Helping you find the words to tell your story

Turn the adventures that have shaped your life into a gorgeous book.

This could be a record for yourself, a special gift for your family and friends, or a lasting legacy for your children and grandchildren.

Our mission is simple – to help you find the words.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share with you my life story: for your skill, professionalism, patience and your ability to listen."

"The end result was exactly what I wanted: a beautifully written brief history of me."

How I can help

We all have a story to tell. Each one is as special as it is different. We help you to capture the events of your life by working with you to create a beautifully written book. This can be a lasting legacy for you and your family and friends, capturing memories which may otherwise be lost.

Each book is tailored to your specification and can cover your whole life story or a part of it.

How it works

We will develop a proposal based on your wishes following a consultation. The consultation is free of charge, and you are not obliged to continue.

If we go ahead, we will agree:

  • The length of the book
  • The number of interview hours
  • The number of contributors
  • The number of photos
  • Any memorabilia you’d like to include
  • The writing tone and style
  • The type of book (for example, hardback or paperback)
  • The number of copies you would like

You may wish to be interviewed with your spouse to create a couple’s life story, or you may wish to include the thoughts of other family members or friends.  We can talk to as many people as you wish.

We will send you a ‘Welcome pack’ to start the process. This contains a questionnaire to get you thinking about the key points in your life, and what you may want to include.

Interviews are usually in person at a place convenient for you, although they can be done on the phone, Zoom, or other technology. Interviews are recorded, last for around two hours and can be spread over a number of sessions.

We will send you a draft of the first chapter to make sure it meets your expectations before continuing.

When the book is in draft, we will have one round of editing to make sure you are happy with the content before it is designed into a book. Once it is designed there is a final round of editing with you before you agree that it can go to print.

You have the final say about what is included and how it is worded.

Each book is different, and the price will depend on the number of interview hours, the number of contributors and the length of the book. The price – and everything included for that – will be agreed between us before we start.

Pricing

Each project is different and is based on your unique requirements. The cost of our service will depend on the complexity of the project, the number of interview hours, the number of contributors, and the length of the book. The price – and everything included for that – will be agreed between us before we start.

Interviews can be done in person, on the phone or through other technology to suit you.

If you would like more information, please do get in touch.

Our terms and conditions are here.

about me

Kate

I love good stories.  I love hearing about them and I love writing about them. A trained journalist, I started my career in London working for a national daily newspaper. I interviewed people who had had amazing adventures, as well as heart-breaking tragedies; it was a privilege to be let into their lives. Through this work, I learned that everyone has a story to tell. I then moved into corporate communications for the NHS, where I worked for 16 years leading and managing communications and engagement to make health information accessible for everyone. This included sharing people’s stories to better communicate what the NHS does. I thoroughly enjoyed my time working in healthcare – with patients, patient groups and clinicians – and am galvanised by the empathy and compassion I came across every day.

I left the NHS in 2019 to set up All Your Own Words, inspired by my own experience of losing family stories. I have had several bereavements, and feel saddened that some of my family’s history is lost forever. It is too late to capture the stories of my father, for example, and so my children will never know much about him. I set up All Your Own Words so that I could offer a ‘memory capturing’ service to others. I hope that I will be able to bring people joy through this work.

In an effort to ensure young people can look forward to a lifetime of reading wonderful stories, also I volunteer at my children’s school helping youngsters learn to read. In addition, I volunteer with Age UK, ensuring older people who are self-isolating during the coronavirus pandemic don’t feel too lonely.

Through my NHS and charity work, I know how important privacy and confidentially are, and the safeguards required to keep people’s information secure. To this end, All Your Own Words is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office. You can read my privacy policy here . A member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, I have an MBA from Chester University and an industry-recognised qualification in journalism from the National Council for the Training of Journalists. I also have a valid DBS (criminal records) certificate.

testimonials

Catherine Etienne

My Dad has talked for years (and years!) about organising the family photos and putting a storyline against them. But things are always busy – even when you are retired!

Hearing about All Your Own Words was amazing – at last, a chance to change the ‘I really want to do this’ into a fun and meaningful project for my Dad as a Christmas present (which incidentally solved another problem – what to buy ‘the man who has everything’!). I will never forget the look on his face and his reaction to his gift “how wonderful, you don’t know how much this means, I’m knocked off my feet” (or words to that effect!). As well as being able to relax in the knowledge that his precious memories will be preserved, my Dad is appreciating Kate’s professional, friendly and respectful approach to communication. She’s being incredibly flexible to fit around my Dad’s other commitments and making his memories feel so valued.

Margaret Sands

Talking to Kate was fun as well as interesting. It was good to have someone really listen. She prompted me when necessary, and guided the talk when it seemed to wander.

By the end, I felt that I had revisited my early years, and that the process of thinking, planning and talking had allowed me to shed new light on them. Later, she offered me complete freedom to edit what she’d written, so I was able to add bits I’d missed.  The end result is exactly what I wanted: a beautifully written brief history of me.

Read an extract of Margaret’s book, ‘The Beginning’.

Martin Holt

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share with you my life story: for your skill, professionalism, patience and your ability to listen, to question at the right moment, and so to enable me to record for the first time the events, people and places which have influenced my life.

Read an extract of Martin’s book, ‘Master of my fate’.

get in touch

If you would like to discuss any of our services, please do get in touch. We will contact you within 24 hours of receiving your query. Please be assured that your information will be securely handled. You can read about our privacy policy here.

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