iUniverse on How Writing a Memoir Can Be Good for You

Memoirs comprise a great number of self-published books. This is partly due to fact that it is quite difficult to entice traditional publishers to underwrite the publication of the personal accounts of average people, no matter how well-written the manuscript. Unless the memoir happens to focus on celebrities, politicians or infamous villains, the limited niche market cannot guarantee the publisher's return on investment.

Breaking the Traditional Publishing Barrier

Self-publishing now becomes an extremely viable option. Because print-on-demand technology allows you to do literally that-print a single copy for each purchase made; it does not matter how many copies you sell.
And it is the reader who will judge whether they think your story is interesting enough to read, not the publisher.

Why Write Your Memoir?

People write memoirs for numerous reasons: some want to leave a legacy; others intend to share their life's learnings; still others approach writing their memoir like a journey towards self-discovery or a healing exercise.

Five Memoir Writing Tips

Here are five tips to guide you once you have found your motivation.

1. Develop a timeline and label the events that determined what course your life’s journey has taken.
2. Establish emotional milestones and turning points which have shaped your life and beliefs.
3. Figure out a running theme that attaches the whole story together.
4. Avoid starting at the beginning. Providing a chronological history of your life is not writing a memoir.
5. Start writing. Set a daily target for yourself and pour your emotions onto the page until you have said everything you wish to say so a reader will truly experience your life.

For more book marketing tips, head over to the iUniverse Writers Tips and learn from the experience of iUniverse self-published authors.