What Memoir Agents Want: Platform, Proposals, and a Live Query Critique

More than 1,500 of you voted for memoir, so we brought you three agents for one of our first single-genre MSWL Live panels! Taj McCoy (Laura Dail Literary Agency), Katharine Sands (Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency), and Stephanie Winter (KO Media Management) share what’s working in memoir right now, what agents really mean by “platform” (hint: it’s about community, not follower counts), and what a strong nonfiction book proposal needs. Katharine reads the query that made her say yes to Kara Kavensky’s Tell Me About Joy and breaks down why it works. The book is out now from Sourcebooks: https://bookshop.org/p/books/tell-me-about-joy-a-true-story-of-love-regret-and-second-chances-kara-kavensky/4d73f52fa61b15a9?ean=9781464266454 Then Stephanie gives a live critique of a writer’s memoir query, Overcooked. It’s an episode full of encouragement for anyone with a true story to tell. For a full, unabridged recording of this event, go to https://manuscriptacademy.com/mswl-live-agent-panel-memoir In this episode ****Why the best memoirs show not just what happened, but what it meant ****Platform without panic: community, connection, and being findable ****The “audience on the wall” exercise that can change how you write ****What goes in a nonfiction book proposal, and why you don’t need a finished manuscript ****Place, person, pivot: a simple formula for your memoir pitch ****Agents on how ready most submissions really are ****A live query critique, plus tips for writing under a pseudonym Chapters 01:03 Meet Taj McCoy, Katharine Sands, and Stephanie Winter 03:35 What’s working in memoir right now 05:06 Platform: what agents actually expect 08:18 Each agent’s number one tip for memoir writers 10:30 Taj McCoy on nonfiction book proposals 14:21 Katharine Sands on her ideal memoir client 17:32 Stephanie Winter’s live query critique: Overcooked 19:23 How many submissions are truly ready? 20:06 Writing memoir under a pseudonym We’re celebrating 10 years! See what’s planned at anniversary.manuscriptacademy.com. For one-on-one consultations with agents and editors, mini classes, and a writing community that cheers you on, visit manuscriptacademy.com. You can watch video versions on YouTube at @manuscriptacademy.