with you, what’s more effective than writing a memoir?

It doesn’t have to be a long book recounting your entire life story. You can be very selective about the stories from your life that you share. In fact, a smaller book makes it easy to mail out to people or show in pdf form on your website. Instead of including TMI—too much information—you can focus on topics such as what inspired you to go into your field and perhaps some of your most interesting projects. The memoir itself will set you apart from your competition!

August 9th, 2011 by admin


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Enter Writer’s Digest Competitions for Cash

Enter Writer’s Digest Competitions for Cash
Since you’re sitting down daily to write your memoirs—you are, right?—you might as well try to score some prize money for your trouble. We like to periodically list legitimate writing contests so you can challenge yourself to keep writing better. To keep you busy throughout the remaining months of 2011, Writer’s Digest offers a variety of competitions targeting different writing styles. They include:
Script. If you want to write a screenplay, here’s your chance to show your creative potential and win not only a monetary prize but also mentoring sessions with a Hollywood screenwriter.
Short story. Writer’s Digest posts a new topic every month; stories must be 750 words or fewer. In a separate short story competition, the limit is 1,500 words.
Your genre of choice—horror, thriller, science fiction, romance, crime or young adult fiction. There’s a contest for each of those.
Poetry. If you’re a poet, you know it!
In November, Writer’s Digest will open two more: its Annual Writing Competition for 2012 and its next International Self-Published Book Awards program. These two competitions comprise many categories and offer multiple prizes. To compete in the Self-Published Book Awards, of course, you need to have published a book. Please check our publishing page for details on how we can help you do that at a very affordable price!
http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/writing-competitions

Since you’re sitting down daily to write your memoirs—you are, right?—you might as well try to score some prize money for your trouble. We like to periodically list legitimate writing contests so you can challenge yourself to grow and continue to improve your writing. To keep you busy throughout the remaining months of 2011, Writer’s Digest offers a variety of competitions targeting different writing styles. They include:

  • Script. If you want to write a screenplay, here’s your chance to show your creative potential and win not only a monetary prize but also mentoring sessions with a bona fide Hollywood screenwriter.
  • Short story. Writer’s Digest posts a new topic every month; stories must be 750 words or fewer. In a separate short story competition, the limit is 1,500 words.
  • Your genre of choice—horror, thriller, science fiction, romance, crime or young adult fiction. There’s a contest for each of those.
  • Poetry. If you’re a poet, you know it!

In November, Writer’s Digest will open two more: its Annual Writing Competition for 2012 and its next International Self-Published Book Awards program. These two competitions comprise many categories and offer multiple prizes. To compete in the Self-Published Book Awards, of course, you need to have published a book. Please check our “Publish My Book” page for details on how we can help you do that at a very affordable price!

August 2nd, 2011 by admin


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Easy Publishing for a Short Book

Is your autobiography, or any other book you would like to publish, no more than 20 pages? Write My Memoirs offers you a special price of just $99 to publish 25 books of that size.

You might think you can’t tell your entire life story in just 20 pages. Perhaps you have a different idea for a book. Our price includes as many black-and-white photos as you want to include.

One of our customers has a great idea for an upcoming family reunion. She has written up the highlights of the clan’s history, and she’ll publish the book to hand out at the reunion. The cover shows a photo of the family a couple of generations ago. It will be a wonderful gift and surprise for her family members. Click here if you would like more information on publishing with Write My Memoirs, or just send us an email and we’ll customize the project for you.

June 14th, 2011 by admin


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So You Think You Can Publish Your Book!

So You Think You Can Publish Your Book!
Memoir writers often email us to ask how to go the “traditional??? route in getting their book published. This is what we tell them:
Many writers hope that a traditional publisher will pick up their memoirs for publication. The major advantage in going that route is that the publisher will do all of the distribution and promotion. You could be sent on a national book tour, and the publisher can easily get your book into bookstores and libraries. You might even be offered an advance—a sum of money before you’ve finished your work that gives you the freedom to take the time to write your memoir. And if the publisher is interested in your story but you cannot write it yourself, you could be assigned a professional writer to work with you. The other advantage is that once you’ve been published by a traditional publisher, it’s easier to get a second book picked up similarly.
The downside of publishing with a traditional publisher is that after the expense of the promotion, distribution and the publisher’s profit, there’s not that much left for you. Your share of the royalties from sales of the book is usually pretty low, so unless your book becomes a best-seller you will not earn much money in the long run.
But all of that is typically beside the point for an unknown first-time author, because it’s nearly impossible to make the traditional route happen. First you need to find an agent who believes in your book enough to represent you and pitch it to publishers. Just getting an agent is very difficult. Your writing must be of professional quality, your story must be unique and compelling and sometimes you need an introduction to get an agent to read it in the first place. If your story is newsworthy and you’ve been covered by the national press, or even your local press, the publisher may come to you with an offer to publish your book. If not, it’s unlikely that you will be able to get a traditional publisher to publish it.
Self-publishing is so affordable and quick. I believe that today the easier method is to self-publish, establish a website to promote your book, take it around to some bookstores, and then if your book sells pretty well a publisher may take notice of it and offer to publish a second edition to really get it out there. At Write My Memoirs, we do not have any contacts with agents or publishers. But we can help you to self-publish. Please let us know if you decide to self-publish, and we’ll get started on it.

Memoir writers often email us to ask how to go the “traditional” route in getting their book published. This is what we tell them:

Many writers hope that a traditional publisher will pick up their memoirs for publication. The major advantage in going that route is that the publisher will do all of the distribution and promotion. You could be sent on a national book tour, and the publisher can easily get your book into bookstores and libraries. You might even be offered an advance—a sum of money before you’ve finished your work that gives you the freedom to take the time to write your memoir. And if the publisher is interested in your story but you cannot write it yourself, you could be assigned a professional writer to work with you. The other advantage is that once you’ve been published by a traditional publisher, it’s easier to get a second book picked up similarly.

The downside of publishing with a traditional publisher is that after the expense of the promotion, distribution and the publisher’s profit, there’s not that much left for you. Your share of the royalties from sales of the book is usually pretty low, so unless your book becomes a best-seller you will not earn much money in the long run.

But all of that is typically beside the point for an unknown first-time author, because it’s nearly impossible to make the traditional route happen. First you need to find an agent who believes in your book enough to represent you and pitch it to publishers. Just getting an agent is very difficult. Your writing must be of professional quality, your story must be unique and compelling and sometimes you need an introduction to get an agent to read it in the first place. If your story is newsworthy and you’ve been covered by the national press, or even your local press, the publisher may come to you with an offer to publish your book. If not, it’s unlikely that you will be able to get a traditional publisher to publish it.

Self-publishing is so affordable and quick. I believe that today the easier method is to self-publish, establish a website to promote your book, take it around to some bookstores, and then if your book sells pretty well a publisher may take notice of it and offer to publish a second edition to really get it out there. Meanwhile, you’ll keep all the profits. At Write My Memoirs, we do not have any contacts with agents or publishers. But we can help you to self-publish. Please let us know if you decide to self-publish, and we’ll get started on it.

June 7th, 2011 by admin


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Your Memoir May Be Your Best Insurance Policy

Your Memoir May Be Your Best Insurance Policy
An overflowing river roars through your ranch, sweeping away your possessions. A twisting tornado blows into your bungalow, scattering and smashing your belongings. An earthquake rumbles beneath your two-flat until all of your worldly goods come crashing to the ground. A fire, a hurricane—it takes just one natural disaster to break your heart. Your home videos are ruined. The artifact you brought home from a trip is in a million pieces. The jewelry with sentimental value is bent beyond recognition. Your treasured photographs, diary and birthday cards are now soaking wet, ripped to shreds or missing altogether.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal gets it. Surveying his state’s flood damage the other day, he worried out loud that people could lose property—“and their memories.??? Your home insurance may cover the expense of replacing a flooded car or crushed computer, but no insurance policy in the world can guard against heartbreak from losing your memories.
What there is, however, is your memoir. Preserving your memories in a permanent way—digitally online so that you can always publish them into a book if you choose—is an insurance policy in a way, ensuring that you’ll always have your words that express your feelings about what everything has meant to you. Include photos in your memoir so that you retain them. Write from your heart about your travels and the people you love. You never know when wind, water, fire or earth may threaten to claim your memories.

An overflowing river roars through your ranch, sweeping away your possessions. A twisting tornado blows into your bungalow, scattering and smashing your belongings. An earthquake rumbles beneath your two-flat until all of your worldly goods come crashing to the ground. A fire, a hurricane—it takes just one natural disaster to break your heart. Your home videos are ruined. The artifact you brought home from a trip is in a million pieces. The jewelry with sentimental value is bent beyond recognition. Your treasured photographs, diary and birthday cards are now soaking wet, ripped to shreds or missing altogether.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal gets it. Surveying his state’s flood damage the other day, he worried out loud that people could lose property—“and their memories.??? Your home insurance may cover the expense of replacing a flooded car or crushed computer, but no insurance policy in the world can guard against heartbreak from losing your memories.

What there is, however, is your memoir. Preserving your memories in a permanent way—digitally online so that you can always publish them into a book if you choose—is an insurance policy in a way, ensuring that you’ll always have your words that express your feelings about what everything has meant to you. Include photos in your memoir so that you retain them. Write from your heart about your travels and the people you love. You never know when wind, water, fire or earth may threaten to claim your memories.

May 17th, 2011 by admin


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Memoirs Lite? New Option Lets You Publish a Shorter Book

Memoirs Lite? New Option Lets You Publish a Shorter Book
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Great geniuses have the shortest biographies.??? Whether you consider yourself a genius or not, if you can put your life story into 20 pages you’ll like our latest option here at Write My Memoirs—a special price of only $4.95 per book to publish your short book. Our books are 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches, which fits about 300-325 words per page.
A short-book idea might appeal for a variety of purposes. For one thing, while a biography typically ends with the subject’s death, an autobiography can feel as if you’re never quite finished. There is always a new adventure on your horizon, so you might want to publish a series of small books to have something tangible even as you continue to follow your life into your later years. Or maybe your youth, military service, career or retirement warrants its own title and volume. Perhaps there’s one particularly compelling or well-written story from your life you would like to have stand alone—perhaps for wider distribution. Even if you include it as a chapter in your memoir, you might also want to try to sell it separately on a website or through bookstores, or use it as a present for your grandchildren.
We also are happy to help you publish any book—even if it is not a memoir. For example, a book of poetry may be only 20 pages. Please visit our publishing page for details.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Great geniuses have the shortest biographies.??? Whether you consider yourself a genius or not, if you can put your life story into 20 pages you’ll like our latest option here at Write My Memoirs—a special price of only $4.95 per book to publish your short book. Our books are 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches, which fits about 300-325 words per page.

A short-book idea might appeal for a variety of purposes. For one thing, while a biography typically ends with the subject’s death, an autobiography can feel as if you’re never quite finished. There is always a new adventure on your horizon, so you might want to publish a series of small books to have something tangible even as you continue to follow your life into your later years. Or maybe your youth, military service, career or retirement warrants its own title and volume. Perhaps there’s one particularly compelling or well-written story from your life you would like to have stand alone. Even if you include it as a chapter in your memoir, you might also want to publish it separately to sell on a website or through bookstores, or use it as a gift for your grandchildren.

We also are happy to help you publish any book—even if it is not a memoir. For example, your book of poetry may be only 20 pages. Please visit our publishing page for details.

April 19th, 2011 by admin


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Hey, Charlie Sheen, Write a Memoir!

To Charlie Sheen: Write a Memoir!
Say what you want about him, but clearly Mr. Charlie Sheen has an audience. I was shocked when his upcoming one-man show, “My Violent Torpedo of Truth,??? sold out here in Chicago within 15 minutes. Like many of us, Charlie wants to tell his own story from his point of view—and make a little money from it. What Charlie should do is write a memoir.
You own your story in the same way. Perhaps one day your children will write their memoirs and feature you fairly prominently. Maybe your former spouse, business associate, employee or friend will pen an autobiography with a chapter devoted to his or her relationship with you. Then suddenly you become Martin Sheen (Charlie’s dad) or Chuck Lorre (Charlie’s boss)—your reputation is in the hands of someone seeking to expose a “torpedo of truth??? about you. When you have your own memoir out there, that’s all the ammunition you need to have your side of the story heard as well.
I certainly hope you do not have the level of conflict and drama in your life that Charlie Sheen has in his. But if you ask five people to describe any situation, you’re likely to get five different perspectives and, often, a pile of contradictory “facts.??? So while many people look at this Sheen Show as a train wreck or a circus, I consider it a lesson: make sure that your voice is heard. Put your life story in writing.

Say what you want about him, but clearly Mr. Charlie Sheen has an audience. I was shocked when his upcoming one-man show, “My Violent Torpedo of Truth,??? sold out here in Chicago within 15 minutes. Like many of us, Charlie wants to tell his own story from his point of view—and make a little money from it. What Charlie should do is write a memoir.

You own your story in the same way. Perhaps one day your children will write their memoirs and feature you fairly prominently. Maybe your former spouse, business associate, employee or friend will pen an autobiography with a chapter devoted to his or her relationship with you. Then suddenly you become Martin Sheen (Charlie’s dad) or Chuck Lorre (Charlie’s boss)—your reputation is in the hands of someone seeking to expose a “torpedo of truth??? about you. When you have your own memoir out there, that’s all the ammunition you need to make sure that your side of the story receives equal play.

I certainly hope you do not have the level of conflict and drama in your life that Charlie Sheen has in his. But if you ask five people to describe any situation, you’re likely to get five different perspectives and, often, a pile of contradictory “facts.??? So while many people look at this Sheen Show as a train wreck or a circus, I consider it a lesson: make sure that your voice is heard. Put your life story in writing.

March 15th, 2011 by admin


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Enter Your Memoir or Other Work in a Writing Contest!

We had an email from a member who wanted to enter a chapter from her memoir in a short story contest and asked us whether we knew of any such contests. A little research turned up quite a few of these competitions, both with entry fees and without, so I thought I’d post them here on the blog in case others of you would like to see whether your work can earn you money and accolades. Check right away, because some of these deadlines are approaching.

  1. This page lists a bunch of contests: http://www.writers-editors.com/Writers/Contests/contests.htm
  2. Here’s another long list, and then you’ll have to google the name of each contest: http://www.suite101.com/content/first-quarter-2011-short-story-contests-and- awards-for-writers-a326426
  3. The Gemini Magazine contest: http://www.gemini-magazine.com/contest.html
  4. The Southeast Review contest:  http://southeastreview.org/contests.html
  5. Some international competitions: http://www.be-a-better-writer.com/creative-writing-contests.html

That should keep everyone busy! You can enter just a chapter from your memoirs or, of course, an entirely separate short story. Please let us know either here or on the WriteMyMemoirs Facebook page if you win something—or even if you enter! We would love to announce your success. And if you would like to publish your story into a small book to hand out, please keep in mind our very affordable publishing services.

February 1st, 2011 by admin


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