Your substack has gotten me through some tough times over the past 2 years. I eagerly look forward to Tuesday mornings to receive the notification in my email. Your stories have been responsible for making me laugh out loud! Thank you!
I'm looking forward to learning from you about how you amplify and extend your platform. I think you already have a healthy online following between Facebook and Substack plus you personally know tons of people. It seems that would be a good start to encourage people to buy your book.
Alas, we know that's not enough and the question is how to get more and more and more, especially through personal relationships. Social media is not everything and some say not much even. I'm sure your ventures will teach the rest of us a lot.
I'm very excited that you have a query letter and comps already. That's a very big deal. I so look forward to the book.
Sadly I can see how one now needs a "platform" in order to succeed in these computer-generated times. But also: you have that way with the words, that unexpected phrase that one savors and those things can't be bought. So, Marjie, I'm wishing you luck in creating that platform and will refer anyone I can. Now I'm going to look at your website which I'm not sure if I've ever seen.....
I’m curious what authors or titles you mentioned as your comps. Just FYI I read (and relish your posts) because of your P-town relevance, your politics, the dog, and mostly, your snark.
Authors who appeal to me in a bit of the way you do are Sarah Polley, Elif Batuman and Abigail Thomas. It occurs to me that voice is important too. Love yours! Much luck.
Thank you! Comps are a struggle, truly, because most adoption-centered books are either by adult adoptees, and very god, or by Savior Parents, and very bad. Here's what Claude's AI comp list was today:
Recent Comparable Books to "Room #35: A Memoir of Motherhood Across Borders"
Here are some recently published books (within the last three years) that are genuinely comparable to your memoir:
Adoption-Focused Memoirs
"All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and the Ways We Strive" by Rainesford Stauffer (2023)
While not strictly an adoption memoir, Stauffer explores identity formation and the pressure to achieve a "better life" - themes central to your exploration of what international adoption promised versus delivered.
"Parachute Kids" by Betty C. Tang (2023)
Though presented as a middle-grade graphic novel, this work explores children navigating between cultures when sent to America from Taiwan. The cross-cultural child experience resonates with your sons' journey.
"A Living Remedy" by Nicole Chung (2023)
Chung's follow-up to her adoption memoir explores family relationships, class divisions, and healthcare inequity. Her continued examination of how adoption intersects with other social issues parallels your nuanced approach.
"The Art of Losing It: A Memoir of Grief and Addiction" by Rosemary Keevil (2021)
Keevil's memoir about parenting through trauma offers similar emotional depth to your account of raising children through their complex psychological struggles.
Cross-Cultural Family Memoirs
"Brown Baby: A Memoir of Race, Family and Home" by Nikesh Shukla (US edition 2023)
Shukla's memoir about raising his daughter while connecting her to her cultural heritage addresses similar questions about identity and belonging that you explore.
"Crying in the Bathroom" by Erika L. Sánchez (2022)
This memoir explores the author's experience as a daughter of Mexican immigrants navigating cultural identity in America, offering parallels to your sons' identity journeys.
"Solito: A Memoir" by Javier Zamora (2022)
While focused on migration rather than adoption, Zamora's account of childhood displacement and navigating between cultures offers striking parallels to your sons' experiences.
Literary Memoirs with Similar Emotional Depth
"Vigil Harbor" by Julia Glass (2022)
Though fiction, this novel explores complex family relationships across different backgrounds and experiences, similar to how your memoir examines the intersection of biological and adoptive family ties.
"The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times" by Michelle Obama (2022)
Obama's reflections on parenting and identity formation in her second memoir offer similar insights to your examination of raising children with complex identities.
"I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy (2022)
While dramatically different in content, McCurdy's unflinchingly honest examination of a complicated mother-child relationship shares your memoir's willingness to explore difficult family truths.
Your memoir stands out from these comps through its unique focus on both sides of international adoption - the initial adoption journey and the later return to meet birth families. The twenty-year span of your narrative also offers a longitudinal perspective rarely seen in adoption literature, making "Room #35" a valuable addition to this literary landscape.
Your substack has gotten me through some tough times over the past 2 years. I eagerly look forward to Tuesday mornings to receive the notification in my email. Your stories have been responsible for making me laugh out loud! Thank you!
Thanks, friend.
Marjie--we are kindred spirits! You can fill in my own thoughts so eloquently!
Happy to have been your table partner in Santa Fe!
I'm looking forward to learning from you about how you amplify and extend your platform. I think you already have a healthy online following between Facebook and Substack plus you personally know tons of people. It seems that would be a good start to encourage people to buy your book.
Alas, we know that's not enough and the question is how to get more and more and more, especially through personal relationships. Social media is not everything and some say not much even. I'm sure your ventures will teach the rest of us a lot.
I'm very excited that you have a query letter and comps already. That's a very big deal. I so look forward to the book.
As I look forward to your TWO BOOKS! Squeeeeeee!
Only after I learn from you :)
I will be interested to see how your journey unfolds and wish you the best of luck with it.
(Yes, I'm still here, navigating some family stuff and writing up a storm. Might even make a zine out of it!)
Cool!!
Sadly I can see how one now needs a "platform" in order to succeed in these computer-generated times. But also: you have that way with the words, that unexpected phrase that one savors and those things can't be bought. So, Marjie, I'm wishing you luck in creating that platform and will refer anyone I can. Now I'm going to look at your website which I'm not sure if I've ever seen.....
Thank you! And my website is an excellent place to visit if you're having trouble sleeping...
I’m curious what authors or titles you mentioned as your comps. Just FYI I read (and relish your posts) because of your P-town relevance, your politics, the dog, and mostly, your snark.
Authors who appeal to me in a bit of the way you do are Sarah Polley, Elif Batuman and Abigail Thomas. It occurs to me that voice is important too. Love yours! Much luck.
Thank you! Comps are a struggle, truly, because most adoption-centered books are either by adult adoptees, and very god, or by Savior Parents, and very bad. Here's what Claude's AI comp list was today:
Recent Comparable Books to "Room #35: A Memoir of Motherhood Across Borders"
Here are some recently published books (within the last three years) that are genuinely comparable to your memoir:
Adoption-Focused Memoirs
"All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and the Ways We Strive" by Rainesford Stauffer (2023)
While not strictly an adoption memoir, Stauffer explores identity formation and the pressure to achieve a "better life" - themes central to your exploration of what international adoption promised versus delivered.
"Parachute Kids" by Betty C. Tang (2023)
Though presented as a middle-grade graphic novel, this work explores children navigating between cultures when sent to America from Taiwan. The cross-cultural child experience resonates with your sons' journey.
"A Living Remedy" by Nicole Chung (2023)
Chung's follow-up to her adoption memoir explores family relationships, class divisions, and healthcare inequity. Her continued examination of how adoption intersects with other social issues parallels your nuanced approach.
"The Art of Losing It: A Memoir of Grief and Addiction" by Rosemary Keevil (2021)
Keevil's memoir about parenting through trauma offers similar emotional depth to your account of raising children through their complex psychological struggles.
Cross-Cultural Family Memoirs
"Brown Baby: A Memoir of Race, Family and Home" by Nikesh Shukla (US edition 2023)
Shukla's memoir about raising his daughter while connecting her to her cultural heritage addresses similar questions about identity and belonging that you explore.
"Crying in the Bathroom" by Erika L. Sánchez (2022)
This memoir explores the author's experience as a daughter of Mexican immigrants navigating cultural identity in America, offering parallels to your sons' identity journeys.
"Solito: A Memoir" by Javier Zamora (2022)
While focused on migration rather than adoption, Zamora's account of childhood displacement and navigating between cultures offers striking parallels to your sons' experiences.
Literary Memoirs with Similar Emotional Depth
"Vigil Harbor" by Julia Glass (2022)
Though fiction, this novel explores complex family relationships across different backgrounds and experiences, similar to how your memoir examines the intersection of biological and adoptive family ties.
"The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times" by Michelle Obama (2022)
Obama's reflections on parenting and identity formation in her second memoir offer similar insights to your examination of raising children with complex identities.
"I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy (2022)
While dramatically different in content, McCurdy's unflinchingly honest examination of a complicated mother-child relationship shares your memoir's willingness to explore difficult family truths.
Your memoir stands out from these comps through its unique focus on both sides of international adoption - the initial adoption journey and the later return to meet birth families. The twenty-year span of your narrative also offers a longitudinal perspective rarely seen in adoption literature, making "Room #35" a valuable addition to this literary landscape.
When you figure all this out, let me know. My book just lingers in the dark.
Well let's work on this together, then!
Cool, thanks!