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Out of one book another is born
Charlotte Booth • 3 January 2022
A Case Study - From Brain to Book Programme
When clients come to me they sometimes have a very clear idea of what they want to write, and then it's my job to work out how that can be made into a sellable book.
When Ros joined the From Brain to Book Programme
she wanted to write a memoir which included a number of letters from her mother. She had a rough idea of what she wanted it to look like and how she wanted to express her memories.
However, when going through the planning stage of the programme, the idea didn’t sit quite right, and we couldn’t get it to work into a coherent product which would please publishers, readers and Ros as the author.
It's difficult with memoirs as they are so very personal, and can be upsetting, traumatic or simply difficult to recall in a chronological manner. And, like all books, a memoir is ultimately a product, and the audience are consumers who want to gain something from the book.
We continued working through the programme, gathered material and created a content page that worked with Ros’s original idea.
But there were further issues to address in the form of potential libel, as anything that presents someone in a negative light can be problematic if that person is recognisable. Without written permission from those individuals this could open a whole can of worms.
Throughout the programme, Ros, then decided her better option would be to change the memoir into a novel, meaning all people, places and actions were fictionalised removing potential libel issues, allowing for embellishments and creating a more coherent journey for the reader.
This was totally the right thing to do for Ros and her book, and as we speak the finished manuscript is currently on the desk of a publisher who has agreed to publish it.
A massive congratulations right there!
Ros also has the germ of a second novel and will be sitting down to plan the Ridiculously Detailed Content Page soon, before she starts writing.
Ros said:
“Working with Charlotte helped me focus on what my novel was really about. Charlotte helped me plan out my book until I knew exactly what I was going to write. Her knowledge and experience were SUPER helpful, and she was very encouraging.
That help at the beginning of the process of writing my novel made everything so much easier and I completed the book within nine months.”
Working with Ros was challenging as the book she wanted to write turned out not to be the book that needed to be written. But going through the process made that clear for her and for me.
In the end Ros was able to tell her story in a way that worked for her, and she has a publisher as well – and all within a year.
If you would like to find out more about the From Brain to Book programme
email
me or give me a call.
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