Question 1

How does Chapternity work?

Accepted Answer

You have a guided conversation with Sage, our story coach, who asks one question at a time. From your answers, your story is written up properly, with chapters. You then read it through, add your photos, and choose how you want it: a softcover or hardcover book, a digital edition, an audiobook, or any combination of the three. Every printed book includes the digital edition free.

Question 2

How long does the conversation with Sage take?

Accepted Answer

There is no set timescale, and no deadline. Most chapters take somewhere between half an hour and an hour, though it depends entirely on how much you feel like saying, and you choose how many chapters your story has. Some people work through it in a few sittings, others spread it over weeks. Everything saves as you go, so you can stop and pick up whenever suits you.

Question 3

Can I pause and come back later?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Everything saves as you go, so you can stop at any point and pick up where you left off. Sage remembers everything you have already shared.

Question 4

What if I don't know what to say?

Accepted Answer

That is what Sage is there for. You do not need to know where to start or what matters. Sage asks the questions, follows up on the interesting bits, and draws the story out of you. All you do is answer in your own words.

Question 5

I don't really understand AI. Is this complicated to use?

Accepted Answer

Not at all. There is nothing to set up and no jargon to learn. Sage asks a question, you answer by typing or speaking, and that is it. If you can send a text message, you can do this.

Question 6

Will this feel impersonal because it's AI?

Accepted Answer

I built Chapternity after watching my mum, Valerie, spend years making books like this for our family. She wrote the stories herself, placed every photo, and paid to have them printed properly, and every one took her months. I learned things about my grandpa and grandma that I would never have known otherwise. The point was never to make it feel less personal, or faster for the sake of it. It was to take away the months of work while keeping everything that made her books matter.

Question 7

Will it actually read like a real book, or obviously AI-written?

Accepted Answer

It reads like a real book, because the words and the memories are yours. Sage shapes what you share into a proper narrative, and you read and edit every line before anything is printed. Nothing goes into your book that you have not approved.

Question 8

What if I don't like what Sage writes? Can I change it?

Accepted Answer

You are in control the whole way through. On the review step you can edit any chapter yourself, straight in the editor, changing the wording, the tone, or anything else. For bigger changes, you can chat to Sage about what you would like different, and Sage rewrites it into a fresh draft you can compare against the original before you keep it. Nothing is final until you order, and starting is free, so you can see how it reads first at no risk.

Question 9

Can I add my own chapters?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Before your story is written, we suggest a set of chapters for you, ticked and ready to go. You can untick any you would rather leave out, add chapters of your own, and set them in the order you want. After it is written, you can still edit and reshape everything in the editor.

Question 10

How many photos can I include?

Accepted Answer

Each story length comes with a generous allowance, from 25 photos in a Short Story up to 100 in a Complete Memoir, and they are included with every printed and digital edition. If you need more, you can add 25 extra slots for £10. Once your story is written, you add photos on the review step: flip through your book, upload your images, and tap to place them. You can move any photo, resize it, give it a full page of its own, or group two or three on a page.

Question 11

Do the photos have to be actual photographs?

Accepted Answer

Not at all. As well as photos, you can add scans of anything that helps tell the story: certificates, handwritten letters, postcards, newspaper cuttings, tickets, medals, a child's drawing, or a page from a diary. Anything you can photograph or scan can go in the book, placed wherever it fits.

Question 12

What if I want to add something we missed during the conversation?

Accepted Answer

You have two ways to add it on the review step. You can type it straight into any chapter yourself, or you can tell Sage what is missing and let it work the new detail into a fresh draft. You can keep refining your story for as long as you like before you order, and come back to it afterwards from your dashboard.

Question 13

What sizes and formats are available?

Accepted Answer

Printed books are 8 by 11 inches (20 by 28 cm), in softcover or hardcover. There is also a digital edition, which comes free with every printed book. Hardcovers have a coated silk cover with a matte lamination over a sturdy board, softcovers a matte-laminated coated silk cover, and both have 170gsm coated silk inner pages.

Question 14

How many pages will my book be?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the depth you choose, how much you share with Sage, and how many photos you add. Rather than promise a page count up front, we show you your book's exact page count before you order, and the price never changes with it. You only pay once you have read the finished book.

Question 15

What paper and printing quality do you use?

Accepted Answer

Inner pages are 170gsm coated silk, with a matte-laminated coated silk cover (over a sturdy board on hardcovers). The paper is responsibly sourced from FSC or PEFC-certified suppliers. Books are made to order by a professional print partner, so each one is printed fresh for you.

Question 16

How long does delivery take?

Accepted Answer

Your book is printed and bound to order. UK delivery is £4.99 and your book arrives within 7-10 days of ordering. You get an email with tracking once your book is on its way.

Question 17

Do you ship internationally?

Accepted Answer

Yes. UK delivery is £4.99 and is shown clearly before you pay. We deliver to most countries internationally, and the delivery cost is shown clearly before you pay.

Question 18

What is the audiobook feature?

Accepted Answer

It is the part of Chapternity people remember most. Your written story becomes a narrated audiobook, and it can be read in the subject's own voice. From a short recording, we recreate their voice and use it to narrate every chapter, so a parent or grandparent can read you their life story, in their own voice, kept for good. If you would rather, you can choose one of our warm professional narrators instead. You can add an audiobook to any order, and you always hear a preview of your own story before you pay anything.

Question 19

What's the difference between a narrator voice and their own voice?

Accepted Answer

A narrator voice is one of our warm, professional AI voices reading your story. Their own voice recreates the subject's voice from a short recording, so the story can be heard in the voice of the person who lived it.

Question 20

How does voice cloning work?

Accepted Answer

You record or upload about two minutes of the person speaking. Their voice is recreated using AI, and you hear a preview of the opening of your story read in it. The full story is only narrated once you are happy and have paid.

Question 21

Is my recording private and secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your recording is only ever used to make the audiobook you have asked for. It is not shared or used for anything else, and a cloned voice can be removed on request.

Question 22

Can I hear a preview before paying?

Accepted Answer

Always. Whether you go for a narrator voice or their own voice, you hear a preview of your actual story read aloud before you are charged anything for the audiobook.

Question 23

How is the price calculated?

Accepted Answer

Each story length has one fixed price per format, with your photos included, so however many pages your story needs, the price never changes. Digital editions are from £19 and printed books from £49, and you only pay once you have read your finished book. Full details, including audiobooks and extra copies, are on our pricing page.

Question 24

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

Starting your story is free. You can have the whole conversation with Sage, see your written story, and preview your book before you decide whether to order anything.

Question 25

What payment methods do you accept?

Accepted Answer

Payments are handled securely by Stripe, which takes all major debit and credit cards. Your card details are never stored on our servers.

Question 26

Can I get a refund?

Accepted Answer

If your book turns up damaged, misprinted or faulty in any way, we replace it free of charge. Just send us a photo and your order number. For digital editions and audiobooks, get in touch within 14 days and we will put it right. And remember, you read your complete book before you pay anything, so you always know exactly what you are ordering.

Question 27

Can I give a Chapternity book as a gift?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and most people do. You can interview a parent, grandparent or partner yourself and give them the finished book, write their story from what you already know, or give a Chapternity gift card so they can tell it in their own time.

Question 28

How far in advance should I order a gift?

Accepted Answer

For a printed book to arrive by a particular date, allow a couple of weeks to cover the conversation, the writing and delivery. If time is short, a gift card makes a complete gift on the day and lets them start whenever they are ready.

Question 29

Can I make the book a surprise?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Many people tell the story themselves, from what they know and remember, and give the finished book as the surprise. For a couple's story, one partner can tell it on behalf of both.

Question 30

Can the whole family contribute to one book?

Accepted Answer

One person tells the story to Sage, but they can gather memories, messages and photographs from the rest of the family first and bring them into the conversation, which makes it a shared family gift. Extra printed copies cost less than the first, so everyone can keep their own.

Question 31

How is Chapternity different from StoryWorth?

Accepted Answer

StoryWorth emails a question each week which the storyteller writes the answer to themselves, and the written answers are compiled into a book. With Chapternity you have a guided conversation instead of writing, Chapternity writes the finished book for you as a flowing narrative rather than a set of answers, and you read the whole book before you pay anything. Chapternity is UK-based with one-time pricing in pounds.

Question 32

How is Chapternity different from Remento?

Accepted Answer

Remento records the storyteller's spoken answers to prompts, largely on their own, and preserves the original voice recordings. Chapternity holds a two-way conversation where Sage asks and follows up, writes everything into a single flowing narrative checked for consistency across the whole book, and can produce an audiobook narrated in the storyteller's own voice using AI voice cloning.

Question 33

Why not just hire a ghostwriter?

Accepted Answer

A professional ghostwritten memoir is wonderful, and typically costs thousands of pounds and takes many months. Chapternity gives you a professionally written book from a series of relaxed conversations, with digital editions from £19 and printed books from £49, and you read the whole thing before you decide to pay.

Question 34

Do I have to pay a subscription?

Accepted Answer

No. Chapternity is a one-time payment for the book you order, not an annual subscription. There is nothing to renew and nothing to cancel.

Question 35

Does the AI make things up in my story?

Accepted Answer

No. Your book is written only from the memories you actually share with Sage, which is instructed not to invent events, dates or people you did not mention. We also read the whole finished book back through for consistency, so names, dates and the order of events line up throughout. Above all, you read every word before you pay, so nothing is printed that you have not checked.

Question 36

Is my story used to train AI?

Accepted Answer

No. Your story is used to write your book. Your conversation, photos and recordings are private to your account, and we do not sell or publish your content.

Question 37

Who can see my story?

Accepted Answer

Only you. Your story, conversation, photos and recordings are private to your account. We never share or publish your content, and never use it for anything without your say-so.

Question 38

Is my data secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your data is stored securely, payments go through Stripe, and your content is only reachable from your own account. We use trusted providers for storage, payment and delivery, and only ever share the minimum needed to fulfil your order.

Question 39

Can I delete my story and data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can ask us to delete your story, photos and any voice recording at any time. Just get in touch and we will remove your data.

Everything you need to know