Magical Memoir Moments

You Are Invited to a Cover Reveal!

One of the most important decisions that publishers and authors make about a book is its title and its cover. This decision has been made for my memoir. I used Rosy Cheeks: A Mennonite Childhood as a working title when I proposed the book to Herald Press. But the title has changed. I want to…

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Derek Halpern and the Perfect Blog Post: A Short Memoir

When I dropped into Chris Guillebeau’s (The Art of Nonconformity blog) book launch in Manhattan a few months ago, I also met author and blogger Jonathan Fields, who introduced me to Derek Halpern. Only in New York does a grandma get to talk to Chris Guillebeau, Jonathan Fields, and Derek Halpern–all within 20 minutes. (Tweet…

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A Twitter Post-Script: How Online Can Lead to Offline Memoir Connections

Just have to share a lovely experience because it continues the conversation about social media and “real” writing that began with this post about social media and continued when Kathy Pooler did a guest post about Twitter here last week. As I write my own memoir, I am learning to know many authors who have…

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Going to Chris Guillebeau's World-Class Book Launch: The Art of Nonconformity

This is just a note to let you know that I plan to attend a New York City book launch for Chris Guillebeau’s new book The $100 Start Up tonight. He calls his tour the world’s first seven continent book tour. I found Chris’s website over a year ago because of one of his fans…

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Using Twitter Strategically: It's All About Making Meaningful Connections

Two weeks ago I wrote about balancing two kinds of writing — memoir and social media (Facebook and Twitter). Kathleen Pooler wrote a comment on that post, which prompted my invitation to her to share what she has learned about Twitter. I tend to use Facebook more than Twitter, but I see the advantages of Twitter when…

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Terry Helwig: One Author's Adventures in Social Media Book Marketing

True or False: Marketing a book is a grueling chore. You already know this is a trick question, don’t you? The answer? True for some. False for others. Some people love to meet other people and share stories with them. They draw energy from their readers and look for innovative ways to meet more of…

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A Query Critique Focusing on the Hook: Taking Care of Mother When Mother Didn't Take Care of You

Marla Miller, of Marketing the Muse, explains to a writer with excellent credentials how to make her query letter stand out by strengthening the “hook”: I agreed with Marla’s advice. Did you? Would you want to read a memoir on this subject? How do you determine a good “hook” in your own writing? Do you…

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A Memoir Writer's Self-Publishing Success Story: An Interview with Mary-Ann Kirkby

Mary-Ann Kirkby, who grew up in a Canadian Hutterite colony until the age of ten, and whose memoir has been a publishing sensation in Canada, has kindly agreed to answer some questions. I chose her publishing story as the focus of my questions, and Mary-Ann gave generous answers that may surprise you. How did she…

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The Memoir Project: Marion Roach Smith's Video Book Marketing

One of my friends, Susan Neufeldt, whom I met at the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference years ago and who is writing her own book about wisdom, sent me a link to the NPR program that featured Marion Roach Smith, an author and teacher in the memoir field I had not heard of a week ago….

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Want to Write a Great Memoir Query Letter? Marla Miller Can Help!

Meet Marla Miller, marketing expert, blogger, writer, columnist in The Writer, workshop giver, and query letter critique-er I first met Marla in 2007 when I attended the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference. I was totally new to both creative writing and marketing, so I soaked up every word of advice and made several new friends. Marla…

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