Selling Your Memoir: How to Shape, Position & Package Your Book Proposal

Agents, editors and publishing professionals love to tell us that “memoir doesn’t sell.” If you’re not a celebrity, it’s a tough market out there, right?

But memoirs sell every day—often before they’re fully written, to writers without huge social media followings, in multiple six- and seven-figure deals. The problem is that many memoirs aren’t clearly positioned. Agents and editors are sometimes overworked, underpaid, and moving too quickly to spend the time trying to understand where your book sits in the market.

This class is about doing the heavy lifting for them. Over three sessions, we’ll break down what a memoir book proposal needs, how to prove there’s an audience for your story, and how to make your personal material feel urgent. We’ll talk about platform in terms of “proof of concept” rather than social media followers. We’ll talk aobut essays, local communities, cultural conversations, podcasts, nonprofit organizations, and comparable books that show there’s an appetite for your story. We’ll study real-life successful proposals and revise student material live in class.

Best for writers with at least a partial manuscript or proposal-in-progress.

February 6-20, 2027, Saturdays, 1:00-3:00 p.m. (3 sessions)