Agents ,
US Literary Agents For Memoir, True Story, And Autobiographies
By Rachael Cooper
Have you just finished your memoir and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help!
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Memoirs And Autobiographies
The market for memoirs is easy, if you’re a celebrity that is. However, if like the rest of us you find that you’re not a celebrity, then things can prove a little harder.
Memoirs and autobiographies are typically non-fiction narratives, based on the author’s personal experiences and memories. Similar to a novel, a memoir progresses its storyline through detailed plots, scenes with action and dialogue, exchanges, and character development.
But what will make your memoir stand out from the crowd? Quite simply, it will need to dazzle your readers, and show that you have been part of something remarkable. Not my-friends-think-it’s-amazing remarkable, but the kind of remarkable that will captivate a perfect stranger, like Cheryl Strayed’s Wild.
The ability to transform those remarkable experiences into excellent prose is also a requirement. To hook an agent, you need to be able to bring to life the things you’ve seen and done. Have your experiences, the drama, fear, laughter, love and loss jump off the page and engulf your reader. Masterpieces like The Hare With Amber Eyes and Empire Antartica are great examples.
Whatever your story, there’s sure to be an agent out there who can’t wait to read it. So, where to begin?
AgentMatch And How To Use It
There are plenty of memoir-loving agents, but you won’t want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for memoirs is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection.
With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. memoirs, true story, and autobiographies), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews.
You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch.
US Agents For Memoir, True Story, And Autobiographies
To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking for memoirs:
More Resources
We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!
Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!
By Rachael Cooper
About the author
Rachael is the Head of Publishing and AgentMatch here at Jericho Writers. She has a Masters in Eighteenth-Century Literature and Romanticism; specialising in female sociability. She's currently working on a series of articles based on her research. Rachael lives in Oxfordshire; and spends most of her time writing, reading, walking her very overweight Labrador in the countryside, and staking out second-hand bookstores for overlooked treasures.