How long does it take to write a memoir?
How long does it take to write a memoir? With a ghostwriter, three to six months. On your own, often a year or more. Here is a realistic timeline.
With a professional ghostwriter, a full memoir of 70,000 to 90,000 words usually takes three to six months. Writing one on your own, part time, often takes a year or more, and many people never finish.
A typical ghostwritten memoir timeline
Here is how a four- to five-month project usually breaks down:
- Weeks 1 to 2: consultation, writer match and contract
- Weeks 2 to 6: interviews and outline
- Weeks 6 to 18: chapters written and approved one by one
- Weeks 18 to 20: full edit, proofread and final approval
What makes it faster or slower
- Length: a 40,000-word family memoir is quicker than a 90,000-word book for publication
- Your availability for interviews and reviews
- Research: dates, archives and other people’s accounts take time
- How quickly you approve chapters
Writing it yourself
If you write for an hour a day and produce 500 usable words, a 75,000-word memoir would take about five months of drafting, before rewriting and editing. In reality, most people manage far less, which is why so many memoirs remain half-finished.
Then publishing
After the manuscript, allow extra time to publish. Self-publishing on Amazon KDP can take one to three weeks after editing and cover design. Traditional publishing, through an agent and publisher, usually takes a year or more.
