“Branding”—isn’t that about steers? Or Coca-Cola and Nike? What’s that got to do with the home-based lifewriting practitioner? Do I really need to be concerned with mega-corporate buzzwords like “branding”? In a word, yes. Why? Because if you are making a public presence for your work, your brand is being made whether you are aware of it or not. Wouldn’t you rather be in control than leave it to chance? Essentially, your brand is your reputation—but more. Branding is not important at all in the teaching of an excellent workshop. In fact, branding has nothing to do with the excellence (more…)

Taken from my mother’s memoir, We Were Not Spoiled, this excerpt is a memoir of relatives and the hardships they endured. (The numbers refer to footnotes below.) Ma Tante Emilia Verrault Lessard and Mon Oncle Louis Lessard[1] both worked and, since they had no children to spend their earnings on, they had more disposable income than my parents. They would drive up from New Auburn in a little Ford that had a square back, but it had no rumble seat[2]. Since my family did not have a car, having them show up in their Ford was special to us. Emilia (more…)

A note from Mary Anne Benedetto, a Soleil Memoir Professional from Murrell’s Inlet, SC. about the recent success of her novel Eyelash on Amazon. Eyelash by Mary Anne Benedetto. To everyone who downloaded Eyelash during the Kindle promo and/or passed the word along to others, a big thank you. Here are the final numbers for the two days: Hang onto your hats… 13,107 downloads!! Eyelash reached #14 in all e-books Free Promo, #14 in all Fiction Free Promo, #4 in Religious Fiction Free Promo and #4 in Religious Fiction-Romance Free Promo. I am completely blown away…. Congratulations, Mary Anne. It (more…)

The following is an excerpt from We Were not Spoiled by Lucille Ledoux as told to Denis Ledoux. My parents must have had little hope of ever putting aside enough money for a down payment to buy a house of their own. We were still in the three-bedroom apartment on Shawmut Street when Gertrude was born on March 5, 1925. She was thirteen-and-a-half months younger than Marcel. I was three and a half at the time, and Robert was two. My parents, who had been married only four and half years, now had a house full of kids, but two (more…)

The Kirkus review on Approaching Neverland by Peggy Kennedy: A captivating memoir of love, loss, mental illness and redemption. Kennedy walked into her first day of first grade alone, with unkempt hair that both her parents had neglected to brush. So begins her saga of having a mother whose mental illness (eventually diagnosed as bipolar disorder) resulted in multiple psychiatric hospitalizations. Her mother’s condition led to greater challenges than messy hair, of course, which included near-fatal episodes involving delusional beliefs. The book’s scope ranges far beyond this single issue, however; Kennedy paints a vivid picture of a family’s travails and (more…)

A concept that I have found crucial in organizing my marketing efforts for The Memoir Network is that of “the marketing pipeline for memoir professionals.” As a business person, I—and you—ignore the memoir marketing pipeline to our great peril. We must always be aware of having the pipeline full of prospects. This is an ongoing process. It is never done!

The memoir professional‘s pipeline is an image that refers to all the people who have connected with you in some way and are therefore your potential clients. Think of the pipeline as having an entrance (inquiry) and an exit (purchase). In any pipeline at any given time, there are many sorts of prospects–some making their way to a purchase others clogging the line by requiring attention that you need to expend elsewhere. These need to be taken out of the system.

1. There are the “I’m just curious” people. Some are looking for free information–they will never buy from you. Identify them early before you spend much time. Be polite, outline your offerings–and let them go. They will eat your time and drain your business development. They only seem to be in the pipeline. They aren’t–they’re clogging it. And if you are spending time on them, you taking time away from a true potential customer. (more…)

Years ago, I created lovely memoir booklets (48 pages, single fold, jacket with photo) about my grandparents that I gave to my children, my siblings and their children. It was a great success. The generation after mine (my kids, nephews and nieces) knew very little about their greatgrandparents and many appreciated this booklet. When I approached my mother about doing her life, she said there really wasn’t anything to write about. She did not seem very enthused. Perhaps another year, I thought, before I can get my mother’s memoir book started. (more…)

Branding Yourself: Making a Public Presence for Your Work

By Denis Ledoux

Aunt Emilia

By Lucille Ledoux

Ma Tante Emilia and Mon Oncle Louis both worked and, since they had no children to spend their earnings on, they had more disposable income than my parents. They would drive up from New Auburn in a little Ford… (more…)

Mary Anne Benedetto: Amazon Best Seller Two Days in a Row!

By Denis Ledoux

A note from Mary Anne Benedetto, a Soleil Memoir Professional from Murrell’s Inlet, SC. about the recent success of her novel Eyelash on Amazon. Hang onto your hats… (more…)

We Move to a New Home

By Lucille Ledoux

My parents must have had little hope of ever putting aside enough money for a down payment to buy a house of their own. We were still in the three-bedroom apartment on Shawmut Street when… (more…)

The Kirkus Review on Peggy Kennedy’s Book

By Peggy Kennedy

The Marketing Pipeline for Memoir Professionals: Keep it Flowing!

By Denis Ledoux

My Mother’s Memoir Book

By Denis Ledoux

s they say, none of us are getting any younger and, this year, I (and each of my siblings) have seemed to help my mother take care of more things. At 89, she still lives alone but that is made possible by the support she receives. So, I realized that it was not too early […]