Memoir Literary Agent
If you are looking to have your memoir commercially published, it is necessary to find a memoir literary agent. Langtons International Agency is a literary agency which specializes in helping authors write their memoir and also in selling memoir to the commercial publishers.
A memoir is a non-fiction book in which the author tells their life story. It can be written about their entire life so far or focus on one special time or event in their life. A well written memoir will have a narrative arc, with character development, action scenes, and great dialogue. The author tells their life story, or a specific part of their life, sharing their experiences and advice. A memoir focuses on the emotions of the author, rather than the facts of their story as they give the reader insight into their thoughts and feelings.
Memoir literary agents and publishers often look for memoirs written by famous people, or by someone with a unique experience, that will have a wide audience. While a memoir is incredibly personal, the author should have a larger message or theme that will connect with their wide readership. A memoir literary agent will be looking for an interesting and unique story, but also one which is relatable, so that the readers will care about the author and their life story.
When submitting a memoir to a memoir literary agent, the author should emphasize why they feel their story is unique and an important one to share. The author should demonstrate the potential audience for their memoir to the literary agent which specializes in memoir. It is helpful if the author is well known, public speaker, already had interviews in film or print, so there is already interest in their story and this will appeal to a memoir literary agent.
A memoir may be written by the author, or in collaboration with a ghost writer. It may be helpful to work with a ghost writer if the author has a fantastic story to share, but does not have the skills to write the manuscript themselves. In addition to being a memoir literary agent, Langtons International offers ghost writing services. We will connect the author with the perfect ghostwriter to develop their voice, and write the manuscript to publishable standards.
Examples of memoir represented by Langtons International to commercial publishers include Trumbo by Bruce Cook (Grand Central Publishing) My Islam by Amir Ahmad Nasr (St Martins Press).
If you have a fascinating memoir, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us here.