As we got close to finishing his life story, one client said, “I almost hate to see it end!”
THE PUBLISHING PROCESS
We Start With Your Basic Bio
We have a form for you to fill out that covers “vital statistics” type of information: birth date, birthplace, parents and grandparents, siblings, places you’ve lived, schools you attended, spouse, children and grandchildren, jobs you’ve had, any military service, places you’ve traveled, etc.
You Tell Us Your Story
One of our interviewers or writers will sit down with you at your home, your office, a coffee shop, Zoom, or over the phone and talk about the people, events, and choices that shaped the trajectory of your life and made you the person you are today. We might also want to talk to some of your family members, friends and colleagues.
We’ve developed 100 Life Story Guide questions to help us get started, though stopping is usually the difficult part. We’ll get together several times, probably for at least twenty hours talking through your story.
You Relax, We Get to Work
We’ll take our conversations and shape them into an engaging story. Our goal is to make it read not like a resume or a timeline, but more like a novel. Paraphrasing E.M. Forster, “If I say the king died and then the queen died, that’s a sequence of events. If I say the king died and the queen died of grief, that’s a story.”
The way we look at it, you’re the Beatles; you create the lyrics and the music. We’re like George Martin back in the production booth mixing it together into a smooth-flowing album.
We Add Pictures
Pictures add life to your story. We’ll work together to figure out the best way to collect and digitize them.
You Give Your Blessing to the Final Draft
It’s your story, and you have full control over every jot and tittle.
You Tell Us Your Preferences for the Layout and Printing
We’ll show you design options for your approval before we go to print. We’ll give you options for the size of the book, binding, etc., so it looks just the way you want.
Your Story Gift is Published!
Congratulations! All the classic family stories that make everyone laugh, the memories of the people that mean the most to you, the wisdom and life lessons you want to pass on to your children and grandchildren are now collected and preserved in one place for your family to enjoy. They will treasure your special gift for generations.
Typically, a Kindle edition is provided at no extra charge, and your book is available for sale on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
How Long Does it Take?
Our talented team of interviewers and writers have completed some life stories in less than a year, and others have taken four years, so there can be a wide range depending on the scope of the project and how frequently we can get together.
Any Questions?
Contact me and we can start the conversation. Contact Bill