A full-length memoir is a year-long partnership between a life and a writer.
The engagements below are three different ways to build the same book, depending on how much of the writing you want to do yourself — and how much you want me to do. Every engagement begins with the Blueprint, so whichever path you choose, we choose it knowing exactly what the book is.
I read every page you have written, and we sit for three recorded sessions — two on the life, one on the book. You receive a written plan in three parts: the structure of the whole book, a study of your voice, and a chapter inventory of what exists, what's half-told, and what we still need to capture. The Blueprint is yours to keep, and its full fee is credited toward any engagement below.
Working from the Blueprint, I direct the writing chapter by chapter and edit everything you draft — developmental and line. Twelve monthly story sessions, plus four recorded interview sessions for the periods of your life not yet on the page. Sole authorship remains entirely yours.
I draft the book from your pages, your transcripts, and your voice. Twelve to fifteen recorded interview sessions open the engagement; from there, new pages arrive each month, we walk through them together, and every part of the manuscript gets two full revision rounds. Credited as a collaboration — or as you prefer.
Your name alone on the cover. Three revision rounds per part instead of two, no cap on interview sessions, and up to four supporting-cast interviews — I sit down with the people who lived the story alongside you, and their memories are woven into the chapters. All rights, all credit, and the entire story remain yours; my role stays permanently confidential.
Payment follows the book, not the calendar. Twenty percent reserves the engagement; the balance is divided into equal milestone payments, one for each part of the manuscript, paid as each part is delivered. You are never paying for work you have not seen.
A sustainable working rhythm. Interview sessions are planned together in advance, typically two to four per month. When a new part of the manuscript is ready, we meet in person to walk through it. Between sessions, I'm reachable by email and respond within two business days.
Scope. Engagements are based on a manuscript of approximately 80,000 words over nine to twelve months. An expedited six-month track is available at a 25% premium.
Your story is protected. Every engagement includes a written agreement covering confidentiality, ownership, and credit. You own the manuscript and all rights to it, in full, at every stage.
The right book outlasts everything else a life leaves behind — I'd be honored to help you build yours. Inquiries are read and answered personally, within a business day.
Inquire about a collaboration