A memoir proposal is built differently from a how-to proposal. The voice in the sample chapters does most of the selling, and the overview reads more like the opening of the story than a business plan. Many agents ask memoirists for a proposal with sample chapters, and some want the full manuscript. Use this template, which leads with story and arc, and the examples below.
Download the template
Free, no sign-up. Open it in Word, Google Docs, Pages or LibreOffice and replace the bracketed parts.
Examples
- Overview opening: "The week my mother was diagnosed, my restaurant failed its health inspection. This is the story of the year I learned to cook for one person instead of a hundred."
- Arc in one line: "From a closed kitchen in Houston to my grandmother's in Enugu and back, and what each taught me about feeding people I love."
- Why now: tie the story to something readers are living through, without overstating it.
- Comparable memoirs: "Readers of [Title] will recognise the food-as-memory thread; readers of [Title] the caregiving one."
What changes for memoir
- The overview opens with a scene or a turning point, not a market statistic.
- The arc matters: show where the story starts, turns and ends.
- Platform still helps, but the sample chapters carry more weight.
- Name how you will handle real people: changed names, permissions, legal read.
Choosing sample chapters
Send the opening chapter, because that is where readers decide, and one chapter from the middle that shows the story at full pressure. Keep the ending for the outline unless the agent asks for it.
Real people and the law
Memoir writes about living people. Note in the proposal whether names are changed and whether anyone has read the manuscript. Publishers may ask for a legal read before publication; it is better to raise it yourself.
Questions
Do memoirs sell on proposal or manuscript?
Both happen. Many agents want a proposal and sample chapters; for debut memoirists, some want the finished manuscript.
How long is a memoir?
Many published memoirs run roughly 60,000 to 90,000 words. Check the length of the memoirs you list as comparable titles.
Should I include photographs?
Mention them in the specifications if they are part of the book, with who owns them.
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