What's New in Publishing?

This was the question a fellow author and I answered the other day when we met to discuss trends in publishing. 

Our answer was most definitely Memoirs. 

As we thought more about memoirs, we realized a new style of memoir is currently taking over publishing: 

Memoirs written in a narrative style. 

This style seems to be appealing to authors because it can be easier to write about a painful time in one's life if names, places, and circumstances are slightly changed. But even if the author's selected time period isn't traumatic, writing it as a narrative can make the memoir more marketable and appealing. 

For me, my novella, "First Christmas in Paris," was written in narrative style because I wanted to change the names, setting, and be creative with the plot. For instance, this book is based on a true story from my marriage. We live in a large city, but I wanted the story to begin in a quaint small town. At the time, I worked in a large office with some wonderful people, but wanted to have my protagonist work in a small office with closer, more intimate relationships with her co-workers. Lastly, I had to add some conflict to the story to make it more interesting for the reader, because the true story didn't have much conflict. 

I have no regrets writing our true story this way. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have received wonderful reviews from readers. 

I believe the memoir is so popular with publishers today because people want to read fascinating true life stories about overcoming obstacles or about fun and exciting adventures. Hope and adventure seem to be the themes people are drawn to most, whether in memoirs about beloved pets or children. I'm told horse memoirs are very popular right now. Maybe write a memoir about a horse-loving child!

I'm not suggesting all writers abandon their current projects to write a memoir, but I think we all should consider it. Each of us has a unique life experience that readers could benefit from. If it's a traumatic experience, consider writing it in narrative style. If it's an adventure story, be sure to include photographs so we can travel vicariously through your story. 

So, what's popular in publishing today? Memoirs seem to be hot right now. After reading a few and writing one in narrative style, I can see why!

Happy writing!

Ruth