Why a “coffee table” life story book?

One of the most compelling reasons to preserve your personal stories in a coffee table book? You’ll display it in your home—which leads to people picking it up and engaging with it…which leads to even MORE story sharing and connection.

While I realize that most people have still never heard of a “personal historian,” I have been heartened over the years to understand that most people ARE interested in the services we offer—preserving life stories and family history, often through oral interviews; and the values we hold—a respect for preservation, a love of storytelling, and an abiding belief that intergenerational connectedness is a balm for the soul!

Often when I meet someone new and describe what I do, they ask me, Why books—why not video? Or, Why coffee table books specifically?

Well, the fact that I create personal history books in no way diminishes my respect for other forms of storytelling. If you prefer to record your loved one’s voice and receive edited audio recordings for your family archive, I can refer you to the perfect person to help you with that. Envisioning your family member talking about their memories on film? I’ll happily refer you to a video biographer I know and trust.

Me, though—well, I love books. And I have decades of experience in print. It’s my thing.

Large photos and ample white space give your heirloom book visual interest and breathing room.

My expertise is in print. And books have my heart.

I worked in magazines for years, back in the heyday when printed magazines were thick and juicy…before they were stunned by online journalism and “content creation.” I worked with some of the best writers, editors, and creative directors around at titles as diverse as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Parenting, Child, and Latina. I gained a career’s worth of experience in compelling interviewing, project management, and visual narrative. And it’s both a love of the print medium and my desire to continue using all those storytelling skills that drive me to tell YOUR stories in print.

I turn your stories and family photos into heirloom coffee table books because I know you will display such a book in your home. Having your book out all but guarantees people will pick it up and engage with it. And designing it with great photos—and with plenty of entry points—makes it even easier to engage with: so the stories you have included in the book will encourage more (in-person, out-loud!) story sharing.

Some have heard me say, “I don’t want to read a 500-page book of straight text about Obama or Madonna, forget about my grandmother!” That’s not to say I don’t want to KNOW their stories—I do! I just want them presented to me in a way that’s inviting. Arresting. Compelling. INTERESTING!

Generations from now your ancestors will not need a new computer or updated software to access your book—they can pull it off the bookshelf and dive right in!

Print is the forever media format.

A book is a physical thing, with a sense of heft and permanence that the digital cannot provide. The tactile experience of reading a book is emotionally satisfying. A book confers status. It is special, and the story within is, too. 

A book is destined to become an heirloom.

A book “can be read in the familiar tone of one’s inner voice, skipped where necessary, laid down when it pleases, and carried about freely,” wrote Robert Graves in 1958. It will never need to be upgraded, archived, or converted to a new media format.

In a digital world, print stands out.

And by the way: Merging print with digital can be more powerful than each medium alone; both serve different functions and are not only valid, but essential. As such, a digital version of your print book is always available: it serves as a backup of the book, and is more easily shared among friends who are not near.

Are both a form of social media? You bet. While you can share and tag and collect comments on a digital book, you may gather around a physical book on your table, laugh, share stories, relive memories, and...make some new ones.