“Sh*t Happened” Isn’t Enough: Crafting Compelling Memoir from Dramatic Action

By Allison K Williams

Recently, I heard a panel of distinguished agents and publishing-house editors discussing trends in publishing, social media, and where authors fit in the literary machine.

When it was question time, I asked, “What topics and types of book aren’t selling? What do you generally not want to see any more of?”

“Cancer memoirs.”

“Death of a parent memoirs. Death of a child memoirs.”

“Addiction and recovery.”

The problem was not, they went on to explain, that...