An honest buyer's guide
The best ways to turn a story into a book
Whether it is a whole life, a love story, a family history, a career or a much loved pet, there are several good ways to turn memories into a keepsake book. Here is an honest guide to each, and how to choose.
We build one of these ourselves, so treat this as a starting point rather than the final word, and check each service for yourself. We have tried to be fair: every approach below suits somebody, and for each we have said plainly who it is best for. The right choice depends on how much you want to write, how much you want to spend, and what you want the finished book to feel like.
Five ways to do it
A guided conversation
You talk, and the book is written for you
A story coach asks questions and follows up, then the answers are written into a flowing book. This is how Chapternity works: you type or talk, Sage does the interviewing, and the finished chapters are written for you. It suits people who want a well-made book without writing it themselves, and without a biographer’s price.
Best for: Most people who want a proper book without writing it or spending thousands. Works for any story: a life, a love story, a family history, a career, travels or a pet.
How Chapternity worksWeekly writing prompts
A question a week, in the storyteller’s own words
A service emails a question each week, the storyteller writes their answer, and after several months the answers are compiled into a book. StoryWorth popularised this. The finished book reads as the storyteller’s own unedited words, question by question, which some families love and others find becomes a chore.
Best for: People who genuinely enjoy writing and want their own words, unedited, kept exactly as they wrote them.
Chapternity vs StoryWorthVoice recording and AI biographer apps
Record spoken answers, then have them written up
Apps like Remento, Storii and Life Story AI capture spoken memories, by recording, by phone, or in an app, and turn them into written stories. They are lovely for keeping the spoken voice, and Storii in particular reaches people with no smartphone at all. The finished result is usually a collection of written-up answers rather than one flowing narrative.
Best for: Keeping the original spoken voice, or reaching an older relative by phone when apps and typing are out of the question.
Chapternity vs RementoA personal biographer or ghostwriter
A human writer, at a professional price
A professional interviews the storyteller over months and writes the book by hand. The craft can be exceptional. It is also slow and expensive, often several thousand pounds and the better part of a year, which puts it out of reach for most families.
Best for: A deep, literary biography, when you have the budget and the time a human writer needs.
Chapternity vs a biographerDoing it yourself
A notebook, a document, or a photo book
You can always write it yourself, or gather memories into a document or photo book. It costs little and the words are entirely your own. It also asks the most of you: the interviewing, the writing, the editing and the design all fall to one person, which is why so many self-made books stay half-finished.
Best for: The committed, or a smaller project you are happy to shape entirely yourself. Our free guides can help you start.
Free guides to get startedAt a glance
| Approach | How it works | Effort | Typical cost | Reads like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided conversation (Chapternity) | Talk to a story coach; the book is written for you | Low: answer questions at your own pace | One-time, from £19 digital / £49 printed | A flowing, chaptered narrative |
| Weekly writing prompts | You write an answer each week for months | High: sustained writing over a year | Annual subscription | Your own answers, question by question |
| Voice / AI biographer apps | Record spoken answers; they are written up | Medium: recording sessions | Subscription, varies | Written-up answers, or transcripts |
| Personal biographer | A human writer interviews and writes it | Low for you, but months of sessions | Often several thousand pounds | A bespoke, literary biography |
| Doing it yourself | You interview, write, edit and design it | Highest: it all falls to you | Low, beyond your time | Whatever you make of it |
Prices and models for other services change often and vary by provider. Please check each service's own site for their current offering. Chapternity's prices are shown on our pricing page.
How to choose
A few honest questions usually point to the right one:
- Does the storyteller enjoy writing? If yes, weekly prompts keep their own words. If not, a conversation or a writer does the writing for them.
- How much do you want to spend? A biographer is the premium option. A guided conversation gives you a written book for far less.
- Do you want to keep the spoken voice? A voice app preserves the recordings. Chapternity offers an audiobook narrated in the storyteller’s own voice instead.
- How soon do you want it? Prompt services run for a year. A conversation can be done in a few unhurried sittings.
- Do you want to see it before you pay? With Chapternity you read the whole finished book first, then choose a format.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best way to turn a life story into a book?
- There is no single best way, only the best way for you. If you enjoy writing, weekly prompts keep your own words unedited. If you want to keep the spoken voice, a voice app suits. If you have the budget and time, a biographer writes something bespoke. For most people who want a well-written, chapter-by-chapter book without writing it themselves or paying thousands, a guided conversation like Chapternity is the most practical, and you read the whole book before you pay.
- What is the best alternative to StoryWorth?
- If the weekly writing is not for you, Chapternity is a strong alternative: a guided conversation instead of prompts, a professionally written narrative instead of a compilation of answers, an optional audiobook in the storyteller’s own voice, and reading the finished book before you pay. Remento, Storii and human biographers each suit different people, which is why we compare them all honestly.
- Does this only work for a life story?
- No. Every approach here works for any story worth keeping, not just a full life. Chapternity is built for life stories, love stories, family history, career stories, travels and even the story of a much loved pet.
- How much should it cost to make a book from your memories?
- It ranges enormously. Doing it yourself costs little but your time. Subscription services run for a year or more. A human biographer often costs several thousand pounds. Chapternity is a one-time payment, from £19 for a digital edition and £49 for a printed book, with your photos included and the whole book read before you pay anything.
See our full comparisons, browse the free guides, or read a finished book.
The one you can read before you pay
Telling your story and reading the finished book cost nothing. You only pay once you've read every word and chosen a format.
Start your story