5 Types of Memoirs That Get Published

There are a few types of memoirs that get published, while there are a lot of other types that simply do not. Understanding what the best types are will give you the best chance of getting on the shelves of your local bookstore. Of course, you still need to look at all of the other factors that go into whether or not a memoir gets published, but at least you know if you are writing in one of these particular subgenres, then you have a better chance than the average person writing something else entirely. Let’s take a look at five types of memoirs that actually get published

Political Memoirs

Political memoirs, often by people close to a major political figure like a president, are one of the few types of memoir that gets published. People want to find out about powerful people in politics. Usually, it has to be a pretty high profile person; a governor, a president or someone on the White House administration staff at the highest levels. If you were in that position, or you are close to a person in that position, then you might be the right person to write a memoir.

Rags-to-Riches

People love rags-to-riches stories, and this type of memoir actually does get read quite often, even when the person writing it is not particularly well-known. The problem is, there are a lot of these types of stories out there, and you have to figure out a way to make yours unique and marketable if you want to get published.

Celebrity Memoirs

Of course, any celebrity that publishes a memoir is going to have their own fan base for marketability. But if you are a friend of a celebrity, publishing a memoir about your own experiences with them might lend you a publishing deal. It depends upon the level of fame that your friend has, how close you are and whether you will be presenting a picture that the public hasn’t seen before.

Tell-All Memoirs

If you know the story behind something – particularly something scandalous – then you might want to think about writing a tell-all memoir. This type of memoir is one of the more popular ones, but it has to be something that is extremely well known or something that only happened recently.

Humorous Memoirs

Another type of memoir that you might be interested in writing using humorous memoir; Jean Shepherd was probably the most well-known humorist of the last century, and one of his essays became the basis for the holiday classic A Christmas Story.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that if you choose one of these types of memoirs to write, you will have a much better chance of getting published. Reedsy.com is a website with lots of articles and resources for publishing, including advice on how to write a memoir. Check them out and get as much information as you can before you begin writing your own memoir.