How Biographia Works
Step One
You decide whether you want a biography as a surprise present for a loved one, or whether the loved one should be involved in the process. I then visit to explain how everything works. On my second visit, we start one of several recorded conversations about the subject’s life, moving from birth to the present day with the help of an aide-memoire that prompts areas the subject might like to include.
Step Two
The number of interviews will depend on how many pages you want. It might be between three and five face-to-face conversations of two to three hours each with the subject, or the person giving the present, or both. During this period, the subject, or giver of the present, will assemble the photographs and documents which we will scan either in my office or your home.
Step Three
I write the narrative based on the interviews together with emails or letters submitted by family and friends with their memories of the subject. After the subject (or the person giving the surprise present) has approved the narrative, I lay out the text and images, restore faded photographs and design the cover. I then submit the printer’s proofs for your approval. You then receive ten copies of the biography (or more) together with a recording of the conversations. The whole process will usually take between six months and a year depending on the length of the book.