To write a book about my life?

[ghostwriterwanted]

I've been through a lot and I'm 30. I have three children. I was married very young and have been through huge trauma but I have over come it. I want to write about it because it's my story of addiction withdrawal and redemption

I don't have the discipline to sit still and write, I have adhd,

Is there a way to tell my story to a writer and work together with them? Thank you
And also is this really fucking big headed of me to think people would want to know my story of how I over came addictions?

@ghostwriterwanted

You are right. It isn’t a book for me. I haven’t got the time to read about someone’s victim mentality whereby they repeatedly call themselves pathetic when they’ve been privileged despite having some voids (which is in fact quite human, we all tend to have voids irrespective of backgrounds).

Best of luck though.

It's probably my favourite book and I read A LOT

It's more a grace campbell generation I want to write about my experiences like she does, has anyone read Shame? That book also was life changing for me

No don’t worry, it’s fine, was just checking - she’s a brilliant example. Go for it. We all need survivor stories, regardless of social backgroUnd.

Thank you. With your stony temperament I would say that is as generous as you get with supporting people.

Adversity isn't the only reason to become an addict and that is why it's good to talk about it

Have you read it 🥹🫶🏻 I read it often,
Such a vulnerable beautiful story and I respect her SO much

Thank you for your support

Yes, it’s a terrific book and illuminating about addiction

You see i feel the opposite I think that it really highlights how addiction is so powerful that it doesn’t just grab hold of those who use it to escape a life of poverty or suffering , the fact it can infiltrate to areas of society where you wouldn’t expect it to is interesting.

@ghostwriterwanted

But reading books isn’t about supporting people? Which I happen to do at work. I do however read books for pleasure. I wouldn’t find your content pleasurable, motivational or interesting but we are all different and that’s not to say others might not.

It IS good to talk however don’t expect everyone to want to read your content, even though you find it cathartic.

@Jenandberri

Of course it doesn’t. It can afflict anyone in society. Which is why I said good luck to the OP.

Middle class drug addicts recovers? It’s not really a USP for an autobiography unless you’re famous let’s face it.

You could pay a ghostwriter to write your story, yes, but you'd have to pay them upfront and it certainly wouldn't guarantee that any publisher would want to publish the book. If you were then successful in finding in a publisher, you'd be unlikely to make enough in royalties to cover the fee you paid to your ghostwriter. Self-publishing something like this would definitely not recoup your costs.

For a memoir by a non-famous person to be attractive to a publisher, it has to a) stand out from the crowd and tell a story that is exceptional and unusual and b) be written in their own distinctive voice. So it's unlikely that a publisher or agent would take on this kind of book if it was ghostwritten.

Sure, go for it. I think the semi-fictionalised stuff works very well, and a lot of authors weave their own experiences into their fictional stories in any event.

OP why don't you start a blog or substack and write a little bit each day of your story, instead of setting yourself an overwhelming target of a whole book? As your writing develops you might then be able to re-work the posts into a book.

I'd recommend continuing to write down as much of your story as you can in manageable chunks, even if only for your own reference. Unless you're already a household name there's unlikely to be much of a market for the autobiography of someone as young as you are, however eventful your life has been until now. But if you are keen to share your story and have the writing talent to use your life experience as the basis for a novel with an engaging lead character, you could have the next Shuggie Bain on your hands.

Next question, I've got several friends who are ghost writers. Is it ok to chat to them about it

If you have 'several friends who are ghostwriters', I'm not sure why you haven't just asked them already? They're your friends - surely you can just ask them for a bit of advice?

Also - I have to be honest here - it would be very unusual for someone to know 'several' ghostwriters personally unless you worked in a related industry. Do you really have several friends who make their living writing multiple books on behalf of other people? It's quite a niche profession, and it's not the same as being a journalist or a feature writer (although there are some writers that do both).

I am a housewife and I have been for 7 years

Thank you for this 🙏

I should have added I wasn't looking for a profit but to break even.

I would be really interested maybe in just hiring someone to type my story and I can talk to them. Then I can edit it before sending it to a few small publishers to see if anyone could help? Is it very very very expensive? Maybe a blog is more realistic xx

When you buy a book you support the author

@Jenandberri

This is exactly the point I want to make. That it can happen to anyone, not just very wealthy or very poor. For me, as an addict I can tell you straight away that I don't know anyone who's in my boat. Nobody like me has admit it. But there has got to be, it's impossible. The rate at which the drugs are prescribed means people like me have got to be going through it too! I felt SO alone, Cathryn was less pathetic then me, she had no kids!!

Yes, it is very expensive. I’m a former journalist turned copywriter but I have ghostwritten some pieces for business people. I charge £400 per day.

One thing to consider when sharing about your life in this way is others around you. A memoir doesn’t just share your history, it of course includes others like family, friends, lovers etc. It might be from your perspective but that’s also part of their experience - for example whoever you may have hurt with your addictive behaviour. Would you consider how they might feel?

Also, your kids and other family may well see it.

Not making any judgments just doesn’t seem to be part of your considerations just yet.

Could you fictionalise it? Write it in the third person, rather than an autobiography?

Congratulations in overcoming your addictions.

I think you'd probably end up having to self publish, an unknown person writing their life story isn't really going to capture many peoples attention.