Creating a Book About You or Your Loved One
The process begins with a series of interviews. The subject and the interviewer meet initially to establish goals and create a plan for the arc and format of the book. (If you are interested in the Interview by Interview Option, please refer to the last section below)
The next step involves a series of meetings to collect the subject’s biographical history, anecdotal moments, and personal stories. There are moments when a certain memory elicits other memories and a string of stories unfold during the interview process. A relaxing, non-rushed atmosphere is established where the subject can be truly immersed in thought.
In between interviews, the stories are written into a cohesive, chaptered narrative. Once the narrative is complete, together we go through photographs and mementos which will be formatted into the manuscript.
A high-quality, professional book is then produced for family members and friends to treasure for generations. A Lifetime of Stories has books available for your review to illustrate the quality of both the writing and the completed book.
Details of Services
During the period of agreement, a series of interviews will be conducted with the subject. A cohesive manuscript will then be created, with text and selected photographs formatted into a professional quality book. The person whose stories are being captured will be able to read and approve the text and formatting prior to ordering the final version of the book.
Compensation for this process is agreed to be $40/hour plus the cost of a prototype and finished copies of the book (refer to Book Pricing information below). As everyone’s story is unique, the number of hours required can range anywhere from 130 to 300 hours (with the average being about 180 hours). This is dependent on the amount of material shared and the number of photographs to be included. A Lifetime of Stories will provide regular invoices. If you would like to limit the number of hours and have the project completed sooner this can be negotiated at any point, including at the onset of the project. In addition, there is an option to have one’s stories written without creating a book. Refer to the last section on this page for that option.
Book Pricing
You may order any number of copies of the book. The price for each book ranges from $68 to $117 depending on the type of cover (hard with wrapped jacket, hard with paper jacket, soft cover, and various size options) and the number of pages (books over 200 pages will cost more than estimated amount above). The book is also available to purchase as an ebook. The publishing company offers a ten percent discount on orders of 10 or more books and coupons are often available.
Interview by Interview Option
Through a series of interviews with you or your loved one, a writer from A Lifetime of Stories will record your personal stories. In between interviews, the stories are then written into a cohesive narrative. Typically, every hour of interview requires approximately two hours of writing. The fee for this process is $40/hour. You are free to stop at any time, receiving the written narratives gathered up to that point. At any point, you can decide to have your stories expanded into a high-quality, professional book with photographs formatted with the text, as described above.
