A book about your dad — his whole life, told properly.
He tells the same stories every Christmas, and the years before you were born are a gap you have never filled. Tell us what you know of him — the places, the work, the small specific details — and we write a real, full-length book of his life. You read it before anyone else does.
Instant & digital · you approve it first · short ~$19 · full novella ~$29
Three things that make this the answer.
He repeats himself
The same four stories, every time the family is together. They are the only record of a life that happened before you, and nobody has ever written them down.
He is 65, 70, 80
He has had the watch, the whisky, the jumper and the dinner. What he actually wants is to be listened to for an hour and to see his life taken seriously.
His grandchildren will ask
In twenty years someone will want to know where he grew up and what his mother was like. This is the version of that answer that exists in a book rather than in nobody's memory.
You have probably looked at a fill-in journal.
The one with Tell me your life story, Dad on the cover, ten pounds, hardback. Or a subscription that emails him a question every week for a year.
Both are a blank page with good intentions. The journal needs him to sit down and write a book at 75 — and most are still blank three years later. The prompts arrive to the person least likely to want homework, and the answers, when they come, are one line each.
This is the other way round. You answer for twenty minutes, in your own words, from what you already know. We do the writing. He gets a finished book about his life that he did not have to lift a finger for, and you can hand it to him on the day.
A real excerpt, from a book we published.
Not a sample written for a landing page — this is lifted from a complete published memoir, word for word; its first two chapters are free to read.
The bell above the front door jangled. Mei's mother called out “Hoan nghênh!” without turning, and a man in a yellow slicker stamped his boots on the mat, bringing the wet smell of the sea in with him. He took the stool at the counter, the one that wobbled, and said, “Just tea, Lin. My boat's in dry dock.”
Six answers is enough to start.
Most people assume they do not know enough to order a book about their father. In practice the gaps are what the writing fills; the specifics are what make it his.
Who he is
His full name, and what everyone actually calls him. The difference between the two is usually the first good detail.
Where he started
The town, the street, the house. Where he was born, where he grew up, and whether he was glad to leave.
What he did
The work, for how long, and what he thought of it. The trade, the shop, the factory, the uniform.
Who came before
His parents and his brothers and sisters — names, and one thing about each of them.
The stories on repeat
Two or three you have heard more than once, told roughly as he tells them. These become scenes.
What he is proud of
And, if you know it, the one thing he never talks about. You choose how much of that goes in.
If you can fill in six of those ten, that is enough. Anything you leave out is left out of the book — nothing is invented to fill a gap.
Order it. We write it. You approve it. You share it.
Four steps, and the third is the one that matters. Nothing is ever shared until you have read the whole book and said yes.
Tell us the story
Answer a short set of questions with the memories and facts only you can give — the people, the places, the moments, the specific detail. A few minutes of your time.
We write the book
A complete book is drafted from exactly what you gave us — a short book of 8,000–10,000 words, or a full novella of 25,000 words across 20 chapters. Ready in minutes, not weeks.
You read it first
Nothing is shared until you have read the finished book and said yes. Your memories stay yours, and you can have them deleted.
Send it by a private link
Deliver a link they open in any browser — no app, no account. You set an access code; only the people you choose can read. They can also download the PDF or EPUB.
Two lengths. One payment. No subscription.
Read the first two chapters free first — the books on our shelf are complete, not samples.
Short book
Full novella
Every book is digital and instant. A printed hardcover edition is coming. Pay by card at checkout, or start at /gift and we'll take it from there.
His memories stay yours.
What you tell us is used to write your book and nothing else. Nothing is published, nothing is indexed, and nobody reads it before you do. The book is delivered as a private link with an access code you set, plus a PDF and an EPUB — no app to install and no account for him to create. Ask us to delete the material afterwards and it is deleted.
What buyers ask.
Do I need to write anything myself?
No. You answer a short set of questions in your own words — a few minutes — and the book is drafted from your answers. You never write prose, and you never edit a manuscript you didn’t want to write.
What if I don’t know much about his early life?
Then the book is built from what you do know. Six answers is enough to start; the chapters take their detail from the places, the work and the stories you give us, rather than inventing a childhood he didn’t have.
How long is the book, and how long does it take?
8,000–10,000 words (about a 45-minute read) for $19, or 25,000 words across 20 chapters for $29. The draft is ready in minutes, not weeks.
Can I read it before he does?
Yes — that is the point of the third step. Nothing is shared until you have read the entire book and said yes.
Is it printed?
No. It is digital: PDF and EPUB, plus a private link he can open in any browser without an app or an account. If you want a hardback, order the PDF and print it locally — we say this plainly rather than letting you assume.
What if it gets something wrong about him?
You approve it before delivery, and you can request changes; nothing ships on your behalf.
Buying for someone else?
Start with the story only you can tell.
It takes a few minutes, and you read the book before anyone else does.
Before you start: 42 questions to ask your father before you write a word of it.