Preserve your life story—beautifully and without pressure.
I help individuals and families in the Bay Area (and beyond) create memoirs through warm, conversational interviews that become part of a legacy that is preserved forever. Whether you want an informal audio collection of memories or a polished book of organized, engaging stories and accompanying photos, I make the process personal, easy, and deeply meaningful.
Why create a memoir?
A memoir is a simple, yet powerful way to:
Preserve family history
Document the most meaningful memories before they fade with time
Reflect on challenges, joys, and milestones that have shaped your life
Cultivate gratitude and awe for the experiences you’ve had so far
Deepen relationships with loved ones and friends
Create something that only gets better with age and lasts forever
“I was just talking to someone about how I would love to have a biography of my mother. She had a very interesting life. She just doesn’t talk about it so not all of my siblings know her story.”
My Services
Together we can create:
Your memoir — Your personal life story built from guided interviews with questions tailored to your goals
A loved one’s memoir — Capture the memories and family history of a parent, grandparent, friend, or someone else
A tribute memoir — A memorial or celebration of someone’s life based on interviews with people who knew them best
A friendship-based memoir — A memoir based on interviews with you and members of your friend group
Something else? Looking for a different kind of memoir-writing service? Contact me and we can create a memoir that aligns with your goals
How it works
The process will vary based on the type of memoir you would like to create, but generally, the process involves the following:
Free consultation to understand your memoir goals
We talk about your goals, the stories or other type of information you want to preserve, and the format you prefer.
Warm, conversational interviews
You talk. I’ll listen, ask follow-up questions, and go at a pace that is comfortable for all.
Drafting and organizing memoir content (for written memoirs)
I will take care of the most challenging and time-consuming part of creating a written memoir by carefully transforming audio interviews into clearly, thoughtfully edited stories that only get better with time.
Review and revisions (for written memoirs)
We will review your memoir draft together to make edits and identify any memoir gaps, which might entail one or two more interviews.
Photo integration (if interested)
We’ll discuss where to incorporate any photos into your written memoir.
Final audio or written memoir
At the end of this process, you will receive a copy of all audio files containing your interviews. For written memoirs, you will receive a PDF version for printing and a Word version for potential future editing in case you would like to add more content in the future.
Who is this service for? People who want their life stories documented by a human.
I believe everyone should get the chance to preserve their life story, and I believe that the most meaningful memoirs are created by humans (rather than by answering prompts on a computer or phone).
Some more specific examples of who might benefit from my memoir-writing services include:
Older adults wanting to preserve their life story
Adult children who want their parents or grandparents to write a memoir
Families navigating transitions (for example, the impending or recent passing of a loved one)
Parents of young children who want to preserve memories of raising a family
Friends who want to share and document stories of growing up, hanging out, and getting into mischief
Anyone with stories or life moments worth recording (which is everyone)
About Me
I’m Kate Kane, a Bay Area writer with a background in youth development, community work, and qualitative research methods. I’ve spent the last six years focused on learning how to create memoirs for people that are flexible and tailored to their unique interests, and I firmly believe that everyone, regardless of age, life experiences, or writing ability, deserves the opportunity to preserve their life story and memories. To learn more about my journey to helping people write their memoirs, visit my About Me page.
Client testimonial:
“I wanted to write a memoir because my children urged me to write down all the stories I told them over the years. Whenever I was together with my children and grandchildren telling stories, they wanted me to write a book. I told them stories of my teenage years growing up in New York with all my family and friends. I can’t say enough about Katlin. If it was not for all her help and expertise and dedication to writing, I would still be writing. I would recommend you get in touch with Katlin as she is a tremendous help in memoir writing.”
— Louie, client
Pricing
Every memoir project is unique and the cost will depend largely on the number of hours of content recorded and if you would like a written memoir. You always have the option to add-on services, including adding more interviews and photos if you realize you have more content to cover. Below are sample pricing guidelines for a few memoir types:
Audio-only interviews (60 min - 90 min): starting at $80 for one interview
Stories generated from one interview in a ready-to-print booklet (5-20 pages): starting at $350
Stories generated from several audio interviews or more in a ready-to-print booklet or book (25-80+ pages): starting at $1,400
Contact me for a free consultation and we can discuss the type of memoir you would like to create, the format of the memoir you are interested in, budget, and any deadlines you have in mind (for example, a birthday or Father’s Day).
Please also contact me with any questions. I would love to hear from you!