- Melissa Petro is a freelance writer, writing instructor, and author living in New York City.
- She tried to sell her memoir for years, but it sold at auction for six figures in November.
- To fine-tune that, she became an avid reader, wrote as much as she could, and found the right agent.
Getting a book deal is always an accomplishment, but I've dreamed of being a writer for over 20 years. Sold a 6-figure nonfiction project to 5 major publishers It was surprising and at the same time felt like a hard-earned achievement.
Like many people, I have secretly harbored ambitions to become a writer, but I didn't start taking my art seriously until my mid-20s, when I invested in a master's degree in fine arts. did. Still, writing remained a hobby for the next few years.
In 2010, an essay I wrote was published in the New York Post, and the world, including my then-employer, the New York City Department of Education, learned that I was working as a stripper, and I lost my job as an elementary teacher. I did. Before she became a school teacher she was a prostitute.
I turned a humiliating experience into a successful career as a freelancer and got serious about my ambitions to become a writer.
In November, I sold my book, Shame on You: How to be a Woman in the Age of Mortification, to an editor at Putnam Books, a division of Penguin Random House. Here's how I did it:
First, I accepted that there are no shortcuts.
Some people think that having a scandalous story means you're getting a book deal, but that's not necessarily the case.
A few days after my story was published, my writer friends and others in the industry grudgingly congratulated me on my likely impending book deal. People who had never even read my writing thought I would have an advantage because of the hot subject matter.
But just having an interesting story isn't enough. If you're writing a memoir, you need to know what actually happened, have a clear understanding of what it means, and have an answer to the question, “So what?” At that time, I could vividly recall the events of my life, but it took years of inner effort to turn that lived experience into wisdom.
In addition to knowing what your personal experience means to you and how it has changed you as a person, your story needs to feel relevant to the reader. If not, it belongs in a diary, not a bookstore.
I became passionate about finding out what my readers were interested in
Before I called myself a writer, I was a reader. What others have written shows how it is done. My books are a combination of these three genres, so I read a lot of memoirs, self-help books, and cultural criticism.
I also attended a writing workshop. There, you can not only learn about the craft, but also read mentor texts and the works of other aspiring writers. When I couldn't afford classes, I swapped pages with friends.
Now, as a writing instructor, I have critiqued thousands of manuscripts. This doesn't mean that all of a student's writing is bad, but reading bad writing will still improve your skills.
i wrote a lot
Besides therapy, writing and publishing primarily personal essays was how I made sense of my situation. I've been working as a full-time freelance writer for the past 10 years. It has helped me think more clearly about issues that are important to me. I gained skills and experience working with editors.
It also developed an audience. Collecting hundreds of bylines made me attractive to agents and eventually to the editors who bought my book.
It took about two years to write the book proposal, and I finished the book in about nine months.
I found a top agent
Even after my unpublished manuscript was shortlisted for the PEN Prize, I had trouble finding literary agents interested in selling my book. My first agent wasn't keen on the project, but I submitted it to an editor anyway. In retrospect, it's no wonder that book didn't sell well.
After that, I cycled through some even worse agents. One agent suggested I shelve my memoir and write about something completely different. He said his agent was too busy to meet in person “a second time” (we had never met in person). And the agent who offered me a glass of champagne (I'm sober, and she would have known that if she had read my manuscript).
The right agent is someone who has a love for you and your writing. They will make sure that your ideas are good and that the writing you submit to the editor is your best. It took me five years to sign with my current agent. She was my girlfriend's Facebook friend and I saw her quit her job as a book editor to become a literary agent, so she reached out.
I worked with her to create a book proposal that ended up selling, but it turned out to be a different, better book.
I stopped comparing myself
My book was sold at auction and there were two rounds of bidding. All bidders moved up to the second round, but the winning editor made the highest bid. I also liked the direction she was taking this book, so she was clearly a winner.
I have a friend who got a book deal right out of grad school based on a single viral essay. Good for them – I say that wholeheartedly – but it usually doesn't work. People believe that “sex sells” and that exposure equals opportunity. Especially as women, our talents and tenacity are often ignored. However, the journey was not an easy one.
It makes success even more amazing.
