Legacy Books

Whether you want to preserve your own life stories or those of a loved one, a legacy book captures and presents them in a beautiful way. Your legacy book will be as unique as you are. Here’s the general process:

Free One-Hour Consultation

We start with a complementary consultation to clarify your vision and goals and determine the scope of your project. For example, for whom are you creating the book? Will it be a broad family or personal history, or will it focus on a few select incidents in your life? Will it include lots of old photos or family memorabilia? Do you have any special requests or concerns?

Interviews

Your legacy book is based on your stories and reminiscences, elicited through a series of interviews designed to spark your memories and bring out details of your life. The number and length of interviews depend on the project scope; eight to twelve hours are typical for a life history, but some clients need more. We meet in a location where you are comfortable, such as your home, for one or two hours per session. All interviews are digitally recorded.

Transcription and Editing

The recorded interviews are transcribed. Then, while adhering to the primary goal of retaining your words and “voice,” I craft an engaging, first-person narrative from the transcriptions, integrating my interview questions into your answers, eliminating “ums” and “ahs,” and reorganizing and editing as needed.

Review and Revision

You review the draft manuscript, marking any corrections needed. Then I incorporate your revisions, proofread the revised manuscript, and deliver it for your approval and sign off.

Production

I work with you to turn the manuscript into whatever final form we agreed to in our initial consultation. This may include selecting and scanning photographs and personal or family memorabilia; writing photo captions; working with a professional book designer to design the layout and incorporate the text and illustrations; and coordinating with a printer and binder. The result: your one-of-a-kind hardcover or softcover book—your life stories, in your own words.