A tribute book, to honor the life of someone you love
When a loved one is no longer with us, their story lives on in the people who knew them. A sister remembers the childhood. A colleague remembers the work. The grandchildren remember Sunday dinners. A BrightSide tribute book gathers those memories, with the photographs and papers the family keeps, into one book the whole family can share.
A first conversation about them and who might take part. We reply within 24 hours.
There’s no right time to begin
Some families start within months; others wait a year or longer. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll talk it through at whatever pace suits you.
Who a tribute book is for
- Families who want the grandchildren to know who he was, not only that he was loved.
- A husband or wife who wants the whole life gathered, not just the years they shared.
- Brothers and sisters who each hold a different part of the story and want it in one place.
- Anyone who has a box of photographs and letters and no idea how to turn it into something the family will read.
What the finished book keeps
A tribute book follows a whole life: where they came from, the people and places that shaped them, the work they did, what they cared about and how others saw them. It is written as one story, from many voices, with their photographs beside the chapters they belong to.
Where their own words exist, in letters, cards, emails, recordings or something they wrote, the book can quote them just as they are.
Told with care, by the people who loved them
A tribute book is written as a biography, in a narrator’s voice, drawing on the memories of the people closest to them. Everything in it comes from what family and friends share with us and from what your loved one left behind, so the book stays true to the person you remember.
How many memories become one story
A first conversation with you.
We talk about who they were, who should be asked to contribute, and what photographs and papers the family has. Nothing is decided until you have a written proposal.
Conversations with the people who knew them.
A professional interviewer talks with each contributor by video, wherever they live. Every conversation is recorded.
Gathering what they left.
You send photographs, letters and other material as scans or phone photos. The originals stay with you.
Shaping the story.
A writer on our team looks for the line that runs through the life. Most tribute books follow it from beginning to end; some are arranged around the parts they played, as a parent, partner, friend or colleague. Where accounts differ, we check with you. Every chapter is proofread before your family reads it.
Your review.
Your family reads the chapters and approves the manuscript and the final proof before anything is printed.
The book.
It’s designed, printed, sewn and bound, and your copies go to you or to whoever you’d like.
What helps
Anything that holds a piece of their life:
- Photographs, from childhood to recent years
- Letters, cards, emails and text messages
- Voicemails, videos or recordings of them talking
- Eulogies, the obituary and the service program
- Journals, notes, recipes in their handwriting
- Work records, military papers, certificates and newspaper clippings
You don’t need a complete archive
Most families don’t have an organized box of letters. You can begin with what you have and the people willing to talk. In the first conversation we’ll help you decide who to ask and what to look for.
How a tribute book differs from a memoir
| A memoir | A tribute book | |
|---|---|---|
| Who we talk to | The person themselves, over a series of conversations | The people who knew them best: family, friends, colleagues |
| The voice | Their own voice, or a biography | A biography, told by a narrator drawing on many memories |
| Their own words | From the interviews | Quoted from letters, recordings and anything they wrote |
| Where memories differ | They settle it | We check with the family, and the book can hold more than one account |
At a pace that suits the family
Remembering someone you love can bring up a great deal. Contributors can pause, skip a question, or stop a conversation at any time. Nobody has to take part who doesn’t want to, and the schedule moves around the family, not the other way round.
An illustrative example
A much-loved high school band director passes away at sixty-one. His wife knows the man at home; his students knew someone else. Over several weeks his wife, two sisters, a colleague and three former students each talk with an interviewer. His daughter sends a box of concert programs and the voicemail he left on her birthday. The book follows his life in order, and the words from that voicemail open the last chapter.
How a tribute book is priced
Each tribute book is priced in a written proposal after the first conversation, once we know how many people will contribute, how much material there is, and how large the book should be. Work begins only when you approve the proposal. You can cancel, and because every book is made for one family, payments already made are non-refundable. See the FAQ for payment and cancellation.
For funeral directors and other professionals
If you work with families after a loss, see For Professionals for how introductions work.
When you’re ready, tell us about them.
Send a short note about the person and the family.
Start a Conversation