A book of your Mum or Dad’s life, in their own words
Each week they get one easy question by email and answer it in their own time, adding photos if they like. Their answers become a hardback book for the whole family to keep.
£149, everything included. Extra copies £50. Free UK delivery.
30-day money-back guarantee. One payment, no subscription.
“Mum loved it! She wasn’t sure she had any stories to start with, but the questions helped, and she created a book that we will keep forever” – Jess R
You choose the day
On their birthday, on Christmas morning or any day you like, they get an email with your own message telling them what you’ve given them. The book comes later, once they’ve written it, so the months of remembering are part of the present too.
Why I started YourStory
Most of us mean to sit down with Mum and a notebook one day, and then another year goes by. We lost our Dad young and watched our Nana’s memory fade, so I know how quickly “one day” runs out. YourStory does the asking for you, one question a week, and leaves the telling to them.
Alyson, co-founder of YourStory
What’s included?
Get all of this for just £149!
Can one book cover both parents?
Yes, and it’s the same £149 for two people.
The weekly questions go to one email address, but the other parent can be invited to the book with their own email, so they can log in and answer too. They can write their answers side by side in the same entry, or each add their own version of a question so they have their own space.
And if you’d rather give them a book each, I think that’s lovely too.
What if Mum isn’t good with computers?
If she can open an email and reply to it, she can do this. Her reply goes straight into her book. If even that’s a stretch, you can log in and type her answers for her, or sit down and do it together. Plenty of families do it that way, and it’s often the best part.
What if they stop halfway?
There’s no deadline, and nothing runs out. If life gets busy they can put it down and pick it back up whenever they like. They choose how often the questions come, and I’ll send a gentle reminder if it’s gone quiet.
How long does it take?
At a question a week, most people take three to six months. Some finish in six weeks and some take a year. It’s entirely up to them.
Can I see it before it’s printed?
Yes. With their say-so you can log in to their dashboard and read each story as it comes in. Nothing goes to print until they’ve checked every page and are happy with it.
What customers say about YourStory…
I’m so, so pleased we bought this for my dad. The process was super simple and lots of fun as well!
Gemma
Mum loved it, and so did we! She wasn’t sure she had any stories to start with, but the questions helped, and she created a book that we will keep forever. Thanks!.
Jess Roundhouse
My family live all over the place now, so it was fantastic to write down my memories and get the book sent to them – they absolutely loved reading them, even my son got emotional!
Margaret Taylor
Not really something I’d thought of before, but I’m really glad I did it, I remembered things I thought were long forgotten. I will probably keep adding stories over the next few years and print a new one later in life.
Marie Evans
The Simple Steps
Here’s how it works for your parent, from the first question to the printed book.
1. Guided Storytelling
First, after giving us the details – including choosing the exact moment when you would like this gift to be emailed over – we’ll give your parent access so they can choose to get started straight away! You also have access to their online dashboard to oversee the process without needing to get hands on.
2. Choose your stories
Your parent will have the opportunity to choose each question they would like included from our varied selection of life categories, or alternatively they may wish to use our especially chosen set of ‘Perfect Path’ questions to take the effort out of deciding.
3. Decide how often
Once they’re set up, they can either get going immediately OR choose for us to email them however often they wish, with one of their questions. All they need to do is answer those questions with their stories and anecdotes and their story will be automatically loaded into their book! They can also upload photos with each question, to make the memories even more special.
4. We prompt as you go
We also send frequent prompts to keep your loved one motivated and on course to complete their book, saving you the mental load of keeping track of progress. Most storytellers finish in three to six months, where doing it on their own can take years, or never happen at all.
5. Simple design choices
Once they have gathered a wonderful collection of their most treasured memories, they can choose the design of their book. This includes how the individual pages and photos will look and the cover of their book.
6. Print and Enjoy
Next, once they have checked they are completely happy with the content, their book will be sent to the printers. Their compilation of unique family memories will be published and sent to their door, including yours too if you want a copy!
A Bit About Us
Hi, my name is Alyson!
YourStory was born out of a desire to keep our family memories alive.
Having experienced our Dad passing young, and witnessing our Nana’s Alzheimer’s journey, we are all too aware of the need to preserve life stories before the opportunity is no longer there to ask loved ones about them. It’s also a handy way of setting the record straight in case some relatives remember things a little differently from you!
We’re proud to be a UK based, Sister & Brother-run business, deeply committed to helping you preserve your family stories. Having a background in Speech and Language Therapy, I am keenly aware that life stories, from our big adventure moments to the smallest of day to day memories make up the unique tapestry of our life experiences – these are invaluable to capture and share!
No one will tell your loved one’s life story better than they can, in their own words. We donate to the Alzheimer’s Society for every book published.
Create Your Parent’s Book
100% GUARANTEED
My money-back guarantee
If it isn’t right for them, tell me within 30 days and, as long as nothing has gone to print, I’ll refund you in full.
Is it for a milestone birthday? I’ve written a page for each one: 50th birthday life story book, 60th birthday life story book, 70th birthday life story book and 80th birthday life story book. Giving it on Mothering Sunday? Here’s a Mother’s Day gift for Mum.