Can ChatGPT Be Your Ghostwriter?

 

Can ChatGPT Be Your Ghostwriter? The Human Touch Behind Telling Your Story

By Butch Gray | Giftkone Publishing

Should you hire a human ghostwriter, use artificial intelligence, or write your own story with a little help from both?

Everybody Has a Story, But Not Everybody Wants to Write a Book

One of the questions I've been asked lately is whether ChatGPT would make a good ghostwriter for someone wanting to write a book, particularly a memoir.

It's a fair question, especially today, when artificial intelligence can produce a chapter, an outline, or even an entire manuscript from a collection of notes and instructions.

But just because technology can write something doesn't necessarily mean it can tell your story the way you would want it told.

I have some personal experience with this subject. In fact, my first major writing project after moving away from screenwriting was ghostwriting my mother's memoir.

That experience taught me something important about writing another person's life story, something I believe remains just as important today, even with all the advances in artificial intelligence.

A ghostwriter's job isn't simply to put words on paper. It's to help someone tell a story that belongs to them.

And sometimes, knowing what not to write can be just as important as knowing what to include.

My First Experience as a Ghostwriter

When I began working on my mother's memoir, ChatGPT didn't exist. There was no artificial intelligence waiting for me to enter a few paragraphs and request a completed chapter.

My mother had suffered a stroke that robbed her of her ability to write. She still had her memories, her stories, and her desire to share them, but she could no longer put those memories on paper herself.

I was fortunate enough to be in a position to help.

She would tell me about her childhood, her family, the people she knew, and the places she remembered. My job was to take what she told me and turn those memories into a readable manuscript.

In many ways, my job was fairly simple. I wasn't being asked to invent characters, create fictional adventures, or develop an imaginary world.

I was being asked to listen.

I needed to describe the people, places, and things she remembered and make certain those descriptions represented the world as she experienced it.

Much of her story took place during the 1940s and 1950s, so I did some historical research to better understand the times she was describing.

But I also had another valuable resource.

Family members who were there.

Several of my older aunts were still around, and they remembered many of the same people, places, and events my mother talked about.

Of course, remembering the same event doesn't always mean remembering it the same way.

Whose Memory Is the Right Memory?

One of the more interesting experiences I had while working on my mother's memoir involved a disagreement over something as simple as the name of her childhood dog.

My mother remembered one name. One of my aunties remembered another.

Now, how was I supposed to resolve that?

Both women had lived during the same period. Both were remembering something from their childhood. And both believed their memories were correct.

I eventually established a rule for myself.

When there was a conflict between my mother's memory and someone else's, I deferred to my mother.

Why?

Because I wasn't writing my aunt's memoir.

I was writing my mother's.

That doesn't mean the other person's recollection was necessarily wrong. It simply means that my mother's experiences, her memories, and her understanding of those experiences were the foundation of the book.

If historical research revealed an important factual error, that was something we could discuss and address. But when two family members remembered a personal detail differently, I wasn't going to allow someone else's recollection to automatically replace hers.

And that brings me to something I believe is particularly important when discussing ChatGPT as a ghostwriter.

A memoir isn't merely a collection of historical facts. It's the story of someone's life as they remember, understand, and experienced it.

A computer may help organize those memories, but the memories themselves belong to a human being.

What Exactly Does a Ghostwriter Do?

A ghostwriter is someone hired or otherwise engaged to write a manuscript for another person, usually with the understanding that the person whose story is being told will receive the author credit.

Ghostwriters are used for all kinds of publications, including:

• Memoirs and autobiographies

• Family histories and biographies

• Business books and personal success stories

• Historical and nonfiction books

• Novels and other creative writing projects

A good ghostwriter does much more than take dictation.

They interview their clients, ask questions, research historical details, organize information, and develop a manuscript that reflects the personality and intentions of the person whose name will appear on the book.

They may recognize emotional significance in a seemingly ordinary memory and ask the kind of follow-up question that brings an entire scene to life.

For example, imagine someone describing the day they left home for the first time.

A human ghostwriter might ask:

Were you excited? Were you frightened? Did your mother say anything before you left? Did you ever look back at the house?

Those questions can reveal the feelings behind an experience.

And while ChatGPT can also suggest questions like these, it doesn't know what that particular goodbye felt like until someone tells it.

That distinction matters to me.

Can ChatGPT Really Ghostwrite a Book?

The short answer is yes.

ChatGPT can help create a manuscript from notes, interviews, recorded memories that have been transcribed, outlines, and other information supplied by the person directing the project.

It can turn a collection of disconnected recollections into an organized draft. It can suggest chapter titles, improve descriptions, rewrite confusing passages, and help maintain a consistent writing style.

For someone who has a lifetime of stories but struggles with putting them on paper, those abilities could be extremely valuable.

Imagine an elderly person who wants to leave a family history for their grandchildren.

That person might record stories about growing up, attending school, meeting a spouse, raising children, or living through important historical events.

Those recordings could be transcribed and, with the person's guidance, organized into chapters using ChatGPT.

What once required a ghostwriter, editor, and perhaps someone to transcribe hours of conversations can now be assisted by a relatively inexpensive technology.

For people who cannot afford to hire a professional ghostwriter, this opens a door that might otherwise remain closed.

But there is a difference between having ChatGPT help you write your story and allowing ChatGPT to decide what your story should be.

And that's where I begin to have reservations.

What a Human Ghostwriter Brings to the Table

Personally, I still believe a good human ghostwriter has advantages that artificial intelligence cannot fully duplicate.

A human ghostwriter brings a lifetime of personal experiences to the work.

They understand what it means to lose someone they love, feel disappointment, experience joy, raise a family, confront hardships, or look back on a life filled with both success and regret.

They can recognize emotional significance because they have experienced emotions themselves.

That doesn't mean every human ghostwriter is a great storyteller. Far from it.

But a skilled human ghostwriter can develop a personal relationship with the person whose story is being told.

They can notice hesitation in someone's voice, recognize when a memory is painful, or sense that an important part of a story has been left unsaid.

Sometimes the most revealing moment during an interview isn't the answer to a question.

It's the silence that follows it.

ChatGPT can generate compassionate language and suggest thoughtful interview questions, but it doesn't have human memories, family relationships, or lived emotional experiences of its own.

It produces responses based on patterns learned during training and the information provided to it.

A human ghostwriter can also draw on personal judgment and experience to decide when to ask another question, when to challenge a questionable fact, and when simply to listen.

For me, those are important qualities.

Where ChatGPT Can Be an Excellent Writing Partner

Although I favor a human ghostwriter for certain projects, that doesn't mean I dismiss the value of ChatGPT.

Quite the opposite.

I believe it can be an extremely useful tool for someone interested in writing a memoir or almost any other kind of book.

Here are some ways I would consider using it.

1. Organizing Your Memories

Most people don't remember their lives in neatly arranged chapters.

One day they might remember something from childhood. The next day, something from their working years. Then a memory about their grandparents comes to mind.

ChatGPT can help organize those scattered recollections into a timeline or a series of chapters.

2. Creating a First-Draft Framework

I've written before about the importance of completing a first draft.

One of the biggest obstacles facing a new writer is trying to make every sentence perfect before moving on.

ChatGPT can help develop an outline or a working framework that allows the author to concentrate on getting the story told.

3. Developing Interview Questions

Someone writing a family memoir might not know what questions to ask.

ChatGPT can suggest questions about childhood, family relationships, education, employment, marriage, children, and other life experiences.

Those questions may bring back memories the storyteller hasn't thought about in years.

4. Improving Clarity and Readability

Not everyone is comfortable with grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, or organizing paragraphs.

ChatGPT can help make writing easier to read without necessarily changing the underlying story.

However, I would caution against allowing it to polish away the personality of the person telling the story.

5. Researching Historical Background

Just as I researched the 1940s and 1950s while working on my mother's memoir, today's writers can use ChatGPT to identify historical topics worth investigating.

But historical information provided by artificial intelligence must be checked against reliable sources.

ChatGPT can make mistakes and occasionally invent information that sounds perfectly believable.

6. Helping Writers Who Have Physical Limitations

This is one benefit I find especially meaningful.

A person who has difficulty writing, typing, or organizing thoughts may still have a wonderful story to tell.

Speech-to-text software, audio recordings, and AI-assisted drafting can help that person participate in creating a book.

I can't help thinking about how useful some of these technologies might have been when I was working with my mother.

They wouldn't have replaced our conversations, but they might have made parts of the writing process easier.

The Danger of Letting AI Fill in the Blanks

One of my biggest concerns about using ChatGPT as a ghostwriter is its ability to create convincing information that was never provided.

Suppose someone tells ChatGPT:

"I remember my grandmother cooking breakfast in her kitchen when I was a little boy."

ChatGPT might turn that simple memory into a beautifully written scene involving sunlight coming through lace curtains, bacon sizzling in a cast-iron skillet, and the smell of fresh biscuits filling the house.

It sounds wonderful.

But what if the grandmother didn't have lace curtains?

What if she cooked on a different kind of stove?

What if the family couldn't afford bacon?

Now we have a beautifully written scene containing details that may never have existed.

That might be acceptable in a novel.

But in a memoir, those invented details could change the truth of the story.

This is why I believe a memoir writer should be extremely careful about allowing artificial intelligence to add descriptions, conversations, emotions, or historical details that the storyteller never supplied or approved.

Good writing should make a true story more engaging, not quietly turn it into fiction.

When I was writing my mother's memoir, I wanted to describe the world she remembered, not create a more attractive world because I thought it would make a better story.

I believe that principle is worth preserving.

What About Copyright and Publishing Rules?

There's another important issue authors should consider before allowing ChatGPT to write large portions of their manuscripts.

Copyright.

Under guidance issued by the United States Copyright Office, copyright protection generally requires human authorship.

Using artificial intelligence as a tool doesn't automatically prevent an author from obtaining copyright protection.

However, material generated entirely by AI without sufficient human creative authorship may not qualify for protection on its own.

Human-authored portions of a work, along with sufficiently creative human selections, arrangements, or modifications, may still qualify.

The distinction matters. Simply entering instructions into an AI system doesn't necessarily make someone the copyright author of everything the system produces.

Authors should also understand the publishing rules of the platforms they use.

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), for example, distinguishes between AI-generated and AI-assisted content.

If AI creates the actual text, images, or translations used in a book, Amazon requires disclosure during the publishing process, even if the material is substantially edited afterward.

If an author creates the material and uses AI only to brainstorm, edit, proofread, or improve it, Amazon generally treats that as AI-assisted content, which does not require the same disclosure.

Authors should always review current publishing requirements before submitting their work.

The last thing anyone wants is to complete a manuscript only to discover that they misunderstood the rules governing its publication.

Should You Hire a Human Ghostwriter or Use ChatGPT?

I think the answer depends on what you're trying to accomplish, how much assistance you need, and what you're willing or able to spend.

A professional ghostwriter can be expensive, particularly when the project involves extensive interviews, historical research, and a full-length manuscript.

But that expense may be justified when the author wants an experienced collaborator who can listen, investigate, challenge ideas, and help develop the emotional depth of a story.

ChatGPT offers a much less expensive alternative for some of those tasks.

It can help a person begin a project that might otherwise never get started.

But I would be reluctant to hand over an entire memoir to artificial intelligence and allow it to determine how the story should be told without substantial human involvement.

For some writers, the best solution may be a combination of the two.

Use ChatGPT to help organize notes, prepare questions, develop outlines, and improve early drafts.

Then let the author—or a trusted human editor or ghostwriter—review the work for accuracy, personality, emotional authenticity, and storytelling quality.

And when the memoir involves private family information, remember that recordings, transcripts, and personal documents deserve careful handling. Review the privacy settings of any AI service before sharing sensitive material, and obtain permission where appropriate.

The story should always remain under the direction of the person whose life is being written about.

The Personal Touch Is What I Look for as a Reader

When I sit down to read a book, I want more than grammatically correct sentences and neatly organized chapters.

I want to feel as though the person who wrote the book had something meaningful to share.

I appreciate the unexpected detail, the personal observation, and the emotional honesty that make a story feel real.

Perhaps that's why I approach my own writing the way I do.

I try to write the kinds of stories I enjoy reading.

Stories with enough personality and human feeling to make me care about what happens next.

I don't believe artificial intelligence is incapable of helping create that experience. It certainly can.

But I believe the personal memories, creative judgment, and emotional understanding of a human storyteller remain essential.

My mother's memoir taught me that lesson long before ChatGPT existed.

I wasn't just preserving dates, names, and locations.

I was helping preserve her memories of a life that only she had lived.

And even when another family member remembered something differently, I understood whose story I had been entrusted to tell.

My Final Thoughts: Don't Let the Tool Become the Storyteller

So, can ChatGPT be your ghostwriter?

Yes, in a practical sense, it can perform many of the writing tasks traditionally associated with ghostwriting.

But would I recommend replacing a skilled human ghostwriter with ChatGPT for every project?

No.

I believe there is still something valuable about one person sitting across from another, listening to stories, asking questions, and discovering the meaning behind the memories.

And for those who cannot afford a human ghostwriter, I believe ChatGPT can provide a valuable opportunity to get their stories onto paper.

The important thing is to remain involved in the process.

Don't surrender your memories, your personality, or your judgment simply because a computer can produce a paragraph faster than you can.

Your life is more than an outline.

Your memories are more than research material.

And your story deserves to be told in a way that represents you.

Whether you hire a ghostwriter, use ChatGPT, or write every word yourself, remember this: Technology may help you write the book, but the life behind the story is what makes it worth reading.

---

A Question for My Readers

Have you ever considered writing your memoir or hiring someone to help you write it?

Would you trust ChatGPT to help tell your life story, or would you prefer to work with a human ghostwriter?

Perhaps you've already used artificial intelligence to help with your writing.

I'd love to hear about your experiences, your concerns, and what you believe makes a personal story worth reading.

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

And if you're beginning your own writing or self-publishing journey, I invite you to explore more articles here at Giftkone Publishing, where I share lessons learned from my own experiences with writing, editing, publishing, and bringing books to readers.

Keep writing, keep learning, and remember that everybody has a story worth preserving.

Butch Gray
Giftkone Publishing

How to Get Your Self-Published Book into Public Libraries.

 

From Your Family's Story to the Library Shelf: How to Get Your Self-Published Book into Public Libraries

By Butch Gray | Giftkone Publishing

Does Your Self-Published Book Belong in a Public Library?

Have you ever walked into a public library, looked at the thousands of books lining the shelves, and wondered what it would take to see one of your own books among them?

I have.

In fact, getting a book into a public library was something that interested me when I first began my writing journey. But my interest in libraries, books, and preserving personal history has a much deeper beginning.

It began with my mother, a stroke, and a conversation she once had with one of her grandchildren.

That conversation helped inspire a book, and it eventually helped turn my mother into a published author.

It also gave me a greater appreciation for why ordinary people should write about their lives and families, and why public libraries can play such an important role in preserving and sharing those stories.

The Question That Inspired My Mother's Book

My mother once told me a story about a conversation she had with one of her grandchildren.

They were talking about libraries when the grandchild asked where they could go in the library to look up information about our family.

Now, that might seem like a simple question, but think about what the child was really asking.

Where was our family's history?

Where were the stories of the people who came before us?

Where could someone find out about our family's experiences, struggles, accomplishments, and the lives they had lived?

My mother tried to explain that someone in the family would have to record those stories first. Someone would have to write them down, perhaps even publish a book, before future generations could hope to find them preserved in a library.

Of course, family information can sometimes be found in old newspapers, public records, photographs, and genealogical collections. But what her grandchild was looking for was something more personal.

A book about our family, written by someone who actually knew its history.

That conversation motivated my mother to begin writing her memoir.

Unfortunately, life had other plans.

When My Mother Could No Longer Write

My mother suffered a stroke that took away her ability to write.

For someone who had wanted to preserve her family's story, that loss was devastating.

She had waited for the right time to complete her book, believing there would always be another opportunity.

But suddenly, the opportunity she had taken for granted was gone.

The realization contributed to her depression. She felt she had waited too long.

At the time, my own writing experience had largely been limited to screenplays. I had not yet developed the experience of writing and publishing books that I would acquire later.

But I did have something that mattered more than experience.

I had a mother with a story she wanted to tell, and I wanted to help her tell it.

So I became her ghostwriter.

She supplied the memories, experiences, family history, and guidance. I helped turn those memories into a manuscript.

We worked together, and I was able to complete the book for her.

My mother became a published author, even though she could no longer physically write the words herself.

For me, that accomplishment was worth more than any royalty payment.

Her story had been preserved.

The possibility that her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and perhaps future generations might someday find her book in a library made the accomplishment even more meaningful.

That experience taught me a lesson I carry into my writing and publishing today.

You do not have to be famous for your life story to have value.

And you do not have to be published by a major publishing company for your book to deserve consideration by a public library.

Can a Self-Published Author Get a Book into a Public Library?

The short answer is yes.

Public libraries can purchase and circulate self-published books, including memoirs, novels, local histories, children's books, biographies, and educational publications.

But there is a difference between getting your book published and getting it accepted into a library's collection.

Publishing makes your book available.

Library acquisition means that a library has evaluated your book and decided it would be a worthwhile addition to the materials it offers its patrons.

Independent authors should understand that libraries operate under their own purchasing policies, budgets, collection priorities, and community interests.

No distributor or publishing service can guarantee that a particular library will purchase your book.

However, there are practical steps you can take to make your work easier for librarians to discover, evaluate, and order.

1. Make Your Book Available Through Library Distribution Channels

One of the biggest mistakes an independent author can make is assuming that because a book is available on Amazon, every public library can easily purchase it.

That is not necessarily the case.

Many libraries prefer to order books through established wholesalers and distribution services instead of purchasing directly from individual authors.

One publishing service worth investigating is IngramSpark.

Website: https://www.ingramspark.com/

IngramSpark offers print-on-demand publishing and access to a wholesale distribution network used by bookstores and libraries.

For independent authors who want broader distribution beyond Amazon, this can provide another way to make their books available for institutional purchasing.

Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) also offers Expanded Distribution for eligible paperbacks. That program can make qualifying books available to outside distributors, although it does not guarantee library placement.

Before selecting a distribution service, compare printing costs, wholesale discounts, royalty payments, distribution rights, and any return policies.

Remember, the objective is to make your book available through purchasing channels librarians actually use.

2. Understand the Importance of Owning Your ISBN

I have written before about the differences between using a free ISBN supplied by a print-on-demand publisher and purchasing your own.

Personally, I own the ISBNs for approximately half of my published books.

I consider ISBN ownership important because it gives an independent publisher greater control over how a publication is identified and distributed.

An ISBN, or International Standard Book Number, identifies a particular edition and format of a book.

If you use a free ISBN supplied by Amazon KDP, that ISBN is restricted to the KDP publishing system.

However, an ISBN you purchase and register yourself can generally be used for the same qualifying edition across compatible publishing and distribution services, subject to their rules.

Different formats, such as paperback and hardcover, require separate ISBNs. Ebooks may not always require one.

Owning your ISBN does not guarantee library acceptance, but it can make managing your publishing imprint and expanding your distribution options easier.

For someone planning a long-term independent publishing business, I believe that freedom is worth considering.

3. Make Your Ebook Available to Digital Libraries

When people think about libraries, they often picture rows of printed books.

But today's libraries also offer ebooks and audiobooks that patrons can borrow using computers, tablets, smartphones, and other reading devices.

Digital library services have created new opportunities for independent authors.

For example:

Draft2Digital

https://www.draft2digital.com/

Draft2Digital helps independent authors distribute ebooks to participating library services, including OverDrive, Hoopla, and cloudLibrary.

OverDrive and Libby

https://www.overdrive.com/

OverDrive provides digital content to participating libraries. Readers commonly access these collections through the Libby app.

Hoopla

https://www.hoopladigital.com/

Hoopla is another digital borrowing service used by participating public libraries.

These services can help make independently published ebooks available for library selection.

However, authors should understand that listing a book with a digital distributor does not automatically mean every library will carry it.

A library must still choose or authorize access to the title through its digital collection arrangements.

That is where reader interest becomes important.

4. Consider the Indie Author Project

Another opportunity worth exploring is the Indie Author Project.

Website: https://indieauthorproject.com/

The project connects independent authors with participating public libraries and offers opportunities for eligible ebooks to be considered for library collections.

Authors can submit their work for evaluation, and selected books may gain additional exposure through curated collections and related programs.

I find this opportunity particularly interesting because it recognizes that worthwhile literature does not come exclusively from major publishing houses.

There are talented independent authors producing books about local communities, personal experiences, historical events, and subjects that might otherwise receive little attention.

Programs that help libraries discover those books are valuable to both writers and readers.

5. Start with Your Local Public Library

Before trying to place your book in libraries across the country, consider beginning with the library in your own community.

Local authors often have something that national publishers cannot offer: a meaningful connection to the community.

Perhaps your book concerns local history.

Maybe it tells the story of a family that has lived in the area for generations.

Your publication might involve a school, neighborhood, cultural tradition, historical event, or experience that residents would recognize.

These are all reasons a librarian might be interested in learning about your work.

Visit the library's website and look for information about local-author submissions, collection development, or purchase suggestions.

If the procedure isn't clear, contact the library and ask who evaluates books for possible acquisition.

Don't begin by demanding shelf space. Begin by asking about the library's submission process.

Some public libraries accept donated books for consideration. Others prefer that authors submit information so the library can purchase an approved copy through its regular vendors.

Whatever the policy, remember that a donation is not a guarantee your book will be placed in the circulating collection.

6. Prepare a Professional Book Information Sheet

Libraries receive many requests from authors, publishers, and readers.

You can make their job easier by preparing a simple, professional, one-page information sheet, sometimes called a sell sheet.

Your sheet should include:

• Your book's title, subtitle, and author name.

• A clear image of the book cover.

• A short description of the book.

• The ISBN for each available format.

• The publication date, page count, and retail price.

• The appropriate subject category and target readership.

• The distributor or wholesaler through which the library can order.

• A brief author biography.

• Relevant reviews, awards, or local connections.

• Your publishing company and contact information.

For example, a memoir about a family growing up in San Francisco might interest a library because of its local and historical significance.

A book about Juneteenth might appeal to libraries developing collections about African American history and American cultural traditions.

But the librarian needs enough information to understand the book's subject, quality, and potential value to readers.

Make that information easy to find.

7. Encourage Readers to Request Your Book

Here is something many beginning authors may not realize.

Library patrons can influence which books their libraries consider purchasing.

Many library systems provide a book purchase suggestion form on their websites.

When readers request a particular title, librarians can evaluate those requests alongside their collection priorities and available budgets.

For independent authors, this means that developing an audience can be just as important for library distribution as it is for ordinary book sales.

If you have readers who genuinely enjoy your work, let them know that they may be able to request your book through their local public library.

You can provide the title, author name, ISBN, and other information needed to make a request.

Don't encourage people to submit dishonest or duplicate requests. Genuine interest from actual readers is far more meaningful.

And remember, the library still makes the final decision.

8. Offer Something Beyond the Book

Libraries do more than lend reading materials.

They provide educational programs, community meetings, author discussions, children's activities, workshops, and cultural events.

As an independent author, you may have knowledge or experiences worth sharing.

For example, an author who has written a memoir could offer a workshop about preserving family history.

A writer of children's books might provide an age-appropriate reading or activity session.

A historical author might offer a presentation related to the research behind a publication.

Through Giftkone Publishing, some subjects I would consider appropriate for such programs include memoir writing, Juneteenth history, self-publishing, and preserving family stories.

An author presentation does not guarantee that a library will purchase your book.

But it can provide a meaningful opportunity to connect with readers and demonstrate your commitment to education and community engagement.

9. Make Sure Your Book Meets Professional Standards

Self-publishing gives us tremendous freedom.

We can decide what to write, how to publish, what cover to use, and where to distribute our work.

But that freedom comes with responsibility.

Public libraries are investing resources in books they expect their patrons to use.

That means independent authors should pay particular attention to editing, proofreading, formatting, cover quality, accurate descriptions, and appropriate subject classifications.

A professionally prepared book is easier for a librarian to evaluate and more likely to create a favorable impression.

An independent author should not assume that a book deserves shelf space simply because it has been published.

We must give librarians reasons to believe readers will benefit from having access to it.

10. Understand That Library Distribution Is Also a Form of Marketing

One lesson I have learned during my years of publishing is that writing a book and making it available to readers are two different responsibilities.

You can write an excellent book, edit it, design a beautiful cover, and successfully publish it.

But if nobody knows it exists, the book may never reach the audience you hoped to serve.

Libraries offer another path to discovery.

Someone who might hesitate to purchase an unfamiliar author's book may be willing to borrow it from a public library.

If they enjoy it, they might search for other books by the same author, recommend the publication to a friend, or leave a review.

That is one of the things I appreciate about libraries.

They allow readers to explore books they might never have encountered otherwise.

For independent authors, that opportunity can be valuable beyond the immediate sale of a single copy.

A Few Things to Remember Before You Begin

Getting your self-published book into a public library requires patience and planning.

You should also be realistic.

Not every library will accept your book.

Some libraries may have limited acquisition budgets. Others may prioritize books that meet particular educational, regional, or community needs.

A local library might be interested in your memoir while a library in another state may have no immediate reason to purchase it.

That does not necessarily mean your book lacks value.

It means you need to understand the readers you hope to reach and identify the libraries most likely to serve them.

And sometimes the best starting point is not a national marketing campaign.

Sometimes it is a conversation with a librarian in your own neighborhood.

Why My Mother's Story Still Matters to Me

I often think about that conversation between my mother and her grandchild.

A child wanted to know where to find information about our family in a library.

My mother realized that someone had to preserve those stories if future generations were going to find them.

Then a stroke threatened to end her opportunity to do exactly that.

I was fortunate enough to help her complete what she had started.

I cannot help but wonder how many family histories have disappeared because nobody took the time to record them.

How many grandparents have stories their grandchildren will never hear?

How many accounts of neighborhoods, communities, military service, family traditions, and everyday life have been lost because people believed their experiences weren't important enough to write down?

Libraries can preserve many kinds of information, but somebody has to create or collect that information in the first place.

And that somebody might be you.

You don't have to be a celebrity.

You don't have to be a scholar.

You don't have to write the next bestselling novel.

Sometimes a book written about your own family or personal experiences may become the most important publication your descendants will ever read.

That is one reason I encourage people to consider writing memoirs.

And it is one reason I believe independent authors should explore opportunities to make their books available through public libraries.

Final Thoughts: Your Book May Have a Place in Someone's Future

The next time you walk into a library, take a moment to look around.

Every book represents someone who believed they had something worth sharing.

Some books were written by famous authors. Others were created by researchers, historians, educators, and people recording experiences that might otherwise have been forgotten.

Your book might belong among them.

But first, you have to write it.

Then you have to publish it.

And finally, you have to help the people responsible for acquiring library materials discover that it exists.

For me, the lesson began with my mother and a grandchild who wanted to find our family history.

It grew into a lifelong appreciation for writing, publishing, and preserving stories.

Don't wait until your story can no longer be told. Write it, preserve it, and give future generations a chance to discover it.

And once you've published your book, don't overlook the public library.

It just might be one of the most meaningful places your writing will ever reach.

Explore My Books

I invite readers to explore my published works under the names Hank Gray and Butch Gray.

Hank Gray: https://amzn.to/3VN4LTl

Butch Gray: https://amzn.to/4BjwLOo

A Question for My Readers

Have you ever tried to get a self-published book into a public library? Or have you ever wished your family's history could be found on a library shelf?

I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments.

Giftkone Publishing — Encouraging Writers, Inspiring Readers, and Sharing Knowledge.

By Butch Gray

Can an Average Person Write a Memoir?

 

Can an Average Person Write a Memoir?

One of the questions new writers often ask is simple:

Can an average person write a memoir?

My answer is yes.

In fact, some of the most meaningful memoirs may come from people who never considered themselves famous, important, or extraordinary.

You do not have to be a celebrity, politician, athlete, millionaire, or historical figure to have a story worth telling. You only need memories, experiences, and something you believe is worth passing along.

For many years, I had writing ideas swimming around in my head.

Before I retired, I worked in science and broadcasting, and throughout those years I was blessed with more ideas than I had time to develop. I kept notes. Sometimes I created outlines. Occasionally I managed to move an idea a little farther along.

I certainly wrote.

I completed class papers, employee reviews, screenplays, technical and professional writing, and assignments I was paid to produce.

But personal writing was different.

The memoirs, biographies, family stories, and other ideas I wanted to write always seemed to be waiting for that magical thing called free time.

And there never seemed to be enough of it.

I Kept Scheduling My Stories for “Someday”

Like many working people, I kept pushing my personal writing projects into the future.

I would write them when work slowed down.

I would write them when I had more time.

I would write them after I retired.

The problem with putting everything off until someday is that someday is not guaranteed to arrive the way we imagine it will.

My mother taught me that lesson in a way I have never forgotten.

She had stories of her own. Memories. Experiences. A life worth putting on paper.

But like so many people, when she had the physical ability to write, she did not always have the time, motivation, or opportunity to sit down and do it.

Then she suffered a stroke.

The stroke took away her ability to write.

Suddenly, she had something she had not had enough of before—time.

But now she could no longer physically do the writing herself.

That realization was painful for her. She became depressed and felt as though an opportunity had been lost.

That happened not long before my retirement from Stanford University, and it changed the way I looked at writing.

My Mother Found Her Ghostwriter

Fortunately, her story did not end there.

I stepped in.

I listened to my mother's memories, helped organize them, and completed her memoir for her.

I gave her the writing credit.

It was her life.

Her memories.

Her experiences.

Her book.

I was simply the person who helped move those memories from her mind onto the page.

And the smile that book brought to my mother's face gave me something I would carry into retirement.

Looking back, I sometimes joke that my mother found herself a ghostwriter.

That ghostwriter just happened to be her son.

Helping her finish that memoir became the spark that started another chapter in my own life.

Retirement Gave Me Time, but My Mother Gave Me Urgency

When retirement finally arrived, I began digging through those old notes, ideas, unfinished outlines, and stories I had saved for years.

One by one, I started bringing some of them to life.

Not quickly.

Not perfectly.

But slowly and surely.

That distinction is important.

People sometimes imagine writers sitting down with a brilliant idea and effortlessly producing a finished book.

That has never been my experience.

Writing is a process.

You sit down.

You remember.

You make notes.

You write a paragraph.

Then another.

You discover that one memory leads to another memory you had not thought about in twenty years.

Eventually, pages begin to accumulate.

The important part is starting.

You Do Not Have to Be Famous to Write a Memoir

A memoir is not valuable simply because the person writing it is famous.

It is valuable because the experience means something.

A memoir can be about growing up in a particular neighborhood.

It can be about military service.

It can be about raising children.

It can be about a marriage.

A career.

Caregiving.

Immigration.

Faith.

Loss.

Survival.

Education.

Starting over.

A family tradition.

A relationship with a parent.

Or one period of your life that changed the person you eventually became.

Readers often connect less with a person's fame than with recognizable human emotions.

Love.

Fear.

Ambition.

Regret.

Humor.

Mistakes.

Family loyalty.

Disappointment.

Hope.

Those things belong to ordinary people every day.

And that is exactly why ordinary lives can make extraordinary memoirs.

Memoir Is Not the Same as Autobiography

New writers sometimes believe that writing a memoir means starting with:

“I was born on…”

and then documenting every year until the present.

That is closer to an autobiography.

A memoir can be much more focused.

Instead of telling your entire life story, you might write about one period or one theme.

You might write about:

• the neighborhood where you grew up,

• your years in the military,

• becoming a parent,

• caring for someone you love,

• surviving a difficult period,

• working in an unusual profession,

• your spiritual journey,

• moving across the country,

• going back to school later in life,

• or one relationship that changed you.

You do not have to tell everything.

You only have to decide what story you are trying to tell.

That can make memoir writing much less intimidating.

Your Ordinary Life May Not Be Ordinary to Someone Else

Another problem people have is believing their lives are not interesting enough.

You lived it, so naturally it feels ordinary to you.

But someone else did not live it.

The house you grew up in may be gone.

The neighborhood may have changed.

The job you performed may no longer exist.

Family members who knew certain stories may no longer be here.

Traditions may disappear.

Places change.

Technology changes.

Communities change.

Language changes.

And people change.

What feels like an ordinary memory today can become valuable family or historical information tomorrow.

Sometimes we do not realize we are living through history until years later.

Write the Truth as You Remember It

A strong memoir is not about making yourself look perfect.

Readers usually connect more strongly with honesty.

That means acknowledging mistakes.

Confusion.

Bad decisions.

Lessons learned.

Things you misunderstood when you were younger.

Times when you were afraid.

Times when you failed.

And times when you surprised yourself.

A memoir becomes more powerful when the writer is willing to examine not only what happened, but what the experience eventually taught them.

You are not simply recording events.

You are trying to understand them.

That reflection is often where the real story lives.

Start With Memories, Not a Book

One thing that can stop a new memoir writer is thinking immediately about producing an entire book.

Do not begin by worrying about 200 pages.

Start with one memory.

Write about your childhood kitchen.

Your first job.

The first person you fell in love with.

A teacher you never forgot.

The day you left home.

The moment you became a parent.

Something your mother always said.

Something your father taught you.

A terrible mistake.

A wonderful surprise.

Write one memory.

Then write another.

You may eventually discover that those separate memories belong to the same larger story.

That is often how a memoir begins.

Record Your Stories If Writing Is Difficult

My mother's experience also taught me something else.

Writing does not always have to begin with a keyboard or pen.

Today we have options my mother did not have for most of her life.

You can speak your memories into a phone.

Record conversations.

Use speech-to-text software.

Ask a family member to interview you.

Work with an editor.

Work with a ghostwriter.

The important thing is preserving the story.

If physical limitations, eyesight, mobility, or another challenge makes traditional writing difficult, that does not mean your memoir cannot be written.

The storyteller and the person physically typing the words do not always have to be the same person.

My mother taught me that.

Do Not Wait for the Perfect Time

This may be the most important lesson I learned from her experience.

For years, much of my personal writing had a place on my imaginary calendar called:

Sometime in the future.

Retirement eventually gave me the time to return to many of those ideas.

But my mother's stroke showed me why waiting can be dangerous.

Life changes.

Health changes.

Memory changes.

Circumstances change.

Stories disappear when the people carrying them are no longer able to tell them.

So when someone asks me when the best time is to begin thinking about writing a memoir, my answer is simple:

Now.

You do not have to finish it today.

You do not even have to know exactly what the book will become.

Make some notes.

Record your voice.

Write down names.

Describe places.

Save photographs.

Create a timeline.

Write one memory.

Then another.

Give your future self something to work with.

The Average Person Is History Too

We often think history belongs to presidents, generals, entertainers, inventors, and famous people.

But history is also carried by factory workers, teachers, caregivers, mechanics, scientists, broadcasters, nurses, parents, grandparents, veterans, students, immigrants, neighbors, and children growing up in places that may look completely different fifty years later.

The so-called average person is part of history too.

Your story may never become a bestseller.

That does not determine its value.

Maybe your children will read it.

Maybe your grandchildren will.

Maybe someone researching your neighborhood, profession, culture, family, or generation decades from now will discover something in your story that exists nowhere else.

Or maybe a complete stranger will read what you wrote and think:

I thought I was the only one who felt that way.

That alone can make a memoir worth writing.

So, Can an Average Person Write a Memoir?

Absolutely.

You do not need fame.

You do not need an extraordinary life.

You do not need a perfect memory.

And you certainly do not need to wait until retirement.

You need a story, some honesty, and a willingness to begin.

My mother waited until she could no longer physically write her own story, but fortunately she had someone available to help her finish it.

Helping her preserve those memories changed my own relationship with writing.

It reminded me that stories do not remain available forever.

So if there is a memoir swimming around in your mind, do not keep assigning it to someday.

Sit down.

Turn on a recorder.

Open a blank document.

Pick one memory.

And begin.

Because the best time to start preserving your story may not be sometime in the future.

It may be today.

—Giftkone Publishing

Thinking About Writing a Memoir?

 

First, Decide What Kind of Story You Want to Tell

For many first-time memoir writers, the hardest question is not, “What should I write?”

It is:

“Where do I begin?”

A lifetime can contain childhood memories, family stories, careers, relationships, losses, achievements, travel, faith, caregiving, friendships, mistakes, and moments that changed everything.

Trying to fit all of that into one book can feel overwhelming.

The good news is that a memoir does not have to tell your entire life story.

In fact, some of the strongest memoirs are built around one part of a life, one period of time, or one central theme.

That is how my own memoir-writing journey began.

My Memoir Began With Two Childhood Dreams

I grew up in San Francisco near the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.

As a boy, I could see that Navy base and often wondered what was inside. The ships, the activity, and the mystery of that place fascinated me.

I wanted to experience that world for myself.

There was just one problem.

I was a kid.

My mother explained that I was much too young to join the Navy.

So, in the simple way children sometimes think about impossible things, I prayed for something that probably sounded strange to an adult:

I wanted there to be a Navy for kids.

Then I discovered the Sea Scouts.

To me, the Sea Scouts became the Navy I had prayed for.

I joined Sea Scout Ship Reliance and experienced boating, seamanship, responsibility, teamwork, adventure, and a whole new world on San Francisco Bay.

But something happened later that made that childhood story even more remarkable.

The Hunters Point Naval Shipyard eventually closed.

Years later, when our Sea Scout ship, the Reliance, needed to be hauled out of the water for maintenance, the place where that work was done was the very place I had spent my childhood wondering about:

Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.

The Navy base I had once dreamed of entering as a boy had become part of my own Sea Scout story.

That experience eventually helped inspire my memoir, A Veteran Sea Scout.

And it taught me something important about memoir writing:

You don't always need to write about your entire life. Sometimes one meaningful piece of your life contains an entire book.

There Is More Than One Kind of Memoir

There is no universally agreed-upon number of memoir types because many memoirs overlap. But if you are thinking about writing your own story, it may help to understand some of the major approaches.

1. Autobiographical or Life Memoir

This type covers a broad portion of your life.

It may begin with childhood and move through adulthood, career, family, retirement, and later years.

Even then, a memoir should not become a simple list of everything that happened.

The goal is to select the experiences that helped shape you.

Think less:

“Then this happened, and then this happened.”

And more:

“This happened, and it changed the direction of my life.”

2. Coming-of-Age Memoir

A coming-of-age memoir concentrates on childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood.

It explores the experiences that helped you become the person you are.

My own Sea Scout story contains elements of this kind of memoir.

I was a young person discovering responsibility, adventure, independence, and a wider world beyond my neighborhood.

Your own coming-of-age story might involve school, sports, military service, first jobs, friendships, family struggles, music, church, or simply growing up in a particular community.

3. Family Memoir

A family memoir centers on the people who helped shape your life.

That might include:

• Parents

• Grandparents

• Brothers and sisters

• Children

• Spouses

• Extended family

• Family traditions

• Family struggles

• Family secrets

• Generational change

Sometimes the most powerful memoir is not only about what happened to you, but about the people whose lives became connected to yours.

4. Career or Professional Memoir

You may have enough stories from your working life to fill an entire book.

A career memoir can explore:

• How you entered your profession

• Mentors who helped you

• Difficult bosses

• Workplace politics

• Major projects

• Successes

• Mistakes

• Career changes

• Technological changes

• Lessons learned

A career memoir is especially interesting when your working life took place during a period of major change.

Your personal experience then becomes part of a larger history.

5. Travel Memoir

A travel memoir uses places and journeys as the framework.

But a good travel memoir is more than a record of where you went.

It asks:

What did the journey do to me?

Perhaps traveling changed how you understood another culture, your own country, your family, or yourself.

The destination gives the book its setting.

The transformation gives it meaning.

6. Survival or Adversity Memoir

Some people are moved to write because they survived something difficult.

That might include:

• Poverty

• Loss

• Illness

• Disability

• Discrimination

• Divorce

• Addiction

• Violence

• Natural disaster

• Financial hardship

• Caregiving

• Starting life over

These memoirs can be especially powerful because readers often recognize parts of their own struggles in someone else's survival.

The purpose does not have to be, “Look what I endured.”

It may instead be:

“This is what I learned while trying to make it through.”

7. Spiritual or Faith Memoir

A spiritual memoir explores your relationship with belief, faith, doubt, prayer, religion, purpose, or something greater than yourself.

It may describe a lifetime of faith.

Or it may tell the story of losing faith and finding it again.

It can also involve questions that were never completely answered.

A spiritual memoir does not require the writer to have all the answers.

Sometimes the questions themselves are the story.

8. Relationship Memoir

A relationship memoir concentrates on an important connection between people.

That might involve:

• Marriage

• Romance

• Friendship

• Parenthood

• Divorce

• Caregiving

• Reconciliation

• Estrangement

• Grief

Sometimes one relationship can reveal more about a person's life than a hundred unrelated events.

9. Historical or Cultural Memoir

This type places your personal experience inside a larger moment in history.

Perhaps you grew up during:

• Segregation

• The Civil Rights Movement

• A war

• Major social change

• Neighborhood redevelopment

• The rise or decline of an industry

• A technological revolution

Your memory becomes more than personal history.

It becomes a witness to an era.

My own Sea Scout experience, for example, was connected to San Francisco, Hunters Point, the Naval Shipyard, and a form of youth maritime training that became part of my personal history.

10. Theme-Based Memoir

A theme-based memoir may be one of the easiest approaches for someone writing their first memoir.

Instead of trying to cover your entire life, you choose one subject that has followed you through it.

The theme might be:

• Music

• Science

• Broadcasting

• Boating

• Military service

• Gardening

• Sports

• Faith

• Disability

• Caregiving

• Education

• Filmmaking

• Community service

Then you choose the memories that connect to that subject.

The result is usually a much more focused book.

Your Memoir May Fit More Than One Category

You do not have to choose only one.

A memoir about growing up in a changing neighborhood might be both a coming-of-age memoir and a historical memoir.

A book about caring for a spouse could be both a relationship memoir and an adversity memoir.

A memoir about decades in one profession might combine career, history, and family.

My Sea Scout memoir contains elements of coming-of-age, history, place, adventure, and personal growth.

That overlap is normal.

The Question That Can Help You Begin

If you are thinking about writing a memoir, don't begin by asking:

“How can I fit my whole life into a book?”

Ask instead:

“Which part of my life still has something to say?”

Maybe it was five years.

Maybe it was one career.

Maybe it was one relationship.

Maybe it was one neighborhood.

Maybe it was the dream you had when you were ten years old.

Sometimes the smallest doorway leads into the largest story.

I once dreamed about discovering what was behind the gates of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.

I was too young to join the Navy.

So I prayed for a Navy for kids.

I found the Sea Scouts.

And years later, the Sea Scout ship that had helped fulfill one childhood dream carried me directly into another.

That became a story worth remembering.

And eventually, it became a story worth writing.

If you have lived long enough to look back and say, “I remember when…”, there is a good chance you already have the beginning of a memoir.

You may simply need to decide which story is asking to be told first.