Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir: The Important Differences You Need to Know!

A biography, autobiography, and memoir are all methods of telling a life story, but they are not the same thing.

All three fall under the non-fiction genre. All three tell personal stories, usually about a single person. And all three can appear similar in tone and style.

The main differences between a biography, autobiography, and memoir are who is writing the book and what is its purpose. Thus, it’s important to know why you are writing the book as soon as possible, and not to wait until you’ve reached the important step of editing your non-fiction work! Here are some of the crucial ways to tell a biography, autobiography, and memoir apart, and how to determine which label belongs to your particular writing project.

What’s a biography?

Biography: an account of someone’s life, written by someone else

Dictionary.com

The main difference between a biography, autobiography, and memoir is that a biography is written by someone else other than the subject of the book. So, if you are writing a book about your own life, it would not be considered a biography, strictly speaking. Instead, someone else would need to write about you. 

Because a biography is written by an outside source, the style should be objective-and evidence-based. As you are detailing someone else’s story, you should write in the third-person, so there is a clear line between narrator and subject.  

It’s the biographer’s duty to do extensive research on the subject of their book, and create the most factual work possible. Research can include interviews with the subject and the people who surround them, reading letters, diaries, and newspapers, or watching and listening to old recordings (especially, if the subject is no longer alive). As the biographer, you should be an expert in your subject, and present a complete perspective and sound reasoning.

Examples of famous biographies include:

• A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar
• Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
• Churchill: A Life by Martin Gilbert

What’s an autobiography?

Autobiography: an account of a person’s life, written by that person

Dictionary.com

An autobiography differs from a biography in that the subject of the book is also its author. Alternatively, it is someone who is writing on behalf of the subject but using their voice (i.e., a ghostwriter).

Because autobiographies are about the author themselves, the writing perspective is usually first-person, instead of third. The book should read as if you, the writer, are the subject of the book and you are telling your life story to the reader.

Despite the more familiar tone, an autobiography still requires a fair amount of research because it should still be factual. This is especially true if you are ghostwriting for someone else and you cannot rely on your recall. 

Memoirist Gore Vidal once wrote, “an autobiography is history, requiring research, dates, facts double-checked”. When you are writing an autobiography, you can’t just write things down as you remember them because human memory can be faulty. More so than with a memoir, you must double-check the facts of your own (or your subject’s) life to make sure they are accurate.

Examples of famous autobiographies include: 

• The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
• Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela 
• This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay

What’s a memoir? 

Memoir: an historical account, written from personal knowledge

Dictionary.com

We derive the word “memoir” from the French mémoire, which translates as memory or to reminisce. 

Similar to an autobiography, a memoir is written by the person the book is about. Even so, there are still quite a few ways a biography, autobiography, and memoir vary. 

One distinct characteristic which separates a biography, autobiography, and memoir is that a memoir is largely emotion-driven. Biographies and autobiographies tend to lay out the facts of a person’s life, while a memoir will detail a more intimate and personal story. Rather than focusing on recalling facts and events, a memoir relies on specific and relevant anecdotes to deliver a more universal message or lesson to the reader. 

However, the biggest difference of all between a biography, autobiography, and memoir is the style in which we write memoirs. Memoirs can take on a more anecdotal prose style, which is sometimes comparable to writing fiction. With a memoir, you are spinning a story. This gives you more freedom to be creative with your language and storytelling when writing about your life!

Examples of famous memoirs include: 

• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• On Writing by Stephen King
• Becoming by Michelle Obama

Memoir, biography, and autobiography: which is right for your book?

Now that you know the differences between a biography, autobiography, and memoir, which one is right for your project? 

A good way to figure this out is to outline what you’d like to include in your book and what you want your readers to take from it. Are you writing about someone else or yourself? Do you want your book to be fact-driven or emotion-driven? Do you want to regale your readers with interesting stories or impart a message they can apply to their lives? These are all important questions to ask yourself before you begin to write your manuscript.

If you still have questions about the differences between a biography, autobiography, and memoir, The Open Book Editor’s personalised author coaching might be just what you need. Through one-on-one video consultations, we can provide you with a greater understanding of these non-fiction categories. And we will help you identify the true purpose of your book, so you can tackle your writing project with more confidence!