‘Any man’s life, told truly, is a novel.’ Ernest Hemingway

Writing a memoir is a delicate process, as by design this is the most personal form of writing. For a new writer, this can be a sensitive balance. Should I change his name? Should I kiss and tell? What if someone I talk about reads it?

We provide mentoring, ghostwriting and editorial support to guide you through the transformational and confessional autobiographical process. Turning your lived experiences into manuscripts is what we do.

Recalling memory and intellectualising the past can often require the support of an experienced professional who can help a new writer. Discretion, by virtue of being ghostwriters, is our core ethos and we uphold that discretion throughout the process and beyond, crafting your life story to your satisfaction with your best interests at heart. It’s a daunting task, laying your personal life out in the open, but we have your back as we write your book.

We work closely with our clients in order to understand their perspectives, thoughts and feelings – in order to seek out and create the right tone and language to fit the personality. It requires time, patience and an attuned understanding of an individual in order to find this voice. Only that will make the piece their own. Sometimes, people have not found their unique voice, or don’t know how to voice a book while writing. We can help with this too. A good ghostwriter is someone who is observant, intuitive, detailed and creative.

We can help you decide on the ‘type’ of autobiography. The main difference between a memoir and an autobiography is in its presentation. A memoir doesn’t need to present the life story in any linear fashion and can adopt a more artistic narrative, often pivoting around a key event, such as a traumatic formative event or a significant milestone.

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The Ghostwriting Process

1. Send through a basic outline of the story by filling out our enquiry form. We will request further content. Some people have it all stored in their memory and haven’t written anything down. Others have kept journals or have a first draft and may wish to forward the full text or an outline.

2. We will advise how best to present the story: literary memoir, autofiction, celebrity autobiography, confessional, psychoanalytical, archival, these are all forms of a life story. As we talk with you about what the book is we start conversations about your publishing goals.

3. As interviews continue we begin to build key items – manuscript, proposal, cover letter, and we will start sharing documents throughout the company to gather feedback early. A lot of the time, the discussions need to be spread over many months or at times, years as – and this is especially true with more traumatic events – it can take time to safely recall and process life story. The process can’t be rushed but we will want to generate momentum also. Focus not force is the key.

4. Eventually, a sample chapter will be agreed and after a chapter breakdown the writer will need time to bring the memoirs to a first draft.

5. On submission of the draft you will start to make notes and comments often recalling new memory that will help strengthen certain weak or flat chapters. Often, more interviews are recorded to grab the new memories that are significant to the developing story. This process tends to continue until you are happy with the way the story has been presented and arranged.

6. When the proposal is strong enough with three shining polished chapters we will start the submissions process for you, often submitting on your behalf with a shared mailbox. Gradually, we will start to host and negotiate with agents on your behalf in an attempt to secure a publishing deal as we help establish you as a new author.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a memoir?

A memoir is a type of autobiography, but it differs in a number of ways to an ‘autobiography’. Traditionally, an autobiography tells the entire life story or the great majority of a person’s story in a linear form. In contrast, a memoir tends to focus on a certain period of a person’s life in a more intimate way, and allows the writer to share the story using more creative and literary tools. A memoir exists as a ‘type’ of autobiography but also you could say – as a novel. Examples of well-known memoirs include Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt, H is for Hawk, by Helen Macdonald and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. Examples of autobiographies include Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela, Agatha Christie: An Autobiography by Agatha Christie, Cash: The Autobiography by Jonny Cash and Autobiography of Mark Twain.

How many words are memoirs normally?

It varies a lot, generally ranging from between 50,000 – 100,000 words, but typically, publishers favour around 80,000 words for a memoirs. Shorter memoirs tend to be by authors who already have a number of successful, published books.

I want to get my memoir published. Can you help me with this?

We help with submissions and introduce our clients to our contacts in the industry during the submissions process. We also advise and guide our clients with regard to the big self-publishers or the hybrid publishers in the UK.

Should I change the real names of the people in my memoir?

It’s important to get out a first draft without worrying about what details should be revealed. We recommend using real names while you unpack the story so that memories flow freely and accurately. We can start thinking about names on your second draft.