3 Reasons to Publish Essays Based on Your Memoir
Publishing essays adapted from your memoir manuscript is one of the best ways to get your story out there in shorter form, while increasing your chances of finding an agent and publisher. Here are some of the top reasons publishing essays from your memoir can be useful:
1. It helps you build platform
Agents and editors love to see writers with work already out in the world. It shows them that the writer is building an audience of readers who will ultimately become readers of the memoir. The more we publish essays that are based on the memoir, the more we are expanding the reach of our stories and establishing our names as writers. Having parts of our story out in the world in shorter form is an excellent way of building a business case for our book — it shows that the themes and topics we’re writing about appeal to a broad audience, and that we have the writing chops to get work published. Remember to mention any prior publications in your query letter to agents, especially pieces closely related to the memoir.
2. Agents may find you
It’s becoming increasingly common for agents and editors to find writers directly, without the traditional querying process. Here’s the scenario: An agent reads an essay of yours in a literary or commercial magazine and, if they like what they read, they reach out to see if you have a book-length project. This is especially the case if your essay appears in a high-profile publication, one that an agent or editor is more likely to read and respect.
3. It can strengthen your manuscript
Writing our stories in shorter form — and, often, using more experimental approaches — can shed new light on the material in our memoir. Writing an essay involves backing into familiar subject matter in new ways, which can inspire us to see our stories differently. We often end up uncovering new insights or approaches that we can then apply back to the manuscript.
Final Thoughts
While crafting standalone essays comes with its own set of challenges, publishing these pieces can be one of the most effective ways to build a business case for your memoir — while also enhancing the manuscript and breathing fresh life into tired material.