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Memoirs—and More!
We will never change the Modern Memoirs name, as it points to a proud, decades-long history of publishing excellence, started by founder Kitty Axelson-Berry in 1994. Sometimes however, I wonder if we should come up with a tagline of sorts to indicate the wide range of books we publish: Modern Memoirs—and More! or Modern Memoirs—Where Memoirs Are Just the Beginning…that sort of thing.
A few years ago, we revamped our White Poppy Press imprint to use for books that fall outside the main categories of Memoirs and Family Histories. This move was sparked when a client at the time questioned whether it would make sense for his American history book to be labeled with a Modern Memoirs logo, and we realized the opportunity to use this existing imprint to signal the diverse range of projects we publish. Yes, it’s true that the majority of our clients’ books are memoirs, but a quick glance at projects currently underway reveals a rich array of writing and subject matter, including:
- a Company History, commissioned by a client who previously published a joint memoir with his wife
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an Illustrated Book/Guided Journal, plus two Translated Editions of the same book (French and Spanish)
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a Digital Book edition of a former client’s Commissioned Memoir—this same client also commissioned a memoir for his father over two decades ago
- several Assisted Memoirs (based on clients’ original writing, with varying degrees of editorial assistance requested)
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a Commissioned Memoir, based on interviews with the main subject, augmented by contributions from 18 additional people
- a commissioned Joint Biography of a family business’s 19th-century founder and his educator wife
- a Genealogy Book commissioned by a client who previously published a posthumous collection of essays and poetry by his father
- a Celebration Book for a retiring pastor of a historic African American church
The fact that, despite the Modern Memoirs name, our business is not confined to memoirs is one of the things that makes me so grateful to work here. No day is the same with such wide-ranging projects coming across my desk, bringing with them countless opportunities to learn, serve, and grow in my work. I hasten to add that we do have special expertise in working on client memoirs, however. I find it especially rewarding to work with clients who say something along the lines of, “I’m not a writer, but I have a story to tell.” What a pleasure it is to draw out those stories in interviews that we then shape into first-person narratives in the editorial process, or to help someone lacking confidence in their writing to create a book that captures their voice and shares their truth.
As I write, Director of Publishing Ali de Groot is hard at work scheduling new projects to round out the fourth quarter of 2025 as we anticipate closing a few of those mentioned above before the new year. At present we are in communication with several potential clients interested in memoirs and family histories, as well as those considering publishing:
- an Academic History compiling research and student writing about an early Asian Studies course begun in the 1970s
- a Company History
- a Childhood Memory Book by former clients’ adult children
- a Poetry Book
- a longform Legacy Letter/Ethical Will, to be published as a small booklet
- a Novel
- a Short Story Collection
What special sort of book might you add to this list? A Recipe Collection? A book of Essays? A Synagogue History? A Tribute or Bereavement Book? A Sermon Collection? An Art Book? Or, indeed, a Memoir or Genealogy? If the possibilities seem endless, it’s because they are! Reach out today to discuss the beautiful book you are envisioning, whether it’s a Memoir, a Family History, or something else entirely.
Megan St. Marie
President
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