You Don't Have to Be Famous to Write Your Memoir
By Anthony F. Shaker, PhD

There is a myth that bestselling memoirs can only be about one of three things: celebrity, hard luck, or whistle-blowing.

Many people dream about publishing their memoirs. But they've convinced themselves that fame precedes publishing success, rather than the other way around.

Or, they simply dismiss the idea of writing on the grounds that they have no earthshaking story to offer. Such as single-handedly saving a plane from crashing, rubbing elbows with a Michael Corleone, or for that matter, any inkling about how to write a book.

First of all, this way of thinking betrays a gross misunderstanding of the nature of the memoir.

Second, if you don't know how to write a book, hire a professional.

Third, the demand for memoirs is now so strong that almost anybody with a well-told life story can expect a reasonable chance of success. The same cannot be said of fiction, memoir's closest relative. Novels are still popular, but their declining quality--even among established authors like Stephen King--and the growing thirst for more "reality" are steadily changing the book market.

Generally, people are looking for more reality in how they are entertained. Observe the phenomenal rise of reality shows. Despite their negative impact, they--along with the mountains of how-to and self-improvement books published each year--reflect a deepseated desire to feel something we generically like to call "reality." People love to see other people in unscripted situations, either in the present or the past. Some prefer content they can learn from and relate to our lives; others want nothing more than to be entertained.

Memoirs today are written in a range of styles that lies somewhere between fiction and nonfiction, and for this reason seems to bridge the gulf that has traditionally separated these two areas.

I don't mean that authors of memoirs normally fabricate their experiences, though sadly this has become more frequent of late. The truth is, though, that memoirs are not mere records of events and relationships; they're not just factual accounts.

Of course, there was a time when they were not much more than that. A good part of our knowledge of the past comes from firsthand accounts by important figures like Julius Caesar and Benjamin Franklin. Famous people described pivotal events because they wanted to leave a record of their role for progeny. That didn't prevent them from inflating, philosophizing, and distorting whenever they saw fit.

But imagine what would happen if telling it like it is was all that memoirs did. What chance would a non-celebrity living an average, indescript life stand in the marketplace?

Modern memoir-writing offers much more than a factual account. Both its character and the market for it allow regular folks to write on the scale of their own lives, however unrecognized or uncelebrated they may be.

And amazingly, their readers love them all the more for it!

What your readers long for is not only to know the facts about your "insignificant" life, but to plumb it. They want to understand its meaning and to relate it to their own lives. The closer you resemble your readers, the easier you can strike a chord.

That's what the present market seems to be saying, and it's exactly why I stand by my claim that you don't need to be famous to write a memoir. If you can't write well, have it done by a professional ghostwriter.


Anthony F. Shaker, PhD, has been writing, ghostwriting, editing and reviewing books for 25 years. He is fluent in several languages, has traveled around the globe and writes in both fiction and nonfiction. His clients include individuals and businesses the world over.

For contact: afshaker@aol.com

Visit the web site: www.wordstead.com