Here at The Memoir Project, we make books work. It’s what we do. We also make essays and blog posts work. In short, we make memoir work. Memoir coaching should make writers work hard. It should make good memoir. I understand what that is because I write memoir and I teach memoir. I do not give prompts, assignments or exercises. I do not coddle or give you gratuitous advice. What I do is to teach you to write with intent. And, as a result, my clients get published.
As a former staffer at The New York Times, commentator on NPR’s All Things Considered and an author of four mass-market books, I am well-versed in how to work hard and how to get published. Along with me, we currently offer the services of a variety of talented editors with whom you can work. Their skills range from developmental editing, content editing, coaching and copyediting. We will connect you get you to the very best person for your needs.
What began as my little book on how to write memoir has now grown into a system that provides everything you need to write memoir. We can meet all of your needs as a memoir writer, from our introductory course, to our advanced courses, working with a developmental editor, to a full polished copyedit you can be proud to take to market. There is no need to go anywhere else.
Prerequisites to Working with The Memoir Project
Please note that there are some steps to take before working with any of the editors at The Memoir Project.
First, you need to read The Memoir Project and then take Memoirama. The book and the class are the absolute basics of writing memoir.
If, after taking those classes, you would like to start from scratch on a book and be coached through the writing, get in touch with us at mroachsmith [at] gmail [dot] com and we will set you up with a developmental editor who will work with you all the way through the process.
If you want to write the book first, keep reading. If you want to write op-eds or personal essays, see below.
To proceed toward writing a book before consulting with an editor, you must take Memoirama 2 to develop the structure of your memoir.
Next, you will need to partake in Your Memoir Project or, go through The Master Class with Marion.
The Memoir Map
At that point, you will have a first draft of a book. If you want to work with me on that, contact us to purchase a Memoir Map, our grid that will allow you to fully map out your memoir project. This is our newest product. It took us three years and many beta testers to develop, but it allows you to see your book, scene-by-scene and chapter by chapter, laid out based on your argument.
At the time you contact us for the map, we will schedule you for your manuscript review.
Why Do We Do It This Way?
This process will save you thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of work. It does not matter if you have written a page of your memoir or 100’s of pages, these are the requirements and will help both you and our editors make the most out of our time together.
All of our editors are talented, capable and experienced. Their rates vary. After taking The Master Class with Marion, you may prefer what we call a “cold read,” with someone other than Marion. That’s fine. We have fine editors ready and waiting to work with you. Marion only reads manuscript form Master Class graduates. Her hourly fee includes reading, editing and discussing. So, discussing edits and suggestions on the phone call is not free. For example, a 15-page submission will take 30 minutes to read and edit and then if we talk for 30 minutes, that is one hour spent and paid for.
Marion charges $1497 per one hundred pages or $275 an hour for anything under 100 pages. There is currently a waiting list. To get on the waiting list, email us at mroachsmith [at] gmail [dot] com when you have completed the classes required above and you will be added to the list.
*Please note: All submissions must be double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman type, set with margins at approximately 242 words per page. Please note that I cannot reformat your work, so follow these directions precisely. Also, I run every manuscript through a word-to-page converter. It’s this. Please count your words and do the same so we can agree on the length and subsequent price of your manuscript.
Once you get your edits back, you are welcome to rewrite them and get back on my waiting list. However, please remember the list is first come, first served.
Op-eds and Personal Essays
We now have a full-time editor who specializes in op-eds. He is a former newspaper and editor and editorial writer who now writes a weekly column on Substack called The Upstate American.
The prerequisite for working with him is for you to take the How to Write Opinion Pieces course. This is a live, online course in how to write op-eds and digital commentary. Working with any of our editors on your personal essays requires taking our recorded course, The Art of the Personal Essay.
Testimonials From My Memoir Coaching Clients
Marion Roach Smith isn’t just a fine teacher, generous mentor, and sharp and kind critic, she’s also a master at the form of memoir. She coaxes from you and your text what you’re really trying to communicate. She whittles away the unnecessary until all that’s left is the shining essential: your story.
— David Leite, author, Notes on a Banana: A Memoir of Food, Love and Manic Depression (Dey Street, 2017), blogger at Leite’s Culinaria
It is neither simple nor comfortable to strip yourself naked in 200-plus pages of a memoir. Even more painful is shipping said document to a stranger for a thorough review and content edit. But in hiring Marion Roach Smith to edit my manuscript, I discovered not only a caretaker but a craftsman. Marion knows the art of story: how to pull all the right pieces together, arrange them in perfect order, so the telling is both honoring and rich. She took my raw, exposed draft and helped me turn it into a masterpiece. It will not be the last time I bare my soul to such a talent.
–Michele Cushatt, writer, speaker, author of Undone, A Story of Making Peace With An Unexpected Life, (Zondervan, 2015) and I Am, A 60-Day Journey to Knowing Who You Are Because of Who He Is (Zondervan, 2017).
The Buddhist proverb “When the student is ready, the teacher appears” has certainly proven true in my own life. After deciding to move forward with a memoir languishing on my hard drive for 5 years, I discovered that Marion, who has penned one of the best memoir writing books around, also offered one-on-one editing and manuscript critiques. Huzzah! She’s a gifted instructor whose guidance and encouragement are making me a better writer and my book, a much more viable piece for publication.
– Judith Henry, author, The Dutiful Daughter’s Guide to Caregiving.
Marion has an energetic and positive drive, which make her the powerhouse and perfect teacher that she is. That feeling of empowerment – that “yes-of-course-I-can-do-this” philosophy – never wavered while working with Marion. She is a brilliant writer, who has mastered the art of memoir and story telling. While it is rare to find someone who is passionate about what they do, it is even rarer to find someone who desires to teach those still learning. I am lucky to have found both in Marion and hope this is just the beginning of many years to come.
— Deanna Paul, essayist and staff writer for The Wall Street Journal.
Marion is a gift to writers. We who write memoirs are lucky indeed that she has chosen to work with memoirists. She’s a talented writer and an impressive writing coach. Everything she teaches is delivered with a ferocity for great writing, good humor and her love of writers.
–Annie Phenix, co-author of Chosen Mothers, Chosen Daughters
What You Will Get
- A quick response.
- Good, hard work on your behalf..
What You Do Not Get
- A guarantee of publication. No one can guarantee you that.
- Gratuitous praise. We will always tell you the truth.
Editing FAQS
Gift Certificates
We now offer gift certificates for all coaching, editing and online classes.
Please inquire by emailing us at mroachsmith [at] gmail [dot] com.
Invite Marion for Your Group
I am available to teach the fine art of writing memoir to large and small groups. I can provide:
- Memoirama, a 90-minute multi-media presentation.
- A humorous one-hour TED-ish talk in defense of memoir, plus time for Q&A.
- Memoirama, plus a two-hour session of instruction in which students pitch me their work.
- An initial lecture plus follow-up classes.
Contact me at mroachsmith [at] gmail [dot] com about any of this. (Please note: Rates vary by size of group and duration of classes and include travel expenses.)