I love these shoes. When I think of shoes to illustrate a post about editors, these are the ones that come to mind. And speaking of editors, (Not Intern) Jenny asks: Do you work as an editor on in-progress stories? I understand that proposed non-fiction does not necessarily have to […]
memoirs
4 posts
Some particularly memoir-able shoes for Susan, who asks, "I was under the impression that non-fiction, including memoir, is sold on a proposal and sample chapters. I do not have an agent yet, but in May saw a call for submissions from a publisher that I think would be suitable for my memoir, so I sent them a letter and the required 30 pages before their June deadline. I recently I received an e-mail from the publisher's assistant, asking for the full manuscript. The e-mail mentioned my "novel", but did not indicate whether they had read the 30 pages I had submitted. My question is this: is memoir really treated like other non-fiction genres?"
Chinese shoes for Susan, who writes, "I am writing a memoir about my marriage to a man from central China and have received requests for partials from a number of agents. And rejections from most of those agents. So in early June, I started working with a couple of editors to get my sample chapters in better shape. I've gone through 2-3 rounds of changes with each editor, both of whom I've paid and have said that the chapters have vastly improved. One agent has patiently been waiting for my samples since July, so I sent off 50 pages to him yesterday. My question is this: if this agent rejects my samples, do I query another agent and send the same samples, or do I go back to the editors and revise again?"
Rose shoes for Susan, who writes, "I'm trying to find an agent to represent my memoir about my time in China, specifically when I was married to a man from rural, central China. My query letter seems to be working: I've had half a dozen requests for my proposal or sample chapters after sending out only 20 letters. Of those requests, I've already received three rejections. Some agents think I need to broaden the scope of my readership and that a memoir about failed marriage to a guy from a completely different world won't sell. One suggested that I pitch it as a look into Chinese culture from the perspective of an American woman who becomes part of a Chinese family. Do you have any thoughts about that? Would a women-focused memoir sell? Or should I open it up to entice men to read it, too?"