“Why should a stranger half way across the country care about your story?”

What 4 Top Agents Desire in a Memoir
Part 2 by Alan Rinzler
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What’s your advice for debut authors writing memoirs?
Jim Levine: It can be very difficult to be original and find an agent. We get lots of recovery-from-illness memoirs, and while they’re often moving, they’re also hard to distinguish from each other, so we respectfully decline.

​Anthony Mattero: It depends on the level of the author’s platform. If the platform is big enough it doesn’t matter if the memoir is the author’s first or 500th.

Joelle Delbourgo: Ask yourself why you are writing this memoir.  Is it to leave a legacy to your family? That’s fine.  But if you want to be widely published and read, do your homework. If you can afford to hire a writing coach or private editor to work with you, make the investment.  Agents and publishers are open to memoir from debut authors, but your memoir needs to shine.

Ted Weinstein: Very challenging. The question I always ask: “Why should a stranger half way across the country care about your story?”