Biography and Memoir Writing

Sharing your memories with someone else is a very special experience. So it is important for us to talk, connect and meet up beforehand – either in person or over Zoom. 

You have the option of being interviewed in person in your own home or office or online over Zoom. Travel and accommodation costs are quoted separately.

Once we have decided to go ahead a plan will be put in place for us to start the interview times together.

• All interviews are recorded over video. Unedited copies of these videos are provided for you with your completed story to keep
• Once the interviews have been completed, I will begin with the first draft 
• Each story has a first draft and two additional rounds of revisions.
• When you are happy with the final content, it is then provided to our designer, who will professionally prepare the layout of the words and photographs into a digital or print-ready file.
• You will have an opportunity to view the design version before it goes to print to make any final changes
• Once your final book, e-book, or audio interview is ready, we will be in touch with you to make the final delivery.

Having your own story recorded can be very emotional, confronting and cathartic all at the same time.

Everything you share with me is completely confidential and you have the final say on what goes into your completed story.

Right, so how much does it all cost?

Annoying, I know, but there is no one-size-fits-all rate for these things.

Because I don’t want to waste your time or mine, there are things I need to know before I can give you a price for your project.

To get a head start, you can give me some background on what you are looking for here.

Or email me and we can set up a time to chat.

How long is a piece of string?

The time it takes from start to finish will depend on the size and scope of your project. Again, annoyingly so, there is no one-size-fits-all for these things. 

To give you an idea, here are some ballpark estimates:

• Single-chapter stories and life events – 3-4 weeks
• Full biography or memoir – 4 – 6 months
• Immigration settlement journey – 3-4 weeks
• Corporate stories 3-4 weeks.
  
  

These time frames are based on previous projects and include interview times, revisions, and the designer’s first draft.

Printers have their own print schedules and will provide us with their time frame estimates when we are print file ready. 

Revisions are typically the biggest factor in slowing projects down, so this is why the initial briefing process is so important.

• Plenty of feedback and communication– I won’t make you guess
• Enthusiasm and virtual dog pats
• Lots of ideas – I never stop coming up with new things for us to try
• Project planning – I run a tight ship and don’t like to manage shipwrecks
• Short, sweet catchups – long meetings are like rocking chairs. They give us something to do but won’t take us anywhere
• Time is money. I am not going to waste yours or mine
• I am fun to work with and a little sweary
• We won’t lose track of what we are doing or what’s coming next.

Sawubona! Dumela! Groete! Molo! Kia ora!

I grew up in a country with 11 official languages. We were so privileged to be utterly immersed in a melting pot of diversity – a feast of different cultures and languages.

So when I arrived in New Zealand from South Africa in 2017,  I didn’t hesitate to embrace the Te Reo Māori language and culture.

At home, I speak two languages and have been steadily learning Te Reo Māori as my third. My knowledge and appreciation have increased with every Te Reo project I have been invited to work on.

If you would like me to work on yours, let’s jump on a zui (zoom hui) and let’s kōrero about the mahi.