From Rags to Different Rags by Ellie Guzman

Ellie Guzman

Los Angeles, California

Ellie Guzman is a first-generation American, first-generation college student, and first-generation dog owner. She's a small Latina obsessed with comedy, coupons, and Cheetos.

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About the author

Ellie is a writer living in Los Angeles. Since her first piece took off on Medium in February 2016, she's amassed thousands of followers and her work has been published on websites like The Huffington Post, The Towner in Italy, Mamamia Australia, and others.

Her work is diverse and has been successful diversely as well; her satirical and humorous pieces have done just as well as her serious and personal pieces. She's consistently connected with thousands of readers on pieces spanning multiple topics and genres. She is also the creator and editor in chief of the satirical publication Lady Pieces which itself has several thousand followers and regularly publishes feminist and hilarious content.

Ellie likes wine, dogs, comedy, science, and healthcare. She used to be a notetaker in an emergency room before she began working for a TV show. Because of this, Ellie regularly chimes in on the current state of American healthcare in an approachable and understandable way.

Ellie tackles it all in her writing: from breakups to eating disorders to healthcare to pop culture. And she keeps people reading throughout.

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From Rags to Different Rags

Essays on Being a Poor Kid in Wealthy Spaces

A collection of bitingly funny yet touching essays on surviving around the wealthy and privileged as an inner-city Latina who fought her way into private school and the entertainment industry.

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	Biography & Memoir essay collection
	30,000 words
	25% complete
	8 publishers interested
	View publishers

Synopsis

The book is a collection of short essays about being poor in wealthy spaces. It's funny; I keep ending up around rich and privileged people when I am far from both. I grew up living paycheck to paycheck with parents who are immigrants from a third world country; as a child I didn’t think much of it, but once I hit my tween years I finally realized our situation was much different from that of my friends.

Immigration is a hot topic right now, especially in this political climate, but we don't hear much about what happens after the dust has settled. How do first generation kids navigate the world? How do they handle the culture shock that happens when they're often the first in their families to attend college and have opportunities no one else in their families had? How do they live with one foot in one world and one foot in the other? What happens when the American Dream becomes a reality and you're still a scrappy misfit?

This book is a unique look at reaching those goals while simultaneously having no idea how to handle it. It's about being the odd person out and coming to terms with it in a funny, nuanced way. It's for anyone who has worn their own rags from time to time.

This book is my life, and it is all true. It is told with my voice that thousands of readers regularly tune into on Medium and Huffington Post, among others. It is a funny, irreverent, refreshing look at inhabiting the same space as the rich and glamorous while saving my pennies to pay for gas. And I wouldn't have my life any other damned way.

Outline

1. What’s Poor?

The moment I realized my family was poor.

2. Me, The Child Actress

The weird process of how I became a child actress while being broke.

3. Window Shopping

Being out with friends who can afford anything while you linger at the clearance section.

4. The American Dream and Me

Ugh. College.

5. I Can't Live With Them

The roommates I had back in college.

6. My Knight in Shining Aluminum Foil

An equally broke boyfriend.

7. You Better Work

Insight into the odd jobs I held in college.

8. Oops

The excruciating tale of how I ended up at an event to mingle with the cast of Argo by accident.

9. Whitewashed

Two cultures collide.

10. Where I Come From

This essay is a love letter to my parents' background and my childhood situation.

Audience

This book is, broadly, for anyone that's ever felt like a misfit. More specifically, it's for young people who are first generation college students or first generation Americans. It's for people who don't feel like they fit in, or like they are consistently fighting against the status quo, and so they will find solidarity and some levity in the book.

My main audience that I've connected with in my writing career is comprised of people who regularly read short essays and stories spanning across several genres, mostly personal narratives and humor. They're people who keep up with what's going on in the world as they regularly tune in to online writers.

My audience is liberal, and they are always willing to learn more about people who come from different walks of life. My audience is also comprised largely of minorities, which means they can identify with often being underestimated by the world.

From my time writing and the trends of my most successful stories, my audience is mostly looking for an authentic take on something they fight in their own lives. For example, my pieces on workplace woes, eating disorders, sexual assault, and heartbreak are my most popular. My audience is looking for something and someone they can relate to, and my writing has struck a chord with them.

My audience are working class, normal people who do a 9-5 and either go home to be with their families or ruminate on their own dreams. My book will be a welcome addition to them: it will be a story of how this weird little scrappy Latina kid continuously worms her way into spaces that are clearly not meant for someone like her, and it will make them smile at the humor and envision themselves as the little go-getter that could. They will align themselves with the underdog, which is me in the book. It will also be a welcome, funny relief to their hectic lives.

I've had thousands of people stick with me through my work, whether it be serious essays or humorous takes, and I could assure you they would love the book. What matters is the voice, and the voice is mine.

Promotion

First, I'd send out an email updating the people subscribed to my mailing list as they are guaranteed exclusive content by subscribing. I would also post about it on ellieguzman.com, my website.

The next morning, I'd post about it on Medium with great excitement and engage a lot with my followers to drum up the volume. Medium is where I have the most followers (over 10k as of June 2017) and so I'd frequently post updates there. I would go back to my more popular pieces which are still generating daily views and add a link to the campaign with a blurb at the bottom of each piece.

I would also post about on the publication that I am the Editor in Chief for, Lady Pieces on Medium, which has roughly 4k followers. The publication is a women's satirical magazine and I feel that the tone of the book would go hand in hand with what we're doing at it, a funny look at real problems.

I would use Twitter to promote the book as well. I'd regularly post updates and of course, also share with my supportive friends and family.

I'd emphasize my background to show that I have a voice that is not often heard and I'd be 100% willing to work with whatever plan any publishers have.

Competition

I would say that my biggest competition are funny women and people of color writing collections of essays, because that's what I do.

1. We Are Never Meeting In Real Life: Essays, by Samantha Irby

From Vintage, 2017. We're similar in that we both got our start in blogging and her book is a collection of funny essays about her life as a woman of color. However, different in that hers is about her life in general and mine focuses more on wealthy surroundings versus a poor life.

2. One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter: Essays, by Scaachi Koul

From Picador, 2017. There's many similarities to my book: hers is her debut, it's about being a child of immigrants in Western culture and it addresses stereotypes. Nevertheless, our books are different in the cultures portrayed (hers Indian, mine Latino) and the topics (hers about life as a woman of color, mine more about poverty rather than race). We both look at modern life in our circumstances but through very different lenses.

3. All the Lives I Want: Essays About My Best Friends Who Happen to Be Famous Strangers, by Alana Massey

From Grand Central Publishing, 2017. A book of essays comparing celebrity women and the everyday woman. Similar in explorations of privilege from an outsider's curious point of view. However, my book is different in that I don't single out celebrities and it's more about my personal experiences than the concept of celebrity.

4. Bad Feminist: Essays, by Roxane Gay

From Harper Perennial, 2014. Another author I very much look up to. We're similar in that her collection of essays touches on feminism and current events, but we're different in that her essays are more focused on culture and how we consume it. She also touches more on politics while mine are more attached to a personal narrative

5. Why Not Me?, by Mindy Kaling

From Three Rivers Press, 2016. Mindy writes essays on various aspects of her life, including being a woman in Hollywood where no one else looks like her or comes from her background. I idolize her honestly but our books are different in the socioeconomic aspect and the fact that my book focuses more on the financial disparities between me and my surroundings.

8 publishers interested

	Imagine, a Charlesbridge imprint 500 copies • Completed manuscript • Looking for children's, history, women's studies, gender studies, multicultural studies, politics, nature and the environment, health, and wellness. Charlesbridge publishes high-quality books for children, with a goal of creating lifelong readers and lifelong learners. Our books encourage reading and discovery in the classroom, library, and home. We believe that books for children should offer accurate information, promote a positive worldview, and embrace a child's innate sense of wonder and fun. To this end, we continually strive to seek new voices, new visions, and new directions in children's literature. In 2010 Charlesbridge acquired Imagine Publishing and expanded our children’s picture book list with books that included CD performances by notable personalities such as Peter Yarrow, Judy Collins, Kenny Loggins, and Neil Sedaka. Imagine Publishing also brought Charlesbridge into the adult trade publishing business with an eclectic list of nonfiction titles and cookbooks, as well as a popular list of puzzle books. Traditional publisher Literary Essay, Mind & Body, Art & Photography, Biography & Memoir, Biography & Memoir, Career & Success, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Communication Skills, Corporate Culture, Current Affairs, Economics, Entrepreneurship & Small Business, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, History, Illustrated Books, Journalism, LGBT Non-Fiction, Management & Leadership, Nature & Environment, Philosophy, Politics & Social Sciences, Politics & Social Sciences, Popular Science, Psychology, Science, Science, Society & Culture, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel United States
	Cranthorpe Millner 250 copies • Partial manuscript. Cranthorpe Millner operates a hybrid publishing model. This means, should an author pass our editors’ strict filtering system, we can offer different kinds of agreements depending on the author and the manuscript. With some authors, we work under a ‘traditional’ model, whereby we cover the full cost of publication and the author is offered industry-standard royalties (8-10%). To some authors, we offer what we call a partnership or contributory agreement, whereby the author is asked for a financial contribution so that we may share the risk and enter into a partnership together to publish the author’s book. In this case, the author receives around 60-75% royalties. Hybrid publisher Children Fiction, Literary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Mind & Body, Mind & Body, Romantic Fiction, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA Fiction, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Biography & Memoir, Health, Fitness & Dieting, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, History, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Science, Science, Sports & Outdoors, Sports & Outdoors, Travel, Travel Canada, United Kingdom, United States
	Atmosphere Press 250 copies • Partial manuscript. Atmosphere Press is an independent publisher dedicated to author rights. We publish in all genres and have an exceptional editorial, design, and promotional staff. We stand for Honesty, Transparency, Professionalism, and Kindness. We want our authors and their readers to be blown away when they first hold that book in their hands. It needs to look good inside and out, and feel good to the touch. And, of course, the words need to be top-notch, and our editors are devoted to making that the case. Service publisher Children Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mind & Body, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Journalism, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Politics & Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel Worldwide
	Authors Unite 250 copies • Partial manuscript. Authors Unite helps you become a profitable author and make an impact. We take care of printing and distribution through major online retailers, developmental editing, and proofreading with unlimited revisions. We take care of the entire process for you from book cover design all the way to set up your backend so all your book royalties go straight to your bank account. We can also help with ghostwriting if you prefer not to have to figure out all the steps on how to write a book yourself. With our book marketing services, you don’t need to worry about figuring out all the steps on how to market a book or how to become a bestselling author. We’ve helped hundreds of authors become bestselling authors on Amazon, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. We take care of the entire book launch process for you to help you sell thousands of copies of your book and become a bestselling author. View case studies here: https://authorsunite.com Service publisher Children Fiction, Christian Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels, Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBT Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Mind & Body, Mythology & Folk Tales, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Women's Fiction, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Children Non-Fiction, Christian Non-Fiction, Communication Skills, Corporate Culture, Crafts & Hobbies, Creativity, Current Affairs, Economics, Education, Entrepreneurship & Small Business, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Humor & Entertainment, Journalism, LGBT Non-Fiction, Management & Leadership, Marketing & Sales, Mindfulness & Happiness, Money & Investment, Motivation & Inspiration, Nature & Environment, Parenting, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Philosophy, Politics & Social Sciences, Popular Science, Productivity & Time Management, Psychology, Reference, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Sex & Relationships, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel, YA Non-Fiction, Science Fiction & Humour Worldwide
	Bookmobile 100 copies • Partial manuscript. Bookmobile provides book printing, graphic design, and other resources to support book publishers in an ever-changing environment. Superior quality, excellent customer service, flexibility, and timely turnarounds have attracted nearly 1,000 satisfied clients to Bookmobile, including trade houses, university presses, independent publishers, museums, galleries, artists, and more. In addition, we manage eBook conversions and produce galleys, and regularly provide short-run reprints of 750 copies or fewer for major publishers such as Graywolf Press. Service publisher Children Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mind & Body, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Journalism, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Politics & Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel Worldwide
	Happy Self Publishing 100 copies • Completed manuscript. Happy Self Publishing has helped 500+ authors to get their books self-published, hit the #1 position in the Amazon bestseller charts, and also establish their author website & brand to grow their business. And the best thing is, we do all this without taking away your rights and royalties. Let's schedule a call to discuss the next steps in your book project: www.meetme.so/jyotsnaramachandran Service publisher Children Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mind & Body, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Journalism, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Politics & Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel Worldwide
	JETLAUNCH 100 copies • Completed manuscript. Jetlaunch book design and project management services give you back the hours you need to grow your publishing business. We've done work for John Lee Dumas, Ed Mylett, Rachel Pedersen, Dan Sullivan, Aaron Walker, Amy Landino (Schmittauer), Kary Oberbrunner, Jim Edwards, and many publishing companies. You retain all rights and royalties. Service publisher Worldwide
	Publish Monster Get your ebooks into the biggest stores and keep the 100% of your royalties. Amazon, Apple iBooks, Google Play, Kobo, Nook by Barnes & Noble and more. Service publisher Children Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mind & Body, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Journalism, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Politics & Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel Worldwide

A sarcastic but honest take on millennials' economic situations: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

That time I was weird around famous people:

https://movietime.guru/that-ti...

An honest, gut wrenching piece about heartbreak:

https://byrslf.co/the-death-of...

A satirical point of view from a man who hits on a plus size woman:

https://medium.com/@ellieguzma...

The silly piece that started it all as a writer on Medium:

https://medium.com/slackjaw/8-...

Update #1 - "Rags" Update from Ellie Guzman Feb. 21, 2018

Hi everyone!

Oh my goodness, I can't believe the time has come! Okay, I am closing out the campaign because I've found a publisher!! WHEEEEEEE ...

cancel

James Reeves
on June 27, 2017, 12:21 a.m.

reply

Best of good fortune for you Ellie!

Ernio Hernandez
on June 27, 2017, 12:45 a.m.

reply

All the best, Ellie.

Guy Vincent
on June 27, 2017, 3:18 p.m.

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Go Ellie!! Love your video haha. Wishing you success ahead! :P

Paul Williams
on June 27, 2017, 9:55 p.m.

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Looking forward to it Ellie ! No pressure, chill. I would put money towards a husky university in Canada, if it comes to that ! Love your writing.

jo simons
on June 29, 2017, 3:25 p.m.

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Just keep up the good work and we all eventually get there

Katie Robleski
on June 29, 2017, 9:16 p.m.

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Every single damn piece of your writing I've enjoyed more than you know...this isn't really a pay-it-forward, but more like a pay-you-back for allowing me to read your work for free. Plus, you're like my spirit animal. Don't let the doubts get you down...you can SOOO do this Ellie!!

Ellie Guzman
on June 30, 2017, 3:23 a.m.

reply

Thank you all so much! <3

Daan Spijer
on July 1, 2017, 12:53 a.m.

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I'm looking forward to the book.

John Mills
on July 3, 2017, 3:21 p.m.

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Ellie, being in Canada myself, I have to warn you that if you 'run away to Canada' that won't free you from writing this book. I love your outlook on life so much that I would track you down at your new astronaut university, drag you away from the dog pack and force you to finish it ;-) I love who you are and how you express it in words as I know thousands of others do so please, keep writing and above all, keep smiling.

Hugs,
John

Maria Rose Randazzo
on July 4, 2017, 6:44 p.m.

reply

Follow your dreams despite the attitude of men, I have a son and I have determined it's gotta be in their genes to view us as needing protection even though I was the only one in the house earning the money to keep us together. Listen and learn ways to get your ideas across to men, just takes a little longer for them to process --Maria Rose

Yael Acre
on July 5, 2017, 5:08 p.m.

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Keep following your dreams! I wish you great success!

Andrei Draganescu
on July 10, 2017, 2:37 p.m.

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go! :)

Julia Garcia de Leon
on July 12, 2017, 7:58 p.m.

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Hey Ellie!

I stumbled upon your Medium page and loved your story on how men should not have a monopoly on vulgarity. I fell down the hyperlink rabbit hole and eventually landed on your Publishizer page.

I love your voice and am SO looking forward to your book. As enticing as a husky dog astronaut university sounds, I hope you'll do the Right Thing (TM) and share more of your writing with us, your eagerly awaiting readers.

I hope you're doing well! Greetings from good ol' Mexico.
Jules

Catherine John
on July 14, 2017, 4:54 p.m.

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Way to go, Ellie! You can do it!

Jeanne Hoppe
on July 14, 2017, 9:55 p.m.

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Write on, Ellie!

Cara O'Driscoll
on July 21, 2017, 5:56 a.m.

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Ellie Guzman is a brilliant writer and the world queen of sarcasm. She can scorch your paternalistic, racist, body-shaming foolishness into a dry little cinder with her blasting blowtorch wit.
Her high-impact prose demonstrates that she has mastered the art of writing truth that connects with universal experiences PLUS she's hysterically funny.
She's made me laugh out loud many, many times and yet, when I've stopped laughing, I find that I've learned from Ellie.
I want you to learn from her too.
Buy her book.
Now.
Buy a couple of copies, like I've done.
Buy ten.
Buy twenty.
Buy a hundred of them and give them away as gifts, like I'm planning to.
Support Ellie's unique voice - you'll have done something truly worthwhile today if you do.

Jaimee Halstead
on July 24, 2017, 2:32 a.m.

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Good Luck!

david dayhoff
on July 26, 2017, 12:47 p.m.

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Much love and best wishes from another, as yet, unpublished writer. Enjoy your stuff. A former resident of the Valley, I enjoy the L A references and your take on that world. Keep up the good work. (How's that for banality?)

Kalpita Kothary
on July 26, 2017, 4:07 p.m.

reply

I love your writing and relate to your stories. I wish you all the best with your book! :)

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Ellie Guzman

About the author

From Rags to Different Rags

Synopsis

Outline

Audience

Promotion

Competition