Portrait
A focused biography, built around the central stories of a life.
Starting at$5,000
- Interviews
- 4–6
- Finished books
- 10
- Timeline
- About three months
The gift of being asked.
A private biography is a gift for a parent or grandparent: the chance to tell their story, at length, to someone who wants to hear all of it, and a book the whole family can keep.
Because the stories are still there to be asked for.
Many of us mean to write the stories down one day. A biography makes sure it happens, with someone to guide the conversations and a finished book at the end.
It is also a way of saying something that can be hard to say directly: that a life is worth recording, in full.
What your parent experiences
Conversations at home
Every interview is held online, so they take part from their own chair, wherever they live. No studio and no travel.
Someone to guide them
A professional interviewer leads each conversation, so there is nothing to prepare and no need to be a good storyteller.
Time to be listened to
Every conversation is recorded, so nobody has to take notes and nothing is lost.
A book of their own
Their story and their photographs, together, in a clothbound hardcover made for the family.
How a gift works
Tell us who the book is for
Use the form or email us. Mention that it’s a gift, and the occasion if there is one.
A private conversation with you
About your parent, your family and what you hope the book will hold.
A recommended scope and a written proposal
The commission that fits, the timeline and the investment, in writing.
The conversations begin
Your parent takes part online, from home.
The finished books
Delivered to you, with the high-resolution restored photographs.
Can it stay a surprise?
Your parent takes part in the conversations, so they will know about the biography once the interviews begin. When and how you tell them is up to you.
Three commissions. Each one the complete service.
Every commission includes the interviews, the writing, the photographs and the finished books. Additional copies may be ordered.
Compare the commissionsLife Story
The full arc of a life, told in depth, from childhood onward.
Commission$9,500
- Interviews
- 6–11
- Finished books
- 15
- Timeline
- About three months
Legacy
The most complete commission, for a long life with a great deal to hold.
Commission range$18,000–$22,000
- Interviews
- 11 or more
- Finished books
- 20
- Timeline
- Three months or longer
When to give it
A milestone birthday, an anniversary, a retirement, a family reunion, or no occasion at all. The best time is while the stories can still be told.
Allow about three months from the first interview to the finished books. If you have a date in mind, tell us in your first conversation.
Give them the chance to tell it.
Tell us who the book is for and that it’s a gift. We’ll take it from there.
Start a conversation