Who is up to reviewing and criticizing a memoir?

[Barbara C. Johnson]

TITLE is the 81,000-word memoir of Barbara Johnson, who metamorphosed from a seeker of love whose groin ruled her for the first 48 years of her life to a lawyer advocating for the need for court reform and the abolition of judicial immunity, resulting in her running for governor of Massachusetts in 2002, being disbarred for criticizing the judiciary, writing a whistleblower book, and fleeing for refuge to Costa Rica, where, at 76, she continues advocating for justice while her groin still pulsates seeking love. 

Since titles are not copyrightable, I fear letting folks know the title ahead of time.
What do you think?

Who is up to reviewing and criticizing a memoir?

[Barbara C. Johnson]

I'm confused, I.J.  My original question is on display: "Who is up to reviewing and criticizing a memoir?"  What about it?  Two of the critiques of my 1996 book did NOT start about with any agreement to exchange anything.  The exchanges just happened without any plan or anticipated exchange.

 

[I. J. Parker]

Glad it worked for you before.  It may also work here, but the writers on this site tend to be extremely busy with their own books.  Still, there have been some who were looking for a critique partner.

Most are writing mysteries, i.e. fiction, though.

 

Anyway, good luck!

[Barbara C. Johnson]

I am always reading something, even while i am writing -- whether a brief, an article, or some work -- so I assumed that other folks might also relax by reading someone else's work.  I've had one friend read it, and I've gotten the idea that it was a fast, interesting read.

Curious!  Do all members of CrimeSpace see this discussion?  If so, I hope that at least one of them enjoys occasionally to read memoirs.

Thanks I.J., for your input. 

 

 

[I. J. Parker]

You're welcome.  Things are a bit slow here at the moment.  We have members who are just readers of mysteries also.

You say you've had a number of critiques already.  I can work with a relatively small number, have worked with just one, but am hoping to get back to two.

 

Keep in mind that you may well also get input from an agent and from your editor.

Too many opinions could just be confusing.

[Barbara C. Johnson]

I've had one friend read it.  He proofread it.  He didn't actually offer criticism, just guidance here and there.  Very tactful.

Yesterday I sent it out to two friends, one male and one female, who expressed their willingness.

I have neither an agent nor an editor yet.  I wrote a draft of a one-page cover letter, also yesterday.  I'll likely think about the "mini-synopsis" a bit more and do some serious polishing.

[I. J. Parker]

Ah.  Query letters.  Make it short.  It's a cover letter for the synopsis.  The synopsis is one page. They don't like to read long queries.

 

3 short paragraphs should do it: a) title, genre, length and general subject.

b)Then your qualifications.

c) Then your experience and/or intended audience.

 

Proofread everything carefully.