The first step is to contact us for a free consultation. We will discuss your project and answer any questions you might have about the process.

I’ll want to hear more about the storytellers, of course!  We will discuss the scope of the project (typically our projects cover a complete life history or a relationship history, but we can also focus on a specific event or time period.)  I will also ask you to consider your audience (some clients create a book for themselves or their closest loved ones, others wish to share the book with a wide audience of family and friends.) And I’ll give you an idea of the length of time needed for interviews and the overall timeline for the project.

A signed contract and a deposit of 50% of total costs are required to schedule your project and reserve your interview sessions.

Yes, of course!  We often work with clients who want to include additional storytellers or add in a unique design element. Please see examples of the creative projects we’ve done for clients.  We are happy to work with you to design a package that captures your unique story.

One of the unique aspects of an 11stories book is its ability to capture the voice of the storyteller.  It is your story, told in your words – we do not paraphrase your words or write in the third person. Your stories will be transcribed, edited, and organized in a professionally designed book with foil-stamped title, presented in our optional custom box to protect your book for years to come.  Our books are professionally printed in a 10×8 landscape format, and are typically 75-100 pages, depending on the length of the interviews, number of photos, etc.

Each project is unique, and your project timeline will be dependent upon factors such as the number of storytellers and their availability.  We provide availability in our schedule for interviews within a month of the signing of your contract.  We encourage folks to gather their photos and memorabilia as soon as possible so we can get to work on creating your book!  A detailed timeline will be included in your project proposal.

Your job is to enjoy a rare moment to reflect on your life, your love, your achievements, and best of all to have fun with the process of storytelling!  My job is to engage you in the process of storytelling through a semi-structured interview. Together, our goal is to create a vivid picture of your life or your relationship, to capture the memories and to describe the details. Some people are nervous that the interview process will be challenging, or that they may have nothing to say. I assure you that the interviews are a wonderful, restorative experience, and that once we get started you will have plenty to share!

I am often asked whether I use a “protocol,” or a specific set of questions in my interviews.  The answer is both “yes” and “no.”  Yes, you will see that I come to all my interviews with an outline of topics and prompts, tailored for your project, that I have developed from my years of interviewing.  And no, I don’t really use them. Trust me, that is a good thing.  You are hiring me to not use a protocol, to not rely on a set of questions downloaded off the internet, to not use the same set of questions for each client. You are hiring me to be your “guide” through this conversation.  I strongly believe that a successful personal history interview is based on active listening and a collaborative process of storytelling.  This does not mean that I show up unprepared.  I do ask direct questions that lead you through your story.  And I have enough experience to know how and when to use those prompts.  But more importantly, I listen closely and I ask follow-up questions that invite you to provide the details that bring a richness to your stories, that allow you to share who you are and how you became that person, and that give you an opportunity to reflect.

11 is a meaningful number to me – it’s the date of my birthday and my anniversary and a few other fabulous moments in my life. Simply put, it’s just a part of my story.

Many of our projects are gifts, like a birthday, anniversary, or wedding.  We love working with folks to create a one-of-a-kind gift that says “I love you, I value your experiences, I want to hear your stories!” Two options… One, we create a beautiful, foil-stamped gift certificate for you to give on the special day, and then we follow up after the celebration to schedule the interviews and complete the book. Two, we do the interviews and complete the book in time for your event. We encourage you to get in touch as soon as possible if you are working toward a deadline and you want your book ready to present as part of a special celebration. We love to help plan a gift, and we’re especially good at keeping a surprise!

Our base package is $2,000.00 and includes two hours of interview time.  Each additional hour of interview time is $1,000.00. Each interview session is two hours – we find that is the perfect amount of time to enjoy the storytelling process and we can cover a lot of topics. Pricing is dependent upon the scope of the project. Each person’s story is unique, and each person’s project goals are unique. At the time of your consultation, we will discuss your goals for the project, your schedule, and your budget. These factors will help us determine a scope that meets your needs.

11stories books are designed to be treasured, to be shared, to be passed on from one generation to the next. Enjoying a book is a sensory experience – feeling its weight in your hands, turning each page to discover new stories and images, enjoying its texture and design.  Enjoying a book is also a relational experience, whether snuggling on the couch with a loved one or giving one as the perfect present. A book is timeless and enduring, a permanent and lasting form of communication in an age where so much of our communication is temporary.  Just as technology is pushing us to embrace digital forms of communication, we are seeing a resurgence of interest in bookbinding, letterpress and calligraphy artists, and the various art forms that celebrate the book. I firmly believe that the book will endure in a space alongside digital forms of communication; that there is a place for both, and indeed a need for both.  My hope at 11stories is that we can help to capture your stories and preserve priceless memories, and pass on a little bit of what we think makes books so special.

We each have a unique and important story to share, and the process of sharing those stories provides an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and our loved ones.  Stories have the power to inspire, to entertain, and to teach. The act of telling the story can be very powerful; the act of sharing that story can be transformative. Your friends and family may already know the facts about you. But what they don’t know are the details. The details of a story are what help us paint a more complete picture of a person and their experiences. The story of your engagement is far more entertaining than simply knowing that you were married in 1964. Was it a surprise, where did it happen, and how did you celebrate? Hearing your grandmother’s story of her first piano recital is far more captivating that simply knowing that she used to play piano. Was she nervous, what dress did she wear, and how did she feel when she first stepped out on that stage? At a time when families are scattered across the country, when hand-written letters are replaced by emails, it is more important than ever to share our stories and to create lasting mementos. We may forget the names and the dates of our histories, but we always remember the stories.

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, interviews typically take place in your home. We will want a quiet place to conduct the interviews where we can be comfortably seated and free of distractions. If you live anywhere else in the world, we will conduct the interviews on Skype – each of us settled into our comfy couches!

We respect that your stories are private, and we take issues of confidentiality and security very seriously.  We keep our files stored securely and do not label files with client names.  We keep all files in two storage spaces to ensure they are backed up securely.  During your initial consultation, we will discuss your thoughts on privacy and audience and will tailor your final book to address any concerns.