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How to Hire an Affordable Memoir Writer
Before you talk to a publisher or hire a memoir writer, educate yourself. Learn how to create an affordable memoir. These FAQs will help you gauge labor in hiring a ghost writer. After you know what you want, then contact a memoir publisher.
1. What goes into my memoir? It depends. A family biography could include with research of your genealogy beginning with the Old Country, and include personal interviews, research and fact-checking.
It is critical that you know ahead of time what your goals are so you can convey them to the ghost writer. You may want your memoir to concentrate on your most difficult challenges and how you overcame them. This is most interesting for the reader.
2. Where do we start? Expect a minimum of 10 hours of interview with the subject of the autobiography. A memoir writer might also conduct supplemental interviews (with other people that you designate), and will spend additional time writing, conducting research and communicating with you about the project.
3. What kind of memoir writer do I hire? Many people find that, in the long run, hiring a writer with experience in memoir writing is ultimately the most satisfying experience than hiring a writer whose expertise is either limited or lies in another field (technical, public relations, the media).
4. What about a photo-journalism book? Using photos to tell your story is a quick and easy way to get the job done without hiring a writer, and many online companies offer easy-to-make photo albums.
5. What makes good writing? If you want a book filled with quotes--the typed-up version of exactly what people said--then you don't need to worry much about the writer's style. The same is true if you are not interested in having your memoir published by a memoir publisher. But if you want a real story that follows the true themes of a person's life and fully reveals all the excitement and challenge and wondrous workings of a life, then you need a writer who can conduct efficient interviews, thorough research and whose writing makes you feel something. This will produce a book that will be treasured for a very long time.
6. Can interviews be done on the telephone?
Sure. Every experienced writer has created interesting stories based on a few telephone interviews. It works fine for shorter projects. It may not be not the best method if the goal is to create a detailed story that reveals a person's deepest thoughts and reflections about his or her life.
7. What other work is involved? If you want to self-publish the book or pay a publisher, the other costs include photograph scanning, design and printing. For longer projects, a professional transcriptionist will turn the audiotaped interviews into written transcripts, which the biographer then uses to begin writing. Handling the photographs within the family is the single best way to reduce costs and create an affordable memoir--if your family members have the time, equipment and expertise.
8. How is the cost of memoir writing figured? Time, travel and expenses. Biographers and authors are usually negotiable to a point, but let's face it: if it were easy, you'd do it yourself! If you want to sell your manuscript to a publisher, I'd suggest agreeing on a price for interviewing and writing three sample chapters, then you can proceed further if you are satisfied with the memoir writer.
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