Writing your family memoir

Your family memoir – the concept

A beautifully written and printed family history based on stories and memories of you, your parents and relatives.  A memoir that preserves the past for your children and grandchildren in print, in the Cloud and on film.

The aim is to celebrate your family history by recording it while memories are (relatively) fresh.  Each memoir is based on a combination of face-to-face interviews, pictures and information provided by you and your family, and, in some cases, a short film. The outcome is a permanent reminder of your loved ones, your heritage, and the legacy you have inherited.

There are many reasons to put off this sort of project.  But it is a service we launched because so many of our speech writing clients had broken off during personal (and often emotional)  face-to-face interviews, to express their sadness that they had left it too late.

Your family memoir – the logistics

Our process is flexible and depends on where you or your loved ones are based and how much they have to say. However, it will always involve:

– an introductory conversation about your project goals, deadlines and preferences

– a more detailed meeting or call to put a formal plan in place and confirm pricing (followed by a written proposal for your sign-off)

– a series of interviews with you or your family; we will collect pictures and additional information during this time

– a writing period, while the interview notes are converted into a script for your booklet

– an opportunity for you to visit our office to read the proofs before printing

– printing and delivery

Some clients also wish us to make a five minute film at the end of the process, using the knowledge we have gleaned to ask the right questions for a truly insightful and representative piece of film

Your family memoir – the price

We will quote specifically for your memoir when we understand the logistics involved. Prices range from £1,500+VAT to £3,500+VAT depending on:

– The number of interviews

– The length of the process (and number of pages to write)

– The number of copies required for print

– The option of including a film

We ask you to pay 50% to begin the project and 50% on completion.

Your family memoir – next steps

Please call us on 0207 118 1600 or email to find out more; this will enable us to establish the best process for you, to confirm the budget required, and to send you some questions in advance of the interview process. Typically, this process will take 6-8 weeks from your first call to printing. We can, occasionally, work faster when required.

Your family memoir – why us?

Before embarking on this service, we had written many thousands of speeches for clients around the world. These all require a similar process including outstanding, trustworthy writers to conduct interviews, an understanding of how to write crisp prose that remains true to the subject, and an impeccable record of getting projects finished on time and on budget.  We have now transferred those skills to memoir writing, enabling us to create something truly special for you and your family.

Giving a memoir as a gift

This service makes a very special gift.  We can provide a ‘voucher’ to be given to your parent, grandparent or other family member at the start of a project.  If you wish to create the memoir as a surprise gift for a child or grandchild, we can gift-wrap and arrange for you to inscribe the printed booklets (and film).