Question 1

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO COMPLETE MY PROJECT?

Accepted Answer

Much depends upon the scale and complexity of the task (especially in terms of research, content and choice of format) and the existing workload of your dedicated LifeScribe, but generally most commissions require 2 - 3 months. If the work is needed more urgently, this may also be possible but would also depend upon the subject's availability for interviews and the timely provision of images to enhance the Memoir, Tribute or Life Story. Urgent orders might also incur a supplementary fee and express delivery charges. If time is on your side, we would advise allowing 6 months or more as there are likely to be aspects of the subjects life that may come to you as an afterthought, or perhaps you might wish to include seasonal outdoor photography. Please anticipate your needs as far in advance as possible as the best work is rarely the work that is rushed.

Question 2

HOW CAN I BE SURE MY INFORMATION IS SAFE?

Accepted Answer

The nature of our work requires us being given access to personal archive material, first hand accounts and family structures. In most cases, you will upload whatever imagery is to be included, or send the imagery to us by registered post (at your expense) for us to scan. However, if you are unable to get the imagery to us, we could potentially meet with you, perhaps in your own home, to scan documents and take photographs (all with your approval). Be assured that we operate to the highest standards of integrity and encourage the signature of a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prior to commencing whereby we guarantee we will not share any of your personal information with third parties beyond the purpose of storage and compiling, editing and publishing the written work and will delete all research items after an agreed delay once you have signed off the final draft and confirmed that the finished work is to your satisfaction. Your personal data (name, contact details etc.) will also be handled in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and not shared with third parties for marketing purposes. Please see our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy for further information.

Question 3

IS IT POSSIBLE TO ORDER A DIFFERENT FORMAT THAN THOSE PROPOSED?

Accepted Answer

Yes, of course. Our service is bespoke, and the formats proposed are recognised as being of an optimal size that suits most needs. We will happily explore alternative solutions with you and provide you with a customised quote since the price is likely to be affected.

Question 4

CAN I ADD MORE PAGES TO THE ORDER WHILE WORK IS IN PROGRESS?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can add more pages. Additional pages incur additional cost and we invite you to consult the Formats and Pricing page for details. If an adjustment is needed to the overall bill, this will be communicated in good time and a final invoice will be issued once final costs are known.

Question 5

DO YOU WORK IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES?

Accepted Answer

Our principal and preferred language is English, however we have experience of working on bilingual (French/English) publications and can arrange for the subsequent translation of your memoir into multiple languages, however we do not write the initial version in any language other than English.

Question 6

CAN I GIFT A VOUCHER FOR A FRIEND'S MEMOIR TO BE WRITTEN?

Accepted Answer

Yes, indeed. We offer Gift Certificates of various amounts in partial payment but can also accept full payment up front or pledges of full payment in instalments. We would then provide you with a Gift Certificate and a letter advising the recipient of the gift as to how to redeem it and the process involved.

Question 7

I HAVE ALREADY DRAFTED MY OWN MEMOIR. MIGHT YOU ACCEPT TO COMPLETE IT ?

Accepted Answer

Yes of course! After reading the draft (for which we would need to charge our LifeScribe's time), we would nevertheless recommend several hours of interviews in order to discuss and explore any elements that could perhaps be added or expanded upon.

Question 8

CAN YOU HELP ME COMMERCIALISE MY MEMOIR?

Accepted Answer

Generally, the memoirs we work on are for non-commercial use and are priced as such. That said, we can help you develop your memoir for commercial purposes if self-publishing, however we would recommend you work directly with an established publishing house if not going down the self-publishing route.

Question 9

WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT OF THE FINISHED WORK?

Accepted Answer

The customer retains copyright of the finished work once the work has been paid in full. If the customer is not the subject of the Life Story, the living subject will of course retain copyright over the content they have divulged during the interviews or provided in the form of a drafted memoir. Should the memoir be written posthumously without being based upon a draft memoir by the subject, the copyright is again retained by the customer following full payment. The gifting of vouchers to an individual likewise gifts any claim to copyright and does not equate to a share of copyright unless the vouchers purchased are not gifted to an individual but represent a collective purchase, in which case the group retain a collective copyright requiring the approval of each member of the group to approve any reproduction of the finished work once the order is complete and the finished product delivered. It is the responsibility of the customer to ensure that all imagery they have provided to be included in the Memoir / Life Story / Tribute is free of copyright or is licensed to be used in the context of the Memoir / Life Story / Tribute and to inform LifeScribe promptly of any images that do not meet these criteria. Likewise, LifeScribe will be responsible for ensuring all imagery it sources for inclusion in the memoir is covered by license where applicable.

Question 10

CAN I ORDER MULTIPLE COPIES OF MY BOOK?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the number is unlimited, however the price will need to be adjusted accordingly and may require prepayment. We invite you to contact us to discuss your needs. Remember, the more books ordered, the more you will be helping to combat Climate Change!

Question 11

HOW FAR DO YOU TRAVEL FOR INTERVIEWS?

Accepted Answer

For the efficiency of time andin the interests of the environment, we prefer to conduct our interviews online using a Video Conferencing platform (such as Zoom, Teams, Google Meet etc.), however, if a face-to-face interview is preferred or required, we will travel anywhere in the UK, and even abroad if needed, so long as time and travel expenses are covered, as well as expenses for food and accommodation if needed.

Question 12

CAN LIFESCRIBE PROVIDE A PHOTOGRAPHER TO CREATE IMAGERY FOR THE BOOK?

Accepted Answer

Yes, either your LifeScribe is able to provide this service or we can outsource to a professional photographer matching the style of photography best suited to the book.

Question 13

CAN I GIFT COPIES OF THE BOOK TO GUESTS?

Accepted Answer

If your budget allows, we would highly recommend giving each guest/family attending the event, a copy of the book as a keepsake to take home with them. The books created by LifeScribe on behalf of our clients are generally not for public retail and, therefore, to receive a copy would mean so much to those in attendance.

Question 14

IN WHAT FORMATS SHOULD ARCHIVE MATERIAL BE PROVIDED?

Accepted Answer

Images should be actual size and scanned to ideally 300dpi. Imagery is acceptable  in the following formats : JPEG, PNG, PDF

Documents should either be scanned as PDF's or provided in WORD or EXCEL.

Sound Files should be provided in MP3 format.

Video Files should be in either MP4 or .MOV.

We reserve the right to not accept files that we believe to be of bad quality or offensive in nature.

Please ensure that you only provide imagery for which you have the necessary permission or authorisation to use. All imagery should be individually numbered (for reference purposes) and any accreditation clearly provided (either in the digital title of the file, or on a separate document with reference number of the relevant images clearly identified.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Frequently asked questions