Writing a Memoir for a Difficult Client
Biographer Adrian Murphy Tells Why a Handshake is Not Enough
Oct 28, 2009
Adrian Murphy is a talented writer, currently finishing his Masters Degree in Writing, who was handed the opportunity of a lifetime: writing the memoirs of an elderly Australian philanthropist. This came about after Adrian interviewed him and used the material for one of many research papers for his Degree. Knowing that this man gives away a few million each year to local businesses and charities, he eventually sealed the deal on a handshake.
Negotiating a Contract for Writing Memoirs
Initially, Adrian was freely given an amount of money as a token gesture of goodwill for the writing to begin. He recalls ruefully: "I negotiated what I thought was a reasonable beginner's contract: because of his philanthropic generosity to the community, I wanted to give something back to him. The deal was that I'd write gratis to first and second draft level, then negotiate a formal contract. I saw it as a stepping-stone to future publications – the thought of having a 'foot in the door' was a real enticement."
The whole thing turned out to be a delicate balancing act for Adrian. His subject wanted certain things left out about family members, which caused difficulties. "The money trail in the storyline was a significant part of the biography," Adrian says, "yet I couldn't write about it."
Choosing the Right Voice for a Memoir
For the best part of a year, he interviewed his client for blocks of around ninety minutes at a time, fitting in with the man's time-frame. Gradually getting to know his subject's voice, and trying to work around what could and couldn't be mentioned, Adrian experimented with different points of view to make the memoirs come to life."The memoirs began as third-person," he says, "but it soon developed into a first-person narrative. Twenty chapters and 70,000 words later, I was beginning to feel that the book could be even better ghostwritten as an autobiography."
At this stage, everything suddenly fell apart. Knowing how much effort he had put into the draft to get the voice right, and confident that the manuscript was accurate, Adrian submitted the first draft. He expected suggestions to fix, amend and refine details – but not the reaction he got.
His client started off with the assertion that Adrian "didn't know the King's English" and went on to complain that he had completely wasted his time. "If this is the standard of a Masters," he said harshly, "then they must be giving them away for nothing."
Adrian (taking comfort from the fact that his writing had mostly merited high distinctions) was able to patch together his shattered ego by reassuring himself that such a vitriolic attack was unwarranted. "I felt that he either didn't like being introspective or was concerrned about giving away too much about where and how he'd made financial gains."
When There is No Freelance Writer's Contract...
Whatever the reason for his client's reaction, Adrian was left without an apology or any other offer of compensation for twelve months of hard work. He weighed up his options: should he go ahead with an unauthorised biography? He didn't want to take the risk: his client had deep pockets and was highly influential: Adrian was still a student. He couldn't risk legal action.
After contacting a professional writer and a post-graduate writer's network and getting advice, Adrian has decided to simply write a calm thank you letter to his client: keeping it professional, but expressing surprise that the manuscript did not live up to his expectations – given that his brief edit showed only dissatisfaction with minor grammar and one tiny descriptive passage. "I'll thank him for his time," says Adrian, "and suggest to him that having revisited his life, he will realise that it is worthy of committing to paper, even if not by me. I'll also say that it was a shame that the professional relationship didn't work out at this stage. This hopefully may leave an implied opening... that way I'm not shutting the door on a later unauthorised bio."
Adrian's Advice on Writing a Biography or Memoirs for Others
- Make sure everything is defined in a contract. No contract – no writing!
- Start by doing one interview, then transcribe the recording and write one chapter only. Submit this and state that is the way the writing will or may develop.
- Get progressive approval and more importantly, get some payment happening immediately. Tell the subject that although they give a small time in interviewing, there is also an enormous amount of research to consider.
- Show your credentials and a portfolio at the start.
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