{"id":11027,"date":"2023-08-23T15:50:18","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T15:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifebookmemoir.wpengine.com\/?p=11027"},"modified":"2024-07-08T09:40:24","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T09:40:24","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-a-memoir-and-an-autobiography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/en-gb\/what-is-the-difference-between-a-memoir-and-an-autobiography\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Difference between a Memoir and an Autobiography?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"11027\" class=\"elementor elementor-11027\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5620c065 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5620c065\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-40b900af\" data-id=\"40b900af\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-12aec2dc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"12aec2dc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<p>Here at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/\">LifeBook Memoirs<\/a>, we\u2019ve been turning life stories into bespoke memoirs and autobiographies for over a decade. Often, one of the first questions that our clients \u2013 whom we call \u2018authors\u2019 \u2013 will ask is: What\u2019s the difference between a memoir and an autobiography? Both are genres of non-fiction which tend to use a first-person writing style, and the two terms are frequently used synonymously, but there is a key difference between them.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 20px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Autobiographies<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 20px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\n\n<p>An autobiography is perhaps simpler than a memoir \u2013 it\u2019s a first-hand account of someone\u2019s life, from start to finish. Typically, its author will start with their birth, although they may wish to begin with family history and describe the lives of their ancestors. An autobiography will usually progress through its author\u2019s life in a chronological fashion, but some authors will prefer to structure their books thematically, including one chapter on sporting exploits, another on travel and another dedicated to their spouse.<\/p>\n\n<p>At LifeBook Memoirs, we give our authors complete control over the structure of their book, so our publications are sometimes thematic and sometimes chronological. Either way, <strong>an autobiography captures the full scope of an author\u2019s life, from birth to the present day.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 20px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\n\n<p>Here are some examples of popular (and unpopular!) autobiographies which have been published in recent decades:<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 20px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>A Promised Land <\/em>\u2013 Barack Obama<\/li>\n\n<li><em>Long Walk to Freedom<\/em> \u2013 Nelson Mandela<\/li>\n\n<li><em>Spare <\/em>\u2013 Prince Harry<\/li>\n\n<li><em>I Am Ozzy <\/em>\u2013 Ozzy Osborne<\/li>\n\n<li><em>Cash: The Autobiography<\/em> \u2013 Johnny Cash<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>Most LifeBooks are autobiographies, as our authors want to share their full life story with their children, grandchildren and friends. Given that an author\u2019s family and friends are usually more familiar with them in the present day, the chapters on childhood and family history are often the most illuminating \u2026 and surprising! It\u2019s very common for the recipients of a LifeBook to learn something entirely new about their loved one; it\u2019s also common that they gape in awe at how their grandfather looked as a young man!<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 20px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\n\n<p>However, what if our authors would rather focus on one particular part of their life? What if they would prefer to keep their family life private, or they don\u2019t feel as if the world needs to know that their favourite pastimes are knitting and tiddlywinks? This is where memoirs come into play.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 20px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Memoirs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 20px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\n\n<p>Whereas an autobiography tells a full life story, a memoir focuses on one specific aspect of its author&#8217;s story. You\u2019ve probably heard the phrase \u2018political memoirs\u2019 before \u2013 a political memoir tends to focus solely, or at least predominantly, on its author\u2019s time in politics, leaving their childhood, family life and hobbies aside. Of course, there are many other forms of memoir besides politics: a cricketer might prefer to focus only on his sporting life, a traveller might want to share her adventures or someone with a certain medical condition might wish to analyse their life through this lens. In all of these scenarios, <strong>a memoir focuses on a significant part of its author\u2019s life.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>There are several further differences between memoirs and autobiographies, although they are by no means ironclad rules. Memoirs are slightly more likely to jump back and forward in time, as opposed to following a strict chronological narrative. While a memoir might place greater emphasis on the author\u2019s emotional experiences, with a more introspective tone, an autobiography has a greater concern about factual events and on contextualising its narrative in history.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 20px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\n\n<p>These are a few examples of memoirs which have been published in the UK:<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 20px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>War Doctor<\/em> \u2013 David Nott<\/li>\n\n<li><em>Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body<\/em> \u2013 Roxane Gay<\/li>\n\n<li><em>I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings <\/em>\u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/review\/show\/214079219\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Maya Angelou<\/a><\/li>\n\n<li><em>The Downing Street Years<\/em> \u2013 Margaret Thatcher<\/li>\n\n<li><em>Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing<\/em> \u2013 Matthew Perry<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>The secret behind all these examples, of course, is that they probably weren\u2019t written solely by the named author in question. Many celebrity autobiographies and memoirs are written in tandem with a ghostwriter. They might not get their name in print, but a ghostwriter will often write a significant amount of the text, make amendments based on feedback from the author and receive a chunk of the eventual profits once the book is published. The ghostwriter relishes the opportunity to tell a fascinating story, while the author is able to publish a book that they might not have had the time or the chance to write otherwise.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 20px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\n\n<p>LifeBook Memoirs aims to bring this experience to anyone who wants to tell their story. In my two and a half years as a LifeBook Memoirs editor, I have read countless autobiographies and memoirs, each one packed with unique stories, each one a priceless gift for its author\u2019s friends and family. All our authors have their own dedicated team consisting of a ghostwriter, editor, interviewer, project manager and typesetter. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/\">LifeBook Memoirs<\/a> team is here to help you at every stage of your memoir project.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 20px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\n\n<p>If you\u2019re interested in transforming your life story into a wonderful bespoke memoir, I would highly recommend getting in touch with us. Whether you\u2019re ready to commission a project or you just have a few questions, call us now or use the form below to schedule a call.\u00a0And don\u2019t let the LifeBook Memoirs name fool you \u2013 we write autobiographies too!<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 30px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10945\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Ben-photo.jpg\" alt=\"Ben Creeth Author Image\" width=\"235\" height=\"235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Ben-photo.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Ben-photo-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Ben-photo-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 20px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\n\n<p>Written by Ben Creeth, LifeBook Memoirs editor<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many of us thinking about putting our life stories on paper may not be aware of the differences between them. Here&#8217;s the lowdown.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11028,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"One of the first questions that our clients \u2013 our \u2018authors\u2019 \u2013 will ask is: What\u2019s the difference between a memoir and an autobiography?","_seopress_robots_index":"","content-type":"","_metasync_otto_title":"","_metasync_otto_description":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"One of the first questions that our clients \u2013 our \u2018authors\u2019 \u2013 will ask is: What\u2019s the difference between a memoir and an autobiography?","footnotes":""},"categories":[215,216],"tags":[124,127,120],"class_list":["post-11027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-what-is-a-ghostwriter","category-what-is-a-memoir","tag-life-story","tag-memoirs","tag-private-autobiography"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11027"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11027\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifebookmemoirs.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}