Everyone has a story worth telling.
Firsthand creates beautifully written, print-ready memoirs from recorded conversations — preserving the voices, memories, and lives of the people you love most.
How a Firsthand Story is made
Every memoir begins the same way — with a conversation. What follows is a careful, unhurried process designed to honour a life.
We Talk
A series of recorded interview sessions draws out the stories, details, and memories that matter most — guided by someone who knows how to ask the right questions.
We Write
Using your family member's own words as the foundation, we craft a narrative memoir — structured, compelling, and true to who they are.
You Receive a Firsthand Story
A print-ready manuscript, formatted and finished, ready to print, share, or keep forever. A book they can hold. A story that doesn't disappear.
"A Firsthand Story isn't written about someone. It's written from them."
Someone who knows how to listen. And how to ask.
I've spent my career in product management — which sounds like it has nothing to do with memoir. But the core of the job is this: sitting with people, asking them what they really need, listening past the surface answer, and shaping something coherent and human from everything you hear.
Turns out that's exactly what memoir requires.
When my son was born, I called my father. Something about becoming a parent myself made me suddenly, urgently aware of everything I didn't know about him. The stories he'd never told. The years before I existed.
He's healthy. We have time. And that's exactly the point — I didn't want to wait until we didn't.
So I started interviewing him. Asking the questions I'd never thought to ask. Recording everything. Shaping it into a real book — not a transcript, not a memory box, but a proper narrative memoir written in his voice.
That became Firsthand.
Every Firsthand Story is different — because every life is different.
Three tiers designed to match your budget, your timeline, and how much of the story you want to capture.
The Story
$1,500 – $2,500
An era, a relationship, a journey, a turning point. Perfect for families who want to start somewhere, or capture one remarkable story before it fades.
- ◆2–3 recorded interview sessions (60–90 min each)
- ◆10,000–20,000 word narrative manuscript
- ◆Print-ready PDF, digitally delivered
- ◆Up to 2 rounds of revisions
- ◆Timeline: 6–8 weeks
The Life
$4,500 – $6,500
Their arc, their world, their relationships. The story of a life told with the depth and texture it deserves. Our most popular tier.
- ◆5–6 recorded interview sessions
- ◆20,000–40,000 word narrative manuscript
- ◆Print-ready PDF + editable Word document
- ◆Photo integration (you supply, we place & caption)
- ◆Up to 3 rounds of revisions
- ◆Optional printed softcover: add $300–$500
- ◆Timeline: 10–14 weeks
The Legacy
$9,500 – $14,000
The kind you could publish, display, and hand down through generations. Rich with scenes, voices, and the full arc of an extraordinary ordinary life.
- ◆8–12 recorded interview sessions
- ◆50,000+ word narrative manuscript
- ◆Print-ready PDF + Word document
- ◆Photo section included
- ◆5 printed hardcover copies (via IngramSpark)
- ◆Up to 4 rounds of revisions
- ◆Timeline: 4–6 months
Add-ons
Extra interview sessions
$150 each
Additional printed copies
Cost + 20%
Family tree or timeline page
$200
Expedited delivery
+25%
Not sure which tier is right for you? Book a free discovery call and we'll figure it out together.
Every week that passes is a story untold.
Your mother remembers the smell of her grandmother's kitchen. Your father can describe, in perfect detail, the day everything changed. Your grandparents carry decades of history that no one has ever thought to write down.
That's where Firsthand comes in. Start yours today — while there's still time.
No obligation. Just a conversation about someone you love.