After being inspired by some memoirs I had read—like Hillary Clinton's Living History—I wrote my own memoir in 2013. The idea of sharing how I grew up and the lessons I had learnt was something I couldn't resist then.
But I wrote my memoir in such a hurry that I wonder how it could have become the bestseller I wanted it to be. To make matters worse, I borrowed other people's words when telling my story.
Not surprisingly, I didn't succeed in having the memoir published. But I learnt valuable lessons while scouting for a publisher, like how world-class publishers work exclusively with literary agents, rather than authors.
The best lesson I learnt, though, was the value of telling the truth when writing nonfiction stories after hearing about what happened when Random House published a fake memoir by James Frey.
What happened, you ask? Well, the only thing I cared to remember was that readers realized the memoir was fake, and Random House apologized, then refunded those who had bought it. Real stories need real truth.
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Also check out "The 8th Commandment: Why It's About Fairness".
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Lessons From a Fake Memoir
A True Story
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