Make Your Mess Your Memoir
By Anna David
We've all made a mess. And that means we all have a message.
This is the book that shows you how to take the former and make it into the latter.
When Anna David got sober and sold a book about her recovery to the biggest publisher in the world, she thought she'd made it. She was wrong.
Still, after years of struggle and self-discovery, she ended up thriving personally and professionally. Now she's sharing what she's learned-and showing others how to do the same.
In this page-turning and useful memoir-meets-manual, David reveals her personal lows (doing cocaine by herself while contemplating suicide), her career lows (a past-his-prime celebrity hurling a phone at her as she wrote his biography) and how her life today wouldn't be possible without those experiences.
The last quarter of the book is a practical guide so that readers can make their own mess into a message-and memoir.
Additional Information
In this completely comprehensive "biz-oir" packed with proven and authentic tools and techniques, memoirists-in-the-making will travel with David on her journey from struggling addict to New York Times bestselling writer/entrepreneur and also learn:
- How to determine a memoir message and "why"
- How to select scenes
- The advantages and disadvantages of traditional and self-publishing
- How to come up with a title, rewrite a book and hire editors
- Potential legal concerns and how to avoid them
- How to gather blurbs, write acknowledgments and arrange for a foreword
- How to be set up for success on Amazon
- The importance of an Advanced Reader Team
And much more.
Author Bio
Anna David is the New York Times bestselling author of two novels and six non-fiction books. She’s been published in The New York Times, Time, The LA Times, Vanity Fair, Playboy, Vice, Cosmo, People, Marie Claire, Redbook, Esquire, Self, Women’s Health, The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed and Salon, among many others, written about in numerous publications, including Forbes, Martha Stewart Living, Entrepreneur, Allure and Women’s Health and has appeared repeatedly on The Today Show, Hannity, Attack of the Show, Dr. Drew, Red Eye, The Talk, The CBS Morning Show, The Insider and numerous other programs on Fox News, NBC, CBS, MTV, VH1 and E. She’s been a featured speaker at three different TedX events and has shared the stage with Tony Robbins. Her company, Launch Pad Publishing, writes and publishes books for thought leaders.

Make Your Mess Your Memoir in the News
ISBNs:
- 978-1951407322 (Hardcover)
- 978-1951407223 (Paperback)
- 978-1951407216 (eBook)
Genre:
- Memoir
- Writing & Publishing
- Recovery
- Personal Growth
- Entrepreneurship
- Inspiration
Themes:
- Story as Healing (turning struggles into meaningful narratives)
- Transparency (embracing vulnerability on the page and in life)
- Redemption (transforming personal challenges into purpose)
- Creative Entrepreneurship (using memoir as a business tool)
- Voice (discovering power in telling your truth)
- Connection (building community through shared experience)
FAQs:
Q: What is Make Your Mess Your Memoir about?
A: Make Your Mess Your Memoir is Anna David’s hybrid memoir and guide, showing how sharing your personal story can transform not just your life but also your business and relationships.
Q: Who is Anna David?
A: Anna David is a New York Times bestselling author, publisher and speaker who has helped countless authors bring their stories to life while building platforms of influence.
Q: What makes this book different from other writing or memoir guides?
A: Unlike traditional craft books, Make Your Mess Your Memoir intertwines Anna’s own journey with actionable insights, modeling how personal storytelling becomes a vehicle for growth and authority.
Q: Who would enjoy reading Make Your Mess Your Memoir?
A: Writers, entrepreneurs, creatives and anyone seeking to transform their life story into a source of empowerment and connection will find it especially inspiring.