BrightSide Books Life story biographies

From a first conversation to a finished book.

Eleven steps in four movements, about three months from the first interview to the finished books. BrightSide coordinates every one.

Start a conversation See the steps
  • About three months
  • Interviews held online
  • Nothing to prepare
  • You review the manuscript
An older man sits in a chair at home with his hands folded, looking to one side.

Getting started

Before anything begins, we get to know who the book is for.

  1. The initial conversation

    A private conversation with you about your parent, your family and what you hope the book will hold.

  2. Scope and proposal

    We recommend the commission that fits and send a written proposal: the scope, the timeline and the investment. Financing is available if it helps.

Cups and a plate of pastries on a wooden table beneath a curtained window.

The interviews

Held online, so your parent takes part from home, wherever they live.

  1. Planning

    The conversations are planned around your parent and the ground the family hopes to cover.

  2. Guided interviews

    A professional interviewer or trained specialist guides a series of recorded conversations. There is nothing to prepare, and no need to be a good storyteller.

  3. Photographs

    Family photographs are collected digitally. The originals stay with you.

You don’t need to know which stories matter yet. That’s what the conversations are for.

An older man in a green shirt sits back in an armchair against a red wall.
A finger points to a small old photograph held in someone’s hand.

The writing

We shape the conversations into a narrative biography, written and edited by BrightSide.

  1. Writing and editing

    The family chooses the voice. First person reads as your parent’s own account, close and conversational. Third person reads as a biography about them, with more room for context.

  2. Family review

    You read the manuscript and approve it before it goes to production.

A writing desk with papers beside a sunlit window and patterned curtains.

The book

The approved manuscript becomes a clothbound hardcover.

  1. Design

    The interior, cover and dust jacket are designed, with restored photographs placed beside the story.

  2. Final proof

    A final proof is checked before anything is printed.

  3. Printing and binding

    Printed in full colour, sewn, bound in cloth and stamped in foil by a professional production partner in New England.

  4. Delivery

    The finished books are delivered, 10, 15 or 20 depending on the commission, with the high-resolution restored files.

More about the book

A deep green clothbound hardcover with a gold foil title, standing upright on a dark table.

About three months, from the first interview to the finished books.

The exact time depends on the depth of the project, family review and production. Legacy commissions may take longer. If you have a date in mind, tell us in your first conversation.

Private at every step.

Interviews, photographs and drafts are handled as the family’s most personal material, from the first recording to the final proof.

Never published
Your family’s book is private. It is never publicly published.
Never used in marketing
Client photographs and stories are never used to promote BrightSide.
Used only for your book
Interviews and project materials are used only to create the biography you commissioned.
Approved by you
The family reviews the manuscript before anything goes to production.

Start with a conversation about who the book is for.

There is nothing to prepare. We’ll talk it through, recommend a scope and send a written proposal.

Start a conversation

Prefer to email us?

team@brightsidebooks.co

Nothing is decided until you have a written proposal.