Although a small number of writers we work with have no interest in publication and will share their memoir in electronic form with friends and relatives, they are very much the exception as memoir publication remains the goal of most memoirists.
The moment you hold your book in hand
There is something wonderful about the moment you first hold your book in hand. You first eye the cover and see your name on the page. Then you turn the book over and see your photo and the author bio. You are the real thing! You flip through the book and sure enough: it’s your text that you are reading.
You are incredulous that you have pulled off writing and publishing your book—finally. Then later, you will have the opportunity to have launch party and do programs that the public will attend and buy your book. You will be a “real” writer!
(While this was written in covid-19 time, we are hopeful that this pandemic will end and writers will be able to market their books at public events.)
This category is not focused on self-publishing.
The blog archives list a category labeled “Self-Publish a Memoir” where posts cover topics relevant to going the independent publication route. This form of publication is what most of the writers we work with choose.
In conclusion
In this section, we list posts that are about memoir publication in general—whether independent (self) publication or through commercial publishers.
Good luck with your writing and remember that memoir publication is a natural end to all your work.
Showing up for my memoir– again!
DL: This is a reprint of a post that appeared in September of 2022. It strikes me as pertinent for many readers of The Lifewriter’s Digest. The final publication of French Boy took another year. I republish this both to present a proven process and to own that I have my challenges, too. I’m not […]
9 Tips for Self-Publishing a Memoir
Can you master these 9 for self-publishing a memoir? If so, you are on your way to succeeding.
1) Do you want to reach a larger audience than family and friends?
If so, you will need to write a book that will appeal to that larger audience. Your book must contain history and psychology and references to social concerns to appeal to a larger readership which knows neither you nor your family and friends
Simply said, the reader drawn from a larger audience does not care about you. This reader cares about how you embodied a certain category of people, and how you were representative of a certain grouping of the population.
Explore how you were universal in your particular responses to life.
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How I Launched Myself Publicly in the Creative Life: I Publish a Book
Editor: This post on how I Iearned to support myself in the creative life by deciding to publish a book first appeared in February 2014 at a time when covid as not part of our lives. It advocates marketing that I undertook in pre-covid days but which I believe will soon be available and viable again.
I believe that implicit in every publication is access to an audience. Whether you hope to support yourself or to merely attract a more substantial audience, this post—written about a time half a life ago—has something for you.
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“Is it possible to find readers who will support me in the creative life?” I wanted to know.
One day on 1988, I stood in front of a door, on the other side of which was a group of Foster Grandparents. I had in hand a copy of my book of autobiographical short stories, What Became of Them and Other Stories from Franco-America, which my wife Martha Blowen and I had published through my brand-new imprint, Soleil Press. Soleil means sun in French and Martha who was a paper maker called her studio Moon Papers. So Soleil Press and Moon Papers seemed to us a great combo for a couple (hovering on both sides of 40) who were seeking to live a creative life. [Free Membership required to read more. See below. ]
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Book Publishing Tips: Better Book Production is Possible
Note: This is the 4th article in a series of 4 on the writing process of A Sugary Frosting published in 2016. It is full of book publishing tips. I hope you enjoy it.
Post 1: I Finish A Sugary Frosting: Notes on the Memoir Writing Process
Post 2: Mechanics of Writing a Memoir: It’s not all Inspiration
Post 3: Preparing for A Successful Book Launch
Post 4: Book Publishing Tips: Better Book Production is Possible
Here are a few book publishing tips to prepare for better book production that I learned from publishing A Sugary Frosting / A Memoir of a Girlhood Spent in a Parsonage.
My book, A Sugary Frosting / A Memoir of a Girlhood Spent in a Parsonage, made its way to publication. To launch it, as many readers know, I created an advanced reader community and was able to gather 90+ people who volunteered to write a review for Amazon in exchange for a heartfelt thank you from me, and upon sending me a copy of the published review, a link to the finished e-version, a hard copy and a $50 voucher in The Memoir Network’s e-bookstore.
The response from readers had been gratuitously generous. I had about 90 people who agreed to review the book. I was elated! Not only were these wonderful people provided me with a review but so many offered suggestions that made the book into a better one than it was initially. I don’t only mean by sending in corrections of typos but by suggesting tweaks for the story—adding and taking out text. This experience of working with advanced readers was a tremendously positive one for me.
I offer the following review of what I learned on my way to better book production. I hope it helps you in the process of preparing a book for publication.
What have I learned? Book publishing tips…
1. I created too tight a deadline.
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Sending Your Independently Published Book Out Into the World
You’ve been writing for a long while. Your book has been edited professionally. You are ready to get your independently-published book into your readers’ hands. Let’s explore and execute options for packaging and printing your memoir.
Basics of Good Book Design
I recently received a request for printing information from a reader who asked: I am getting ready to print my memoirs. I’m using Word and trying to figure out what typeface and type size to use. Also, what are the best margins to use? Are there any sources which might provide suggestions about the basics of good book design?
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3 Suggestions For Choosing the Right Publication Option For You
What’s the Right Publication Option For You?
You have finished writing your memoir or are nearing its completion. You feel satisfied with the text. It has been edited by a professional and you have made changes, You are ready for the next step. You are ready to be published. But what is the right publication option for you?
Congratulations!
Now, your task is to decide how to best send it out into the world—that’s what publishing a book comes down to it: making your memoir public after all these months of having writing it be a personal project.
The are basically three options.
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Why You Need an Ebook
While in the past I had published only hard-copy versions of my books, I have increasingly included a digital version. It just makes sense, and I would advise writers that they need an ebook.
Ebooks are on the ascendancy are more and more a viable publication option. Every year, their share of the book-reading audience grows. Granted you can’t experience the ebook as a satisfying weight in your hand (unless it’s the weight of the e-reader) nor can you feel the page turning, but the ebook has become a good choice at many levels.
A Good Buy for the Reader
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Jitters Over Don’t Let Writer’s Block Stop You Launch
I have felt the book jitters as my new book Don’t Let Writer’s Block Stop You has gone out into the world. My anxiety is under control, but it remains a low-level anxiety. Were I to give in to it, I would be succumbing to a version of the writer’s block—the one that postpones publication—and […]