FAQs

Publication

What do I do with my book after I receive it? Can it be published?

Simply said: you can do whatever you want! Some people write ‘heirloom books’ with the intent to privately share their story with select friends and family. Others try to monetize their story by self-publishing or pursuing a more traditional publishing route.

We cannot guarantee anything regarding the commercial viability of your book, nor can we assist with getting a literary agent or selling your book to a publisher. We can offer you publishing advice, generate an ISBN (the International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier required for commercial use), and create both a print and digital version of your book. Once you have an ISBN and a print and digital version of your book, you can self-publish your book on Amazon and other commercial websites (paperback and e-reader).

Privacy

I want to record my story for my family, but I don’t want anyone else to read it. Can StorySavor guarantee my privacy?

Yes – confidentiality is always guaranteed at every stage in the process. After you purchase the book, you retain 100% of the copyright claims then and forever.

Process

Is this process COVID safe?

Yes. Our entire process is virtual. Interviews are conducted remotely over phone or video, so there is never any possibility of a COVID infection.

How and when are interviews conducted?

Interviews are conducted over voice or video calls. They typically last 90 minutes, so the number of sessions will be determined by the service package you purchase.

We can schedule longer or shorter interviews to accommodate your schedule. You would simply work with your writer to find mutually convenient times to connect.

How do I get my photos to StorySavor?

If you have digital copies of photos (either on your phone or computer), you can email them to StorySavor, and we’ll upload them to your book. If you only have physical copies, you can mail them to us and we’ll scan them, upload them to your book, and then send them back to you.

Can I gift someone a StorySavor biography?

Absolutely! We can think of no better gift than letting someone know you appreciate them enough to want to record and preserve their stories! A StorySavor book is a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, retirement, or any other life milestone. Schedule a call today to speak with one of our representatives about purchasing a StorySavor package as a gift.

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I don’t like interviews. Are they painful?

We also don’t like interviews (in the conventional sense) but when you’re being questioned about your life story – a story you literally know better than anyone else in the world – it’s enjoyable and, in many cases, cathartic (and fun).

Ultimately, the sessions are less like interviews and more like engaging conversations with someone interested in your story. Our biography writers are professionals – they will only engage you on topics you wish to discuss. Think of them as friends you’ve never met!

What goes into my book?

Whatever you tell us! This is your story; we are just writing it for you. You have full editorial control to determine what goes into the book (and what stays). Our only agenda is to tell your story in the most beautiful way possible.

Who will be the point of contact?

Your professional biography writer will be the main point of contact throughout the process. They will be with you from the first interview until you hold your book in your hands. Should other issues arise, you will be able to contact your project manager, who will conduct the initial consultation and be available at any point in the process. Between your writer and your project manager, you will always have all your questions answered promptly and thoroughly.

Can I order extra copies of my book?

Absolutely! Simply select the number of additional books you’d like to purchase when you’re checking out.

How much does it cost to publish a book?

We charge $40 per book for any extra copies. Please speak with your writer if you have any questions.

Can I include my own written material?

We are happy to include material that has already been written, but it will be up to the project manager to decide the best path forward if you already have a large body of written work. If your work is nearly completed, perhaps you need editorial or other services (photo inclusion, printing, binding, etcetera) and not a professional biography writer.
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How long does the process take?

It all depends on the scale and scope of the project. That being said, most books are written within two to three months. All good things take time, and this is certainly the case with elegantly capturing your life story.

Can I see a completed personal memoir or biography?

All our autobiographies and personal memoirs are private and confidential; however, we do have samples that our clients have indicated they are comfortable sharing. We’d be happy to send you a sample if you give us a call or send us an email.
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Who conducts the interviews?

Your carefully curated biography writer will conduct the interview and write your book.

Do you offer biographies in different languages?

Currently, we only offer biographies written in English, however, we can conduct interviews in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Russian.

How do I get started?
Schedule a call with one of our representatives. The call is free, and we can answer your questions and determine whether StorySavor is a good fit for you.
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Memory

What if I can’t remember something?

It’s normal for memories to fade over time, so it’s understandable to be concerned about remembering things that occurred years or decades ago. Rest easy, our biography writers are skilled at asking the right questions to help you recall events. By just taking the time to sit down and intentionally think, your memories will reveal themselves – it’s very customary for a flood of fascinating anecdotes to emerge.

Keep your memories safe by moving them from the hard drive in your brain to a book that will last generations.

Meta

This seems like a lot of work. How do I know it’ll be worth it?

Writing a book is a lot of work. Fortunately for you, you’re not writing a book – you’re commissioning a professional to write one for you. Leave the writing up to the experts who have spent a lifetime honing their craft.

Why do you make physical books in the age of Kindle and other e-readers? Isn’t the notion of a paper book outdated?

We think physical books are far from outdated. In fact, we think books are still the most perfect medium ever invented to transmit stories. You can still read Leonardo DaVinci’s sketchbooks from over 500 years ago, but good luck playing that CD you got for Christmas in 2008. Technologies change, but no technology will ever invalidate a book. Our books are not material goods, they are treasured heirlooms that will tell your story long after we are all gone.

Will anyone really care about my book after I’ve written it?

We find that everyone’s life is interesting in its own way. That might sound cliché, but it happens to be true. That’s why there are so many websites and social media accounts (our favorite is ‘Humans of New York’) detailing the extraordinary stories of so-called ordinary people. There is a proven history of people being interested in the untold story of others because stories allow us to understand ourselves and others.

Is my story interesting enough to write a book?

Although nearly every person starts the interview by saying, “I don’t think my life is all that interesting,” we have yet to come across someone with a boring story. Life throws far too many curveballs to leave anyone without a wide array of fascinating anecdotes.

Also, consider the social context and history of your life. What might seem normal to you today may be fascinating years from now, just like hearing what it was like to live 100 years ago is fascinating to us today.

For example, a hundred years ago there was one car for every 50 people and most people commuted long distances via horse. What will transportation look like 100 years from now? What will life be like? By capturing your story – even the supposedly commonplace elements – you will be giving the gift of social context to future readers.

Will my children and grandchildren really want to read my book?

Regardless of how ordinary you think your life is, it will be interesting to your descendants. Think of how fascinating it would be to learn the untold stories of your ancestors. Wouldn’t you like to know the challenges your great grandfather persevered through? Or what your grandmother’s values were? Or what your mother wanted to be when she was a little girl? Wouldn’t you like to one day give that same gift to others?

I thought only rich and famous people had biographies written about them?

Not so – everyone has a fascinating life story. As the African proverb goes, “each time a person dies, a library burns to the ground.” Interesting stories and life experiences don’t necessarily have a correlation to money or fame.

What makes a good memoir or biography?

The only requirement is that you openly share your stories. We’ll craft them into a beautiful book.

StorySavor Company

Why do you care so much about storytelling?

We all became writers and journalists (AKA storytellers) because we love the process of telling stories and we know storytelling is essential to the human experience. As human beings, we want to understand where we came from, what we are here for, and where we are going. We know that telling stories can teach us these things.

What makes StorySavor the best company to use?

We have the only copyrighted storytelling StorySavor Formula©, the best writers, and a track record of writing beautiful stories for people. We are confident we are the premier biography writing service in the world.

What does it mean to be a biography writing services company?

Simply put: we have an array of tools and skills to make sure we tell your story in the most effective way possible. We know that writing a biography book is a daunting task and we aim to make it simple and easy for everyone to record their journey.

Will StorySavor teach me how to write a biography book?

We are happy to share as much or as little of the process as you like. You can just relay your stories to the biography writer and let them come back with your professionally crafted narrative. Alternatively, your writer can let you know more about the specific process for how he or she creates your book.

Is StorySavor a biography or memoir ghostwriter?

Technically speaking, we can be a ghostwriter for your autobiography, biography, or memoir.

Writers

What type of experience do the StorySavor biography writers have?

The least talented writers will simply record what you have said and then write it down in chronological order (this is what biography generators, memoir writing apps, and writing my life story software does). The more talented writers will probe for details and help you tell vivid and compelling stories. The most talented will understand why you’re telling the story in the first place and help ensure the narrative gets you to where you want it to go. All our writers are professionally trained and published journalists who, by using the copyrighted StorySavor Formula©, will ensure your story is optimized.

How are your biography writers trained?

The good news is that by the time our writers are even considered for a position, they’ve already proven themselves as competent, capable, and talented writers. Even still, we have spent a lot of time drafting our StorySavor Formula© and each writer is trained on the specific way we uncover a story and set about writing it for others to enjoy.

Where do you get your writers from?

The best journalism programs, magazines, and newspapers. When they aren’t telling your story, our writers are covering some of the most important topics in the world.

StorySavor Formula©

How does the StorySavor Formula© differentiate your company from others?

On the one hand, storytelling seems like an intuitive act. We, as human beings, all instinctively understand the process of telling stories…right?

But why do some books engage you from the very first sentence and leave you craving more until you finish? It’s not always compelling subject material. Often, what engages the reader is the way the story is told.

There are important things to understand before the first word is written. Why do you want to write the story in the first place? Who or what presents the conflict (there is no narrative without conflict)? Who are the characters (keep in mind that characters aren’t always people, sometimes inanimate things such as disease are characters)? What is the story arc? What is the major dramatic question?

We have spent a lot of time studying with and consulting some of the brightest minds in journalism – including a Pulitzer Prize winner – to understand what makes some stories compelling and others boring.

The StorySavor Formula© is a framework through which we maximize the stories you hire us to write.

Tribute Books and Memory Project

How do you write a biography or personal memoir about someone if they have passed away or cannot participate in an interview due to memory issues?

After someone passes away or cannot relay stories because of memory issues, we rely on their loved ones to tell their story for them. Our tribute books and memory project books are stories about the ones we love, as told by the ones who love them most. Writing memoirs for seniors is one of our favorite things to do.

I want to write a tribute or memory project book, but I’m worried it will be too emotional.

We often find writing about someone helps both memorialize their legacy, grasp the loss, and reaffirm your feelings and thoughts. It’s a tremendously cathartic experience to go through this process on behalf of a loved one.

Why should I have a tribute book or memory project book written?

We often hear that people intended to interview their aging family member but always put it off, thinking there would be another day or more time. By the time they actually get around to conducting the interviews, it is often too late, and the voices of their loved ones have been silenced.

Founder Joseph Quaderer personally suffered this fate when his father passed away from an extremely rare cancer when Joseph was just 33 years old. He never thought to record his father’s stories, and although many of his father’s stories live on with his wife and children, many were lost forever. He doesn’t want this to happen to others.

Cost

Why does it cost so much to write a book?

Like anything in life, you get what you pay for. All projects include a consultation, personalized questionnaire, interviews, writing, copyediting, editing, proofreading, page layout, book design, digital book creation, and printing the book. Biography generators, memoir writing apps, or writing my life story software are cheaper, but they also cheapen the quality of the narrative.

The process of writing a book is labor-intensive and a lot goes into professionally capturing your story, but we are confident the expense is worth it.

Why have autobiography, biography, and personal memoir for hire services become so popular?

We live in an increasingly digital, disconnected world. Almost all our communication is fleeting – text messages, emails, and digital photos all vanish just as quickly as they appeared. That can leave you feeling…transitory. Telling your story and having it captured in a physical book is a way of creating a lasting connection in an increasingly disconnected world.

Other

As I’ve researched biography writing services, I’ve come across professionals willing to write my biography, autobiography, and personal memoir. What exactly is the difference between a memoir vs autobiography, and biography?

Technically speaking, there are stark differences between autobiographies, biographies, and personal memoirs.

A personal memoir is a collection of stories written by a person. It’s their story, however they choose to tell it. They can focus on one specific story or several stories that they want to recount in greater detail.

A biography is a life history written by someone else. Historically, biographies covered the subjects’ life and contextual elements of what happened in the world when the subject lived.

An autobiography is a life history written by that person. As with biographies, autobiographies historically brought outside contextual information and facts into the narrative.

Generally, since autobiographies and biographies brought outside information and facts into play, they had to be fully researched and fact-checked.

Nowadays autobiographies (ghostwritten by someone else), biographies, and personal memoirs terms are almost used interchangeably. Most autobiographies and biographies only cover the subject’s life and stories – like a memoir – and are therefore not ‘fact-checked.’

Usually, people are eager to capture what made their life different and special without taking larger, macro events into consideration.

Whatever term you want to use – autobiography, biography, personal memoir – StorySavor specializes in capturing your story as you want to tell it. We are confident that we can deliver on whatever storytelling method most resonates with you.

Does StorySavor utilize a biography generator, memoir writing app, or writing my life story software?

No. While we are familiar with the technology used to create personal memoirs, autobiographies, and biographies we believe a human touch is essential to capturing human stories. Writing has always been more of an art than a science; when you remove the writer – the human element – there is no more artistic flourish, and the story falls flat.

What is a ghostwriter? What’s the difference between ghostwriters for hire and story writers for hire?

Technically, a ghostwriter is hired to write something with the understanding that the credit for the piece of writing will be attributed to the person who hired the ghostwriter. A story writer for hire might mean that the ghostwriter is credited along with the person that hired the ghostwriter.

Here at StorySavor, we have no interest in taking credit for the story. It’s your story, we’re just hired to write it.

How can an autobiography service be possible? Doesn’t an autobiography mean the person actually wrote it?

Technically speaking, yes – the term autobiography service implies the story was written by the subject. That being said, many people have realized that they can tell their story and leverage a trained professional biography writer to help them refine the narrative, structure, and flow of their story.