How Your Story Becomes A Memoir
Preliminary Interview
I will guide you through my “Map Your Memoir” process, which will act as a storyboard for our later conversations. This is a time for us to talk through which life events matter most to you, and the stories that capture those memories. The storyboard we create will become the map I follow as I conduct the interviews.
Interviews
The bulk of our time spent together will consist of in-person recorded interviews in a relaxed environment. I will provide prompts suggested by your memoir storyboard. As you reflect and recount your stories, other memories will come to mind and will be recorded as well.
Transcription and Story Development
New Mint Media will transcribe the audio and/or video of our interviews into text. We will then develop the content, along with any additional materials provided, into a cohesive narrative true to your lived experience. Your memories, in your voice, will tell your story as only you can.
Photo Selection and Editing
Where photographs are included, we will work together to select images that enhance your story. New Mint Media will scan, edit, and format your photos for inclusion in your memoir, including any minor touch ups to distressed family photographs. Additional items to consider for inclusion in your memoir might include letters, documents, and recipes.
Formatting and Interior Design
New Mint Media will format the narrative of your memoir into a logical, typically chronological framework of sections and chapters. We will construct the visual layout of your book (the placement of photos, how the text appears on the page) to complement the narrative and theme of your memoir.
Book Cover Art and Design
New Mint Media will create a personalized book cover design as well as a working title reflecting the content of your memoir for the first galley proof of your book. You will have the opportunity to approve or revise these during the galley proof review process.
Galley Proof and Review
Once the initial draft of your memoir has been created we will provide an unbound, printed galley proof in a 3-ring binder. This will allow you to easily make any desired adjustments to ensure the narrative feels authentic and will accurately inform readers of the story you desire to tell. At this stage our goal is to work together to make your memoir visually and aesthetically pleasing before the first printing.
Final Approval and Delivery
New Mint Media will incorporate requested changes to galley proofs until you have a “clean” galley with no further changes needed. We will then a print a single bound copy of the memoir for your review. Following approval of a “clean” print copy, we will order copies of your memoir for you to share.