The Memoir Process
I. Phone Interview
Once you have commissioned Oakline Books to craft and publish your personal memoir, one of our professional editors will contact you by telephone to discuss and begin organizing ideas for the format of your story. No two memoirs are alike, so this is a vital step in determining how you wish to see your legacy in print. You and your editor will discuss which features of your life you wish to spotlight, how you will shape your life’s narrative and the best manner for organizing those ideas into chapter form. During this interview, your editor will also develop a sense of your literary voice, enabling us to customize your memoir to your own personal style.
(Approximately one week after commissioning. Duration: approximately one hour)
II. Questionnaire
After the initial phone interview, your editor will send you a questionnaire personally tailored to the ideas you had earlier discussed. This questionnaire will allow you to expand on your ideas and introduce any new thoughts you wish to include in your memoir. It will also ask you to write a list of your “favorites,” which will comprise one of the liveliest and most impactful chapters of your story.
(Delivered two weeks after phone interview. To be completed at your discretion).
III. Personal Interview
The personal interview is the most important step of your memoir process. Oakline Books will arrange a convenient date for your editor to travel to your home, business or other comfortable, pre-arranged location of your choosing. In a series of three-hour interview sessions, lasting from one to four days depending on the package you commissioned, your editor will professionally interview you about your life. All interview sessions will be audio recorded to maintain the accuracy and integrity of your words and for transcription services. The heart of our memoir commissioning process, the personal interview is your opportunity to preserve your legacy in your own words.
(Date and time pre-arranged with Oakline Books. Length of interview sessions depends on commissioning package selected.)
IV. Photo & Jacket Selection
During the personal interview process, your editor will present you with options for the binding and dust jacket and you will have the opportunity to select your own customized style for the cover of your memoir. Then, from a collection of your own photographs, your editor will help you select photography for your published memoir. This is one of the most rewarding steps of the commissioning process and one that will enhance your memoir and leave a lasting impression on your family and readers.
(During personal interview. Photo & Jacket Selection typically lasts 1-2 hours.)
V. First Draft
Back in the Oakline Books offices, your editor will gather all notes, thoughts, ideas, interview recordings and photos and begin to craft your personal memoir. Over the course of several months, your editor will organize your life story into a professional, impactful book form for you to pass along to generations of family and friends. Your editor may contact you by telephone during this process for any necessary follow-up questions or clarification.
(Allow 2-4 months for completion of first draft.)
VI. Review Process
Once the first draft is complete, you will have the opportunity to review your manuscript and make any suggestions or edits to the final product. You will receive your draft through express mail and can make changes by working with your editor over the phone or by sending your manuscript back to Oakline Books.
(Suggestions and edits made at your own pace and discretion.)
VII. Final Proofs
After incorporating your edits during the review process, you will receive final proofs or galleys of your personal memoir. This will be the final step before we publish your memoirs, and the last chance to make any final edits. You should feel comfortable at this stage with the professional treatment we have given your memoir and excited to share your legacy with your family and friends.
(Final Proofs sent to you after review process is complete. Acceptance of final proofs at your own pace and discretion.)
VIII. Publishing & Binding
The only thing left is to publish your life story. Your legacy is only weeks away from resting in your hands in published form. You should feel proud of the work you have done throughout the memoir commissioning process and, more importantly, proud of the life you have led.
(Allow 4-6 weeks for publishing, binding and shipping published memoirs to your location.)