How it works

What actually happens if you do this.

You do not have to organise any of it. I handle the whole process, gently, from the first phone call to the moment it's yours to keep.

We talk

I spend time with you over a series of relaxed, recorded conversations, at your own pace and in your own chair. Most families do this in person; where distance makes that impractical, we do it by video instead.

I write

I shape those conversations into a properly written life story, keeping the person's own voice throughout. You see a full draft before anything is finished.

Your book is made

The finished story becomes exactly what you want to keep: a professionally produced hardback, the original recordings, or a digital copy.

How much conversation this takes

There is no fixed session count.

The exact number of sessions depends on the person and the story, and is agreed together on a call rather than sold off a rigid table. Some families need one long conversation; others need several shorter ones spread over weeks. The Memory Kit works differently, you go through a set of questions together in your own time, then send me the recording.

The honest alternatives

Could you just do this yourself?

Could I just record the conversations myself? Yes, honestly, a phone and a quiet room is enough to start. The Memory Kit is built for exactly this: a set of questions to go through together, in your own time, at a much lower cost.

So why pay someone to write it? Recording a conversation and shaping it into something someone will actually want to read are different skills. I spend real time with the material, finding the shape of the story, keeping the person's own voice, and making sure it reads as something worth handing down, not a transcript.

What if we're not ready for a full book? Start with the Memory Kit. There is no obligation to take it any further once it is done.

What happens after you say yes

The questions people have once they have decided.

Family involvementFamily members are welcome at sessions, and if several of you are sharing the cost, tell me how many and I will invoice each of you separately.
Memory that's patchySessions can be shorter, or split across visits, if the person tires easily or a diagnosis means some days are better than others.
The recordingsThey stay between us. Nothing is shared beyond what goes into the book, and you keep the edited recordings yourself.
PhotographsYes, your own photographs are restored where needed and woven through the finished book.

A few practical details are still being written up properly rather than guessed at here: exactly how corrections and final approval work, and how long recordings are kept before they're returned to you. Ask me directly if you need to know before booking.