Denis Ledoux from the Memoir Network on How to Grow as a Memoir Professional The Life Story Coach

A state grant started a thriving memoir business Denis started as a writer of autobiographical fictional. When he shared his stories with audiences, it struck a chord, and the Turning Memories into Memoirs workshop was born. At first funded by a state grant, Denis segued into teaching memory writing at community workshops.
In this episode, we discuss:
how resistance to writing memoirs abated in the mid-1990s how clients write their own memoirs with Denis’s help, then use presentations to sell copies of their books to the public the difference between writing for family and writing for the public. the importance of honesty when writing your memoirs helping clients learn elements like suspense and foreshadowing. e.g. “How could this change?” Adding a simple line to the end of a paragraph. Maximize your income Prioritize by starting your day with the work that produces income. Denis makes sure he does ten hours of billable time per week, including coaching, editing, and ghostwriting. This is augmented by income earned on work that he subcontracts to other editors.
[Hint: Denis is always looking for good editors, so get in touch if you’re looking to work as a subcontractor. It’s an excellent way of focusing on your writing without the added pressure of all the other tasks: marketing, sales conversations, invoicing, etc.]
More topics:
the importance of keeping your work and free time separate. underpromise and overdeliver. on billable time: if he hasn’t done his 10 hours by the end of the week, he catches up. He can do more, but not less. in addition to his 10 hours, Denis earns a cut of the income from his editors, plus the profit from selling packages. the importance of giving honest feedback to coaching and editing clients. Don’t avoid the hard moments. Do it honestly, lovingly, and offer suggestions when there’s a problem in a manuscript. if you’re a life story writer and you send your client’s manuscript to an editor, don’t take criticisms personally. Editors want your book to be the best it can be. some suggestions lead to a discussion with the client, and a hybrid solution comes about. What’s the difference between coaching and editing? Coaching proceeds without a manuscript, more focused on the client, carrying the client along.
Editing is more focused on the manuscript.
Sometimes they become indistinguishable.
“Who am I to think that I should write?” When clients ask this, they’re acknowledging the fact that they are impelled to write, but they’re fighting the voice that tells them they don’t have the right to write. Denis’s suggestion: Set a certain amount of time to write everyday. That way you don’t have to decide whether you “should” write or not. One coaching client calls Denis every day, a thirty-second accountability call. That’s part of coaching: supporting the writer.
Adult children sometimes want a book done on their parents, and the parents don’t get on board. We talk about the difficulties with dealing with a third party (e.g. the adult child). This usually doesn’t work in Denis’s experience; it very often does in mine.
To make your services appealing to a wider group of people, have an array of products and services, including coaching or editing, which can more affordable than ghostwriting a memoir.
Average costs for services: $8,000-$12,000 per one hundred pages; on the lower range for people who are involved in the editing and writing. If the cost of a ghostwritten memoir is out of someone’s budget, offer other products at different price points. Workshops: Workshops: 40% of people who came to workshops bought a subsequent product, e.g. editing or coaching services. Speaking: at libraries, clubs, fellowship halls, etc. also a good way to find clients. One year Denis earned $22,000 of work from four speaking gigs; another year none. As a beginner, workshops are a good source of local clients. Send a press release, bio, photo, and promi