So You Want to Sell a Memoir

Memoir is one of the most difficult genres to sell. Judging by Alia Hanna Habib's inbox and her time visiting writers' conferences and MFA programs, it's also one of the most popular genres to write. In this talk, Alia — a literary agent who specializes in nonfiction — will show some paths to publishing memoir based on the real careers of her clients. She will use these case studies to answer some frequently asked questions: Do you need a platform to sell a memoir? Can a memoir be sold on proposal? How do I go about finding an agent? And more!

Alia Hanna Habib is a literary agent and Vice President at The Gernert Company. She is the author of Take It From Me: An Agent’s Guide to Building a Nonfiction Career from Scratch and of the publishing-themed Substack Delivery & Acceptance. Among the New York Times-bestselling and prize-winning clients she represents are Clint Smith, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Lauren Oyler, Stephen Vladeck, Nathan Thrall, Merve Emre, Adam Serwer, and Hanif Abdurraqib. She was profiled by New York Magazine for their special issue on “The 49 Most Powerful New Yorkers (You’ve Never Heard Of).” She lives in Brooklyn.