Stories From The Hearth

Our Services

Stories from the Hearth helps mothers and fathers immortalize and share their stories with their children in their own words and style. Our memories are what make us and no one can tell them quite like we can; that's why Stories from the Hearth, unlike many other personal history companies, puts down every client's stories and life lessons in their own words. A son or daughter should be able to pick up their mother’s life history and hear her voice.

Our primary product is a book full of stories, images and photographs that can be cherished for generations. How do we create it? Our basic process is:

Interview
Transcribe
Weave transcriptions into a manuscript
Editing
Look through and scan photographs
Book design
Final editing
Cover design
Print

This is flexible, and we always have a preliminary meeting with our clients so we can discuss their individual needs. We have helped people write letters, digitize and organize photos, make family posters, and more. However you want to present your legacy, we are here to help.

View book samples here. Want to read some testimonials? Those are on this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please email us at storiesfromthehearth@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

Why should I hire a personal historian?

If you can write your life history by yourself and finish it, that is awesome. Please do it. Question books and automated email services are amazing, too, for giving you structure and ideas on what to write about. What we have to offer that those options don't is an engaged audience that has been through this process many times before and will make sure you get through it as well, providing your family with a completely unique-to-you, professionally edited book or manuscript.

Plus, our clients say they have fun.

Why don't you use a text-to-speech software?

We do use one sometimes, but the truth is, having a computer do the typing ends up being just as much work or more (we've timed it). First off, the computer includes a lot of errors we need to fix. Second, typing interview transcripts ourselves allows us to skip the small talk, cut down on rambling and off-topic discussion, and fix or ignore half-sentences and grammar mistakes from the start. Essentially, typing up an interview doubles as our first edit.

How long does this take?

The typical project takes a year to complete.

How much does it cost?

We charge by the hour, and that amount varies based on which member of our team is handling which specific task. But, to keep an answer easy, the average for a full book is $4-7,000. We invoice once per month and encourage our clients to set a monthly or overall project budget.

About Us

Our Company

Stories from the Hearth founder Elizabeth Thomas (pictured here with her husband and daughter) started Stories From The Hearth in 2017 after working as a newspaper journalist in Nampa, Idaho. She personally sits down with each client and listens to and records their stories, nudging them along as needed, then directs and helps the team turn those interviews into the final product.

Other members of our team include Jill, our star transcriptionist, and Heidi and Crystal, our editors who do so much more than simply edit.

It's Time to Finish Your Life History Project

Our Services

Frequently Asked Questions

About Us