The Life Story Coach Podcast: Recent Episodes
Amy Woods Butler - Personal Historian, Life Story Writer and Memoir Writer For Hire
Should we ask our life story clients about their sex life? If yes, how? Karin Jones believes sex and intimacy are a big part of our lives, and she challenges personal historians to gently explore this topic with their storytelling clients. Links & Stuff Karin's controversial article appeared in New York Times' "Modern Love" column. "What Sleeping With Married Men Taught Me About Infidelity" Find Karin Jones' bimonthly column, "Savvy Love," at the Erotic Review Magazine, or on her Savvy Love blog at https://www.savvy-love.com/blog. Follow Karin on Twitter: @mskarinjones Curious about Esther Perel? Read about her fascinating story, then check out her TEDTalk below.
Gloria Nussbaum of Real to Real, a personal history company that produces audio projects, talks equipment, prices, and more.
Gloria's website: https://www.real-to-reel.org/
Gloria's Equipment List
Personal historian Gloria Nussbaum captures clients' voices and stories on audio recordings. She tells us why it's important and how she does it. Gloria's website:https://www.real-to-reel.org/ Gloria's Audio Equipment List
Illustrated Heirloom Books, and What Goes into Creating Them In this episode, we're going back to the first part of our conversation with Lisa Kagan.
As an artist and writer, Lisa is fascinated by the intersection of visual art and storytelling. She brings all her gifts to bear on the illustrated heirloom books her company produces, allowing the clients a chance to become intimately involved in the creation of the words and images of their life story book.
She also talks about:
connecting to her community as an artist and creative, and how that has helped her organically grow her business contracting other personal history professionals for editing, book design, production, and more the elements of her initial sales conversations
If you missed the first part of our conversation, where Lisa talks about her workshops and retreats, you can find that here. Links & Stuff Family Heirloom Arts Website Book Designer Emily Garcia Workshop Offerings Upcoming September Retreat: Self Portrait of the Inner Landscape, Exploring Personal Mythology Through Writing and Mask Making
Workshops serve clients and creatives, and help to build a personal history business Family Heirloom Arts offers the usual range of services to its personal history clients: interviewing, writing, editing, photo management. But its founder and owner, Lisa Kagan, takes things a step further by inviting clients to create their own personalized artwork to illustrate their books.
That's just one of the things that makes Family Heirloom Arts unique. In this interview, we talk about:
Lisa's roster of workshops and retreats, and how she leverages established organizations such as the library to market them the difference between outcome-based and process-based workshops and retreats how fans of her workshops sometimes turn into personal history clients a good place to start if you're just getting going with workshops
We also talked about Family Heirloom Art's upcoming weekend retreat, Self Portrait of the Inner Landscape: Exploring Personal Mythology Through Writing and Mask Making
Links & Stuff Family Heirloom Arts Website Workshop Offerings Upcoming September Retreat: Self Portrait of the Inner Landscape, Exploring Personal Mythology Through Writing and Mask Making
Marketing with a local newspaper column and more Lisa Lombard O'Reilly of Your Stories Written joins us for a conversation about personal history. Listen as we discuss:
Lisa's experience writing her dad's life story book using Kindle Direct Publishing for cheap proof copies and supplying friends with print-on-demand books Lisa's monthly column on personal history for Coastal View, a local print publication
Lisa approached the publisher of Coastal View after attending a workshop given by Annie Payne, a colleague out of Australia. Annie gave expert advice on mastering your community and becoming the go-to personal historian. Lisa also talked about being featured on a blog post by a woman with an historical press. Clairitage Press specializes in local history, with titles written by Karen Dustman. Read the article here or here. If you want more ideas about writing local history, check out Episode 47 with Patricia Hamilton. Links & Stuff Find Lisa Lombari O'Reilly at her website, Your Stories Written Karen Dustman's Clairitage Press Check out the book she did about her dad:
Part 2 of our interview with Lettice Stuart, Portraits in Words Join us for an insightful conversation about the business of personal history and the art of interviewing. In this episode, Lettice discusses:
how much she charges for life story projects, and how that number has grown through the years a clever pre-meeting tactic that gets Lettice into the right frame of mind for that always-difficult money conversation with clients [Correction: with this technique, it doesn't have to be diffult!] how, when, and why to bring in outside editing help working with a partner the extreme importance of listening, no matter how you do it best [Knitting optional]
Links & Stuff You can find Lettice Stuart at Portraits in Words Other episodes mentioned: 29: Rutger Bruining of Story Terrace 53: Part 1, Christine Norton Helps Life Story Writers Get Up and Running 54: Christine Norton, Part 2
Lettice Stuart on Personal History, Part I Lettice Stuart was a journalist with stories in the New York Times when she shifted to writing life stories. While her writing credentials helped give her credibility, it was good old-fashioned conversations with people that grew her business. In part one of the interview, we discuss:
the importance of talking about your personal history work in any social situation, and why it's easy how and why to contact groups looking for speakers what to include when you give a public presentation
We also talk about why family members may not be capable of getting to the same stories that personal historians do. And what a magical moment it is when you see the light go on in the storyteller's eyes: the book is important, the telling of the stories even more so. In our next episode, Part 2 with Lettice Stuart Stay tuned for the second half of our conversation with Lettice, where Lettice shares how much she charges for her life story books, how she prepares for the money conversation with clients, working with outside editors, and more. Links & Stuff You can find Lettice Stuart at Portraits in Words Want to hear more about the art of interviewing? Check out Episode 3: How to conduct a great interview
For Steve Pender, personal history comes alive in Legacy Video When Steve Pender started his legacy video company years ago, it wasn't to produce videos, but rather to teach DIYers how to make their own. Then technology changed. You still needed the know-how and the artistic flair to produce top-quality videos, but you no longer needed the big commercial studio. That's when Steve pivoted to do what he loved most: create compelling, beautiful legacy videos. Give them options I shape the production to fit the client's wants and needs." Steve uses a winning strategy when he sits down with potential clients for the sales meeting. Instead of shooting out a price right away, he asks lots of questions, then goes back to work up a proposal, complete with costs. He believes in giving the client options: a price for what they said they wanted, and a fallback option that's less expensive. His packages start at $7,500 for a Q&A-style basic video, and increase to $20-25K and up for more deluxe packages. These premium videos include music, archival footage, and more. Listen as Steve talks about:
traveling to Italy to shoot as his client visits his ancestral home how Family Legacy Video was featured in the AARP Bulletin Steve's appearance on a local TV show [hint: This was a PR move any of us can use!] how using a freebie as a lead generator can build your email list how the Rotary helped launch his business
A short clip of Steve's legacy shoot in Italy:
Links & Stuff Family Legacy Video website
Baby Boomers Get Their Own Media Platform in Australia This week's episode isn't about the life story profession per se, but about connecting with the Baby Boomer generation, what their needs and wants are, and how one woman built a media platform catering specifically to this underserved market.
Rebecca Wilson was a marketing specialist when she put two and two together. First, the Baby Boomers—those roughly 60 years old and up—were being ignored by marketers and the companies whose products and services they touted. Second, the Baby Boomers in Australia (and it's not much different here in the US) hold the purse strings in terms of assets and consumer spending. That translates into a market of people looking for the things they want and ready to spend money to get it, but not finding it online. Enter Starts at 60. Starts at 60 coffee group
With a $40 template and a hypothesis, Rebecca set out to change this. She invited people to submit there blog stories and was astounded by the response. Not only did people want to be heard, they wanted to be engaging with the others on her newly-minted site. Word grew, contributors multiplied, and Rebecca's idea took off. In six short years, Starts at 60 has grown to a platform with a million and a half visitors per month. They've also launched a travel arm, Travel at 60, where they can bring the best value in travel offers to an audience hungry to pack their suitcases and go.
Now Starts at 60 is looking toward markets outside the US, and there's room for us life story professionals to leverage the systems they've already built.
The idea I like best is starting monthly coffee groups. Maybe it's because I saw how lonely my dad was after my mom died. Maybe it's because as a waitress in my teens, I saw how the people who lingered over coffee after dinner seemed to be the best conversationalists, the ones I liked to eavesdrop on as I cleared away their plates (and ashtrays; yes, this was a long time ago!). And what better way to get people interested in preserving their life story than getting them talking about it over coffee, in a safe place among new friends?
In this episode, we also discuss:
the need to find a group of people with similar mindset, especially after a transition like retirement how Baby Boomers, like the rest of us, want a hybrid experience of online and off-line the importance of building and safeguarding trust among clients or in a community how storytellers of all ages are turning to online research when looking for services (Hint: Have your website and Facebook page up to snuff!) why Baby Boomers make great storytellers (let me know what you think about my new slogan: More wrinkles, better stories). and more.
Links & Things Visit Starts at 60
Want to get your client a byline and possibly feedback? Contact Starts at 60 about blog submissions.
Establish a Starts at 60 coffee group in your area
Running and growing a video life story business This is part 2 of our interview with Mike O'Krent (listen to part 1 here). In this episode, you'll hear Mike talk about
public speaking and how it can grow the public's awareness of our services. (Hint: Check out Toastmasters for improving your speaking skill and spreading the word about your services) the power of seeking out influential people and connectors in your community how to ask for referrals and virtual introductions (via email) how being humble can hurt—read Mike's article, "Being Humble is Nothing to Brag About" listening with your whole body (check out this TED Talk with Evelyn Glennie) speaking at family business programs
Mike's TEDx Talk It wasn't easy, but Mike made his dream come true: After sending out over 60 pitches, he landed a spot on the TEDx stage in Wilmington. One of the key factors was enlisting the help of Taylor Conroy of The Idea Collective, a company that helps people "land the talk, do the talk, spread the talk." Mike's video for Beldon Roofing
Beldon Group of Companies video (short version) from Mike OKrent on Vimeo. Mike's TEDx Talk
Links & Stuff Mike's company, LifeStories Alive, LLC Toastmasters USC Shoah Foundation
Listen to our interviews with Rich Polt, episode 55 and 56.
How volunteering for Steven Spielberg sparked a career saving stories (This is part 1 of our interview with Mike O'Krent. Listen to part 2 here.) Mike O'Krent was volunteering for an organization in Austin when he learned about Survivors of the Shoah, a foundation created by Steven Spielberg to interview and record the stories of Holocaust survivors. His training in L.A. set him up for successful interviews with survivors in Texas. In an article by Rich Polt (a previous guest on this podcast), Mike says, “These conversations are not going to be easy, nor should they be. In some cases, you’ll be asking loved ones to recall events and memories that have long been dormant. That’s OK. Don’t shy away from asking the hard questions.”
Don’t shy away from asking the hard questions."
Mike's work with the Shoah Foundation helped him discover his passion for interviewing people and helping them save their story. Today, he runs LifeStories Alive, LLC, a video company that documents the stories of individuals, non-profits, and businesses. Links & Stuff Mike's company, LifeStories Alive, LLC USC Shoah Foundation
Photos contain hidden clues, and Maureen Taylor knows how to find them. Maureen Taylor's early career as a curator exposed her to lots of photos. But it wasn't until she opened shop as a photo historian that she discovered just how many unidentified photos people have. Frequent questions she hears:
Who is in the photo? What is happening in the photo? Where was the photo taken?
Rachel Rifkin's photo experiment Rachel Rifkin, a fellow personal historian, posted photos of herself alongside images of her relatives. Donning similar clothing and mimicking the subject in the old photos, she bore a strong resemblance to her relatives—including a bearded man from yesteryear. Click on photo to see Rachel's post. Patterns Change perspective to see the unseen in photos. That's where the big reveals come in. Not everyone can see faces; not everyone can see details. Some people suffer from "face-blindness," the inability to differentiate the faces they see. Go here and scroll down to find the quiz, "Are you a super-recognizer?" Maureen does her detective work on my family photos
Links & Stuff Visit Maureen's website View Maureen's photo detective courses The Burns Archive, a collection of post-mortem photos Listen to The Photo Detective Podcast on iTunes or watch on Maureen's YouTube channel And just because it's so fun, take a look at her video on hairstyles through the years:
Maureen's books:
Recording and Editing Video Legacy Stories In part 1 of this episode, Rich Polt talked about the lead-up to recording day. Today, he breaks down exactly what happens when he and his crew show up to film the storyteller. He also discusses phase 3 of the process: editing the footage. When he first started Acknowledge Media, Rich spent hours teaching himself Adobe Premiere Pro. But while he sees the need to have the skills that are foundational to the projects he creates, he recognizes that his team of videographers (including Jordan Freeman), editors, archival producers, and media directors are better suited to the technical side of things, while he handles the rest of it: new business development, sales, marketing, HR, and, of course, the most important task of all—conducting the interviews. Backed by a solid (and growing) team, Rich makes sure that all the projects are up to his standards, with each undergoing a final pass by him before being delivered to the client. Types of Projects Rich's offerings have grown over the years, and now include three distinct packages:
a 3-4 hour narrative, including all footage shot a showcase, including the above 3-4 hours plus a 5-6 minute highlight reel a feature, including both products above, plus a highly edited documentary film with music score, b-roll footage, archival assets, and more.
Gear When he began, Rich and his videographer used two DSLR cameras and lav mics on all. Today, they've switched to two high-end video cameras and a boom mic for the storytellers. My biggest surprise? When Rich said that a beginner can get great results with two iPhone cameras. It won't be the same quality as what he produces, but it's the listening and questioning skills you bring to the interview that will define your core value, not the high-tech gadgetry. (Hint: Two cameras, no matter what kind you use, will give you far greater results than just one.) Rich also spoke frankly about his prices: where he started, what he charges now, how those prices will likely rise in the future. The important thing is to make your prices reflect the quality of your work. And then, of course, identify the market willing to pay for that exceptional quality. You can find part one of our interview here. Bonus: We didn't mention this in the podcast, but if you want to know what a great email newsletter looks like, check out how Rich does it here. Better yet, subscribe to his newsletter. Links & Stuff Acknowledge Media
Rich Polt started his legacy video company in 2016; three years later, it's growing by leaps and bounds. (This is part 1 of our conversation. To see part 2, click here.) Rich Polt left a lucrative career as owner of a public relations firm to pursue his passion—helping people record their legacy stories on film. And he did it all without knowing a thing about movie-making. It started with a personal project called Talking GOOD, where Rich interviewed change-makers with the power to inspire others. The epiphany came when Rich went off-script to ask his interviewee a highly personal question, something he didn't normally do. The man cried, and so did Rich. That was all Rich needed to understand the power of sharing stories. Acknowledge Media brings the same high production values of documentary filmmaking to the world of legacy preservation. Listen as we discuss:
how Rich gave himself a year of working for free to build up his portfolio some of the mistakes he made as a novice interviewer (hint: get comfortable with your inteviewee's emotions!) the benefits of having regular meetings with his mentor, Mike O'Krent of LifeStories Alive (and soon-to-be guest on this podcast) the three phases of any legacy video project
Because Rich had so much great stuff to share, we're breaking this podcast into two parts. In this episode, we get into the specifics of phase one of his projects. Rich gives a breakdown of the 2-3 hour session he spends with the interviewees before the cameras make their appearance. He uses this conversation to create a detailed roadmap for the recorded interview. A few tips:
In order to keep the storyteller from launching into an anecdote during this first conversation, Rich asks them to name the stories that come to mind with a headline. He includes it in his notes, a reminder or tag to include that topic in his recorded interview. As part of phase one, he sends the storyteller's adult children a questionnaire, which includes the following questions:
What are the stories you want to hear? What are the red flag topics that may be difficult for your parents to talk about? What are the things you've always wanted to ask but never have?
Rich then creates a spreadsheet with questions, pouring in the answers to those he already knows, examining the whole to find the narrative shape that will guide him during the recorded interview. Listen to part two of our conversation, where Rich discusses the recording, editing, and pricing. Bonus: We didn't mention this in the podcast, but if you want to know what a great email newsletter looks like, check out how Rich does it here. Better yet, subscribe to his newsletter. Links & Stuff Acknowledge Media Mike O'Krent's LifeStories Alive Talking GOOD The interview that changed the trajectory for Rich:
Real Father from Matthew Paul D'Agostino on Vimeo.
How a life story writer ramped up her business with licensees Christine Norton is passionate about telling people's stories. And she knew others were, too. But not everyone is comfortable with creating a business from the ground up, and that's where her Forget-Me-Not Life Stories writing partner program comes in. In exchange for a business license fee, her writing partners get everything they need to get their own memoir-writing service companies up and running. Listen as we discuss this and much more, including:
the high-end, hand-bound book design, created especially for Forget-Me-Not Life Stories, that allows clients to later add more pages to their books the value of celebrating photos and memorabilia in highly designed life story books her mentoring and coaching program, offered to clients who need some help as they write their own life story how the success of her business licensees equates to her own success what her licensees get as an official Forget-Me-Not Life Stories writing partner
Because Christine had so much great stuff to talk about—and I don't want anyone missing any of it—I split our conversation in two. Check back next week to hear part two of the interview. Curious about how her writing partners are finding clients? Check out this incredible list of their speaking gigs. Talks given by the Forget Me Not Lifestories members up to end September 2017
AUCKLAND
Bupa Wattle Downs Retirement Village Bupa Erin Park Retirement Village Ryman Grace Joel Retirement Village Ryman Bruce McLaren Retirement Village East Coast Bays Library Highgrove Retirement Village Rosedale Retirement Village Lady Allum Retirement Village Bert Sutcliffe Retirement Village The Poynton Retirement Village Birkenhead Rotary Club Northcote Rotary Club Devonport Rotary Club Takapuna Probus Glenfield Probus St Andrews Parish Ginger ‘n Bread Group One Tree Hill Ladies Probus Club Inner Wheel Club of Auckland East One Tree Hill Rotary Club, Onehunga Lynfield-Hillsborough-Mt Roskill Rotary Club Auckland Harbourside Rotary Club Ponsonby Probus Rotary Western Springs Manurewa Gardens Probus club Summerset Retirement Village, Manukau Ormiston Probus, Auckland Takapuna Probus, Auckland Selwyn Park Retirement Village, Hillsborough
WAIKATO (including TAUPO)
Views on Vogel (Resthaven) Retirement Village, Cambridge BUPA St Kilda Retirement Village, Cambridge BUPA St Andrews Retirement Apartments, Hamilton Lauriston Park Ret Vill, Leamington, Cambridge Selwyn St Andrews Ret Vill, Cambridge Tahuna Lions Club, Tahuna Golf Club Trevellyn Retirement Apartments, Hamilton Cambridge Lyceum Hilda Ross Ret Village, Hamilton Cambridge Senior Net North Gate Community Church, Hamilton Alandale Retirement Village, Hamilton Aged Care Network Hub, Hamilton Age Concern, Hamilton Summerset Retirement Village, Taupo
BAY OF PLENTY (including the Western and Eastern BOP)
Aged Care Network Hub, Tauranga Recycled Teenagers, Mount Maunganui Age Concern, Tauranga Branch Ryman Bob Owen’s Retirement Village, Bethlehem Ryman Bob Owen’s Retirement Village, Bethlehem (Show and Tell) Katikati History Group Association of Anglican Women, Gate Pa, Tauranga Tauranga Women’s Lions Group Sunday Scribblers, Katikati Baptist Church, Mount Maunganui Papamoa Branch of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists Lions Club, Omokoroa Somervale Retirement Village, Tauranga Age Concern, Tauranga Vision Retirement Village, Papamoa, Tauranga Metlifecare Bayswater, Tauranga Rotary Club Sunrise, Tauranga Rotary Club of Tauranga Rotary Club of Katikati Althorp Retirement Village, Tauranga Rotary Club of Otumoetai Carmel Country Estate Retirement Village, Tauranga Bureta Probus, Tauranga Vision Probus, Tauranga Avenues Probus, Tauranga Katikati Probus Mt Maunganui Probus, Bay of Plenty Men's Group, St John's Church, Otumoetai, Tauranga Kowhai Rebus Probus Omokoroa Beach Probus Omokoroa History Group Acacia Park Rest Home, Omokoroa, to celebrate International Elders’ Day
Workshops,
End of Life Coach Janet Bieschke on serving the dying. Dr. Janet Bieschke has turned her retirement into a double career: She serves the hospice community as both life story gatherer and life coach. In her work with the dying, she makes room for a "sigh of relief"—the chance to share not only stories, but also regrets, forgiveness, and "I love yous."
Wealth Managers and Financial Advisors as Referral Partners This week, David O'Neil talks to us about how and why we should be developing relationships with financial advisors and wealth managers.
From Life Stories to Business Histories David O'Neil founded Story Trust in 2007; several years later, he recognized the natural connection between life stories for individuals and stories that recount the history of a business. His most recent book was an outgrowth of an oral history conducted several years ago. With the upcoming centennial anniversary of the family's company, they reached out to him to create a book of memories, recipes, and memorabilia, with an initial a print run of 2,500 copies.
The author of Handling the Truth and Tell the Truth. Make It Matter on how we can help others write memoirs that matter "It's all about the questions you ask." This is advice given by Beth Kephart to memoir writers, but it's just as applicable for those who ghostwrite memoirs.
Last week, Patricia Hamilton talked about the book she created for her community in California. Today, she discusses the ins and outs of publishing books for individuals and for life story writers.
In today's episode, Patricia Hamilton, publisher at Park Place Publications, discusses a project near and dear to her heart: a curated community history with contributions from residents of Pacific Grove, California.
If you're a podcast fan who happens to write memoir—for yourself or for clients—you're probably familiar with the dulcet tones of Ann Kroeker, a writing coach who doles out advice and inspiration on her podcast, "Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach." In today's episode, Ann talks about the role of a writing coach and how she went from "editing with a coach's heart" to "coaching with an editor's eye." Win a free copy of Scrivener Don't forget to enter our contest before February 18 to win a free Mac or PC version of the writing software Scrivener. To enter, submit a written review of the podcast to iTunes, then drop an email to amy@thelifestorycoach with "I reviewed the podcast" in the subject line. That's it! Until next time, go out and save someone's story. Links & Stuff Check out Ann's online courses here. Visit her website. Listen to her podcast:
Books mentioned:
Excerpt from our interview with Ann Kroeker Amy: I discovered Ann through her podcast. She creates these really wonderful short podcast posts about anything and everything having to do with writing. So I thought oh, how perfect to have her on the show. Ann, welcome to the Life Story Coach Podcast. Ann Kroeker: Thank you, it's great to be here. Amy: Why don't we jump into things by having you tell us a little bit about what got you into, not so much writing, but coaching writers. Ann Kroeker: That is a great question. When somebody proposed that I might be a writing coach I said, "What's a writing coach?" So it's not something I intentionally sought, it's just something I naturally was doing. So I'll just back up a little bit prior to when I launched this business as a writing coach. I had been a writer, I really launched my writing life as a poet out of college, and then went into freelance writing, essays, and then eventually got online, like most of us did, with a website, and used the blog feature to write blog posts and what I now like to say just articles. 'Cause blogging is sort of transforming now. Ann Kroeker: But I was creating content. And then I joined various communities, especially too, in particular, that were writing-focused. And through that, I ended up on the editorial team of two of these online organizations. So I was working with other editors and I had a managing editor. But then I was also still submitting content to other places too. So I was seeing writing from different angles. And my managing editor at one of those organizations said, "Ann the way that you edit these people's work is with a coaching heart. You really want them to succeed, you're trying to help them improve as you're editing their content." And it's true. And part of that came from her training. Ann Kroeker: So at some point she said, "I really think you should become a writing coach." In fact, so much so that I said, "Oh, that's a good idea." I had already put editor as part of my tagline at the time, and she said, "No, no, no. Just writing coach." And I couldn't bring myself to do it. It used to be writing coach, Ann Kroeker, writing coach, editor, friend. And she said, "You really need to narrow that down to writing coach and just let that be your thing." And it took me a little while to even understand really what a writing coach could bring to people. But I went ahead and foraged on with this editor thing. And then I realized I can't do it all. I didn't have enough time because of some life restrictions that were happening with family. Ann Kroeker: So I had to drop something, so I did drop editor from my tagline and from some of my ... I didn't offer that as a main service anymore. And when I did that I had to drop friend too, which my son thought was hilarious. "You're no longer anybody's friend." So I just became Ann Kroeker, writing coach.
Mike Oke of Bound Biographies doesn't write his clients' life stories; they do. Funny how we think our way of doing something is the standard approach. And then along comes someone like Mike Oke, a 27-year veteran life story writer, who says he can't believe everybody else isn't following the model he practices. After our podcast interview, I can see where he's coming from.
Gwen Hernandez is novelist who learned Scrivener the natural way—by using it. She shared what she knew with the online community, and her reputation as someone who not only used the writing software, but someone who could explain how to use it, took off. The author of Scrivener for Dummies talks to The Life Story Coach about some of the ways we can keep our writing, research, interviews, and everything else organized with what she calls the "project manager for books."
Rachel Brenke with advice for life story professionals—it's not as hard as you think! Going into business for yourself can be scary. There are forms to fill out, licenses to apply for, new checking accounts to set up. And then there's the whole business about contracts, services agreements, insurance—do I need it or not?—along with lots of other things that can send your head into a spin.
In this episode, we discuss, how productivity is about being effective and efficient at the right time; how procrastination, like any other habit, can be replaced by a better one; how clutter (my old friend clutter!) is symptomatic of delayed decision making (read: procrastination); Cynthia's three dead simple questions for strategic planning.
This one is a quickie! I give you an overview of how I use Scrivener to wrastle documents into order so that I can find them when I need them. You'll also see how the split Editor pane in Scrivener is a life story gal's best friend.
Going from interview transcript to book draft can be hard. That's why I decided to share my system with you. In this episode, I talk about how I used to do it with Mac Pages. In part II, I'll talk about how I edit life story books with Scrivener.
Jenny Doan and her family started the Missouri Star Quilt Company. A decade later, Jenny's quilting tutorials have been watched by millions, and her love of quilting has spurred people around the globe to create quilts of their own. Along the way, fans have sent stories behind the family heirloom quilts that have been collected into several books. Jenny discusses quilting, the importance of family stories, and how the two are related.
Today's guests are part of a VA program that recruits interns, student nurses, community volunteers and others to record the life stories of veterans in VA hospitals. The narrative is included in the patient's medical chart, a tactic designed to allow a fuller understanding of the patient by the care team.
Lili Shank is a life story professional who helps people preserve their stories as told by them, in their own voice. Listen as she discusses:
Donna Strickland knows firsthand how painful writing can be. When she started hating the book she was writing, she knew something had to change. That's when she discovered the principles of mindful writing, a practice she teaches in classes and workshops across the US.
Like a lot of us, Brittany Bare was inspired by a relationship with a close relative to make the jump into the life story business. Where she's different from most, though, is that she's set up My Life, My Stories as a 501(c)(3)—a non-profit organization. On this episode, she talks about matching volunteers to seniors, serving seniors from under-represented populations (including those who speak a foreign language), and pitching her program to residential facilities and community centers.
Life story work is "heart-driven" work, and like other service-oriented professions, it attracts people who may not feel comfortable with the money-making side of their business. Sarah White knows how important it is for us to charge what we're worth; more importantly, she knows how to help us over the obstacles that keep us from doing so. She has taken her training in Guided Autobiography and created a workshop aimed at helping us uncover our "story" about money: the attitudes and assumptions that we absorbed in childhood, the very attitudes and assumptions that may be sabotaging our financial success today.
Mark is the author of 13 books, including Black Hawk Down, Hue 1968, and the upcoming The Last Stone. Listen as we discuss the craft of researching, reporting, and writing.
The Writer's Diet—a book and companion website—won't spiff up your prose for you, but it will point you toward the flaws that can make writing dull and stodgy. Listen to learn about five common trouble spots in writing, how to spot them in your own prose, and what you can do to fix them.
Scrivener is a powerful app created especially for writers. Find out some of the key functions that make it an indispensable tool for life story writing.
Dawn Roode of Modern Heirloom Books creates beautiful life story books using skills she learned from her career in magazines, where she did work with Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, and Parenting. She recently relaunched her life story business with new signature products, including custom-made stories for brides.
Rutger Bruining of Story Terrace talks about creating movement in the world of life stories. He believes that having a book about your life should be the norm, not the exception, and his company is helping make that happen. They match up freelance writers with customers. If you're interested in writing for them, give this a listen.
John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing talks about connecting with clients, identifying the problem you can help them solve, and the life story project he did for his own mom.
Janet Kirkman talks about writing life stories for pets (including show dogs) and for cherished possessions. The unconventional focus allows the story of a person or family to emerge.
Today's episode is part 1 or our interview with Janet Kirkman, a 15-year veteran or life story writing. She talks to us about writing life stories, clients who self-publish, teaching memoir classes, and more.
Who takes responsibility of documenting a family's memories? After becoming a mom, Hilary Robison also took on the mantle of "keeper of family memories." Her experience led her and her husband to found Legacy Tale, where they help clients "learn how intentional living, memory-making, and technology come together to build stronger families and make life more enjoyable."
Bookkeeping woes? Candus Kampfer says: Keep it simple. Candus Kampfer knows bookkeeping. When her hair stylist cried with relief after Candus showed her how to pull her accounting reports, Candus knew she wanted to help others. She began making short, focused video tutorials about Quickbooks in 2014, and her following grew.
Candus big message: keep it simple. It doesn't need to be overcomplicated. But remember that bookkeeping is a vital part of your business. It's not just for doing taxes! Track the numbers throughout the year.
Numbers are a black and white way to view your business.
How to get started?
Start by opening a business bank account; don't co-mingle your personal and business expenses!
Keep records on paper: Use columns to designate expense categories, e.g fuel, office supplies, meals and entertainment [Hint: keep the categories fairly broad].
Or use an Excel spreadsheet to track your numbers
There are three types of reports you should be pulling: 1) Profit and Loss
the top--your income, what you're being paid from your clients, based on categories of products or services below--all of your business expenses bottom line: did you make a profit or take a loss for the time frame chosen
Questions to consider when looking at the P&L report:
Have you been making an income in the areas you expected to? Are you making more income in one area over another (e.g. producing books vs. producing audios)? Keep track of your expenses; where is your money going, and how does the outgo compare to the income? Compare a date range to a previous date range, e.g. this month vs last month.
2) The balance sheet All assets, all liabilities, all equity, and your net worth (Hint: The net should match the number on your P&L if you chose the same end date).
The balance sheet is a snapshot of your business at a particular moment. 3) Sales by Item Summary (this report is specific to Quickbooks) For creating invoices within Quickbooks, use "items"; items are more detailed than the categories on your P&L. These items give details on the services and products you provide. It will show you the income you're generating on this specific services and products, and their percentage of the overall income.
Knowing this allows you to proactively guide the business in the direction you want it to go. For example, you may see you need to do some marketing to grow a particular area. How to determine profitability in a service-based business Add a value to your time tracking
Set up a non0payroll item with your service item and cost
I use Toggl for time tracking. For most of us, the free version is fine—it's what I used for years. I only upgraded to the paid version when I wanted to start drilling down into the statistics of how I was spending my time.
To get your effective hourly rate, you have to track all business-related hours worked, not just billable time.
Quickbooks: for each customer, you can enter billable AND non-billable time. When you go into Profit & Loss by job and by customer, it tracks the costs for you without counting it as income.
The entrepreneur's struggle: understanding the value of your work
What would I like to earn? How much time do I have to work per month? Being confident with your billing comes over time. Kind, loving praise from clients helps!
Discomfort with invoicing (whether it's on your end or your client's) can be alleviated by stating things clearly in writing.
Trust your gut feeling on whether it's a good match between you and a potential client.
Routine bookkeeping tasks
Download or manually enter your bank transactions Enter expenses Track your income Reconcile bank and credit card accounts If using desktop version, back up your Quickbooks to an external drive (or any accounting software) [Hint: Do not use Dropbox to back up Quickbooks]
Pulling reports P&L,
Set your clients expectations before you give them the first draft If you’re a writer, you know rough drafts are just that: rough. They’re not meant to be polished and perfect. They’re going to have mistakes. But your clients most likely aren't writers, and they’re not going to know that. And when you hand them one thing and they’re expecting another, it has the potential to cause a problem. It’s our job as the professional guiding the process to set the stage. We don’t want the client thinking the rough draft is the final book, minus the official cover. I’m going to talk about the specific steps I take to manage clients’ expectations, but first I want to talk about the kinds of mistakes we have in those early drafts: Mistakes in the writing There are mistakes in things like punctuation and grammar, transitions, even chunks of material that may need to be shifted to a different section. And that’s all okay, because now is not the time to be delivering a smooth, tightly-written draft. Editing happens later in the process, after the draft is written to completion. For one thing, if you’re still doing interviews, you’ll be getting new information about a subject or time period you’ve already covered in the draft. Nobody tells their story during the interviews in a completely chronological fashion—and that’s why they’re hiring us, to put the bits where they belong, so they don’t have to worry about how they’re telling the story, they can just go along with the flow of it. It doesn’t have to come out in any given order. But when you’re on interview five and they go more in depth into a story that they told you back in interview two, you’re going to go back and work that into the draft. If the writing is already tight and smooth and flawless, then it’s going to take you that much more time to sort of disassemble it, work the new material in, then polish it up again, with the proper transitions etc. So in the end, you’ll spend time un-doing and re-doing the work that you shouldn’t have done yet in the first place. These are the mistakes that will probably bother us as writers the most. But unless your client is a retired English teacher, they’re not going to be paying nearly as much attention to the prose as they are the content. Mistakes in the content This brings me to the second big category: mistakes in names, places, dates, details of their life story. They know things that you’re just getting acquainted with, so you don’t have the “reading glasses” so to speak, to see them. You can create all the timelines and place lines and gather all the data in a super organized system, but mistakes will still crop up. Now, sometimes that’s because we misread something, or just got confused about something, but sometimes it’s because the storyteller has contradicted themself , or you find something in a source document that contradicts what they’ve said. I’m working with a client right now who didn’t find some new materials written by older members of his family until well into the process, and there was a bunch of stuff he told me that turns out to be flat out wrong. I never picked up that he was just speculating when he was talking about the earlier generations and he never told me he was doing it. And it’s all okay now, because he was ecstatic to find these memoirs written by the people about their own experiences. So mistakes will happen. And that’s perfectly acceptable—as long as you prepare your storyteller.
How do you set the storyteller's expectations?
Talk to them. For all mistakes that originate with the client, it’s really important to let them know that it’s natural and it happens to everyone. The one thing we want to avoid like the plague is to have them start self-censoring. We don’t want them getting hung up on whether their grandma was born in 1903 or 1906—those things can be verified, or just left out. And if they contradict themselves, even if the draft comes back and they tell us we got some...
At a past Reminiscence Conference Want to earn an online certificate in Reminiscence and Life Story Work? Then this episode is for you.
Today we talk to Esther Gieschen at University of Wisconsin, Superior about the academic field of reminiscence and life review and what we as practitioners of life story work can learn from it.
Topics discussed:
the role of reminiscence and life story work as narrative therapy how the academic field can serve as a foundation of knowledge for practitioners out in the field, whether that's life story professionals running a business or volunteers serving their community (e.g. one student applied what she learned in the program to a group reminiscence project with cancer patients) Barbara Haight, who conducted tests to create her structured life review the benefits of integrating memories from the past and how it can enrich someone's present and future Erik Erikson's stages of life development Cheryl Svensson and Guided Autobiography (listen to Sam Uhl about her experience as a student in Cheryl's GAB class) the value of sharing common memories how each person processes and retrieves memories differently, so even when we are experiencing something together, our memories of that shared experience will vary. Faith Gibson and her book, Reminiscence and Life Story Work: A Practice Guide how group reminiscence sessions can act to heal conflict within a community; the example of a woman from the UK who used a group session to have recent immigrants sit down with long-term residents, some of whom had been immigrants themselves 70 years earlier. The conversation helped them see how much they had in common. [As an interesting aside, I follow the work of Laird Schaub, a consultant who helps intentional communities (think communes) resolve the conflicts that inevitably arise in their communities. He writes about it here.] the storytelling certificate program through the Kansas City-area Mid-Continent Library System (incidentally, also the home to the Midwest Genealogy Center, the largest free-standing public genealogy facility in the US and a favorite destination for family historians) James Walsh, professor at University of Colorado and his talk on reminiscence theater. A book by Pam Schweitzer describes it as "seeing and realising the dramatic potential in real life stories. [Reminiscence theatre] takes verbatim memories as the basis for theatre scripts, using the experiences of older people as a source of artistic productions and therapeutic creativity."
The 2018 Annual Reminiscence Conference: the who, what, where, and why The conference takes place November 12-13, 2018, at the Hilton Boston Back Bay, in Boston, MA, with pre- and post-conference workshops on hospice/end-of-life reminiscence and on cultural perspectives. The keynote this year is Jefferson Singer on “The Varieties of Remembered Experience."
Want to sign up for the certificate program? Click here to get on the waiting list for 2019. Not sure you're ready to take the plunge? Esther advises that you look at the course reading list.
the books used in the course:
Listen Up! The Art of Interviewing for Personal History by Paula Stahel
Mountain Girls, by Stephanie Kadel Taras
Click here to pre-order the new book, International Perspectives on Reminiscence, Life Review and Life Story Work (due out November, 2018)
Want to join the Reminiscence and Life Review registry? It's open to academics, researchers, and business owners. Find out more here.
If you enjoyed this episode, click here to leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for helping us spread the word! Now go out and save someone's story.
Erika Ettin gives people A Little Nudge up in the dating world What does online dating have to do with life stories?
A lot.
If you've ever looked at a dating site, you've seen a user profile, that miniature snapshot, in words and pictures, of a person in search of a partner. And just like with life stories, some people need help writing them.
Erika recognized this need years ago when friends started asking for her help with their own profiles. She got so good at it that she left her job in the finance industry and created A Little Nudge, a service that caters to singles ready to jump into the online dating pool but not sure they know how to swim.
Erika assists her clients through profile writing, picture selection, coaching, and date planning. In this episode, we talk about what it looks like to write a client's dating profile and even the messages they send to potential dates.
Listen as we discuss:
Erika's biggest demographic— Women over 50 (a typically common demographic, incidentally, for life story clients) turning what you love to do into a viable business the process of creating a client's online dating profile the narrow line between coaching and therapy serving a population of people who are single, but don't want to be managing clients' expectations the gratification of working with someone fresh out of a long-term relationship who is just getting to know herself again
A few questions life story writers can borrow from Erika I'm always looking for interesting, conversation-stimulating questions to ask my storytellers. Here are a few that will elicit more playful responses:
What's something about you that your friends would make fun of? Do you have any stupid human tricks (i.e. something you wouldn't put on a resume!)? Tell on yourself! What's a funny or awkward story about you that makes you shake your head and say, "Yep, that's me!"
What it takes to be a good dating profile writer-for-hire
You have to be an excellent writer. You have to be intuitive about people. You have to be a good businessperson and salesperson.
Links, contacts, and stuff:
A Little Nudge
Erika's book:
The New York Times article featuring Erika and her business
Listen to Erika's podcast, So, We Met Online...
Like this episode? Help others find it by leaving a review on iTunes.
Thanks for listening! Now go out and save someone's story (or help them find a partner!)
Welcome to episode 1 of the Nitty-Gritty This is the first episode of a new occasional series within the Life Story Coach podcast. In the Nitty-Gritty, we'll talk about the practical aspects of our work. Today, we're going look at file naming conventions. Yep, it's dry and boring. But you won't think it's boring if things go haywire with your files because you never bothered to adopt a naming convention. Why do we need a file naming convention? So that we can put our hands on our files quickly and easily, and so they don’t go missing. Or if they do, we know how they’re named so we can go look for them. Let your naming convention evolve; then make sure to stick with it consistently! HINT: Start your client folders with a # (this will bump them to the top of your folder list in Dropbox’s finder window) Standard folders within each client’s folder:
interviews and transcripts drafts delivered scans (including a separate folder for online scans) research
Want to see what my naming convention looks like? Download the PDF here. Links and tools mentioned: Pat McNees' Writers and Editors Rev.com Dropbox Adobe Bridge (available by subscription only; try looking for an older version to buy) Like what you heard? Help spread the word by leaving a review on iTunes.
Peta Roberts, a life story professional who does it all. In this episode, Peta tells us about how documenting her own family's history led her to a career in personal history, and how a newspaper advertisement jump-started her business. A climb in the Andes with an Argentinian ski guide led Peta to an enormous oral history project. Pure serendipity, mixed with a healthy dose curiosity, led to the creation and publication of a genealogical index. Peta worked with The old Welsch families living in the Chubut province of Argentina (which answers the question, why do they speak Welsh in South America?) From this project came collaboration with historian Michele Langfield to document all of the Welsh Patagonians who had come to Australia. None of them were related to Peta's family, but the work fueled her interest in helping others preserve their life stories.
Peta describes family history as a three-legged stool One leg is the genealogy: names, dates, places. Another is genetic DNA testing, which can link us to people we never knew we were related to (for more on this topic, listen to our talk with scientist Mike Tones). And the third leg of the stool? Family stories. For the Welsh Patagonian Australian oral history project, Peta created a relationship map to show how the families knew each other, married into each other’s families, and came to Australia together on the same ship.
Can you use a relationship map to illustrate connections in your client’s story?
Funding sources: in this case, it came from academia. The book is available on Amazon.
Personal historian means different things to different people Peta placed an ad in a local newspaper and clients called with various needs. She adapted to meet the needs of the people who wanted her help.
recording interviews and creating a book from the transcripts working with a client’s letters digitizing, organizing and preserving photographs
How do you build the skills you need for different projects?
by doing by consulting experts (e.g. in Peta’s case, she reached out to a paper conservationist about preserving old, frail photos)
Why it's a mistake to use the "hunter gatherer" technique for orgainizing photos. Pet describes her systematic yet flexible approach. [Listen to Martie McNabb of Memories Out of the Box talk about finding the stories behind the photos, documents and mementos] Sometimes it comes down to being brave, establishing a clear understanding of what the client wants, and then deliver. What is the client’s pain point? Search Amazon for models of what you want to create--in Peta’s case, it was publishing a book of letters in the native handwriting (not transcriptions).
Marketing How Peta structured her winning newspaper advertisement: “Want to give the perfect gift? Get personal. Tell them your life history. Record your audio, video, or write your life story in a book.” We talk about what makes a good ad, and what doesn’t. What is an ethical will? Usually in letter form, it’s a way for a client to pass on their experiences, values, and the stories of how they overcame struggles. Smaller than life story projects.
Trust documents are bare bones, but an ethical will says who I am. It’s what you want your loved ones to know and understand.” —Susan Turnbull of Personal Legacy Advisors, as quoted in a New York Times article Peta's strategy: Peta wrote to attorneys to explain how she could help their clients; one of the attorneys brought Peta in to give a talk to his clients. (In an earlier episode, Dhyan Atkinson talked about using referral partners to compound your marketing efforts.)
Storyical, Peta Robert's podcast Peta’s podcast introduces the public to personal historians and life story professionals. She interviews a variety of people, including personal history writers and their clients. Two recent linked episodes feature Songfinch, a company that produces customized songs with ...
Sam Uhl of The Cheerful Word Sam shares her ups, downs, and sideways on growing (and then scaling back) her life story business. Once the proprietor of a brick-and-mortar life story studio in Hendersonville, North Carolina, Sam now teaches life story classes, coaches writing clients, and publishes books from her new base in Germany. Listen as we discuss:
how Sam learned to listen to older adults from a young age all you have to do is show sincere curiosity and ask the first question, and that gets the ball rolling how writing small stories as a home health care professional tipped her off to her true passion (“Some day, I’m going to have a business and tell these stories!”) the story of Sam’s Life Story Studio in Hendersonville and being a hub in the community growing, then scaling back her business some thoughts on the obstacles we all face as life story professionals
How teaching free life story classes led to a shift in direction Sam taught free classes for a local genealogical society; once they grew in popularity, she started offering paid courses. A favorite class: “How to teach a skeleton to dance” (about talking about the skeletons in the closet)
Sam became a Guided Autobiography Instructor from the Birren Institute in California she rented space at an inn to host her classes she charged $295 per six-week class she unwittingly becoming a publisher she became a memoir writing coach she wanted to write bespoke memoir, but that’s not what the community wanted; they wanted Sam to be their guide the importance of adapting to what the market wants customers are mostly women 55-75; they want to work with her in partnership mode
Despite lots of success, Sam was nearly homeless during this period. All of her money went into the business and supporting the costs of the studio. But she was also happy because she was finally doing what she wanted. [Lesson: We have to tend to the business side of our business, but we also have to believe in what we’re doing.] Other topics we cover:
some perils of having a partner working virtually over Skype and Facebook Video (in this case, from Germany) the payoff of working virtually making sure you run your business in a way that gives you satisfaction, not just an income the need to cut back on products and services
Sam's new focus:
writers retreats online workshops coaching writers
If you want to teach, look into the Guided Autobiography training. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel! Sam took the “Train the Trainer” class with Cheryl Svensson, Ph.D., an experienced GAB instructor who has taught in the Autobiographical Studies Program at the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Gerontology. Want to know more about James Birren, the father of Guided Autobiography? Download his life story or read his book, Telling the Stories of Life Through Guided Autobiography Groups Check out Sam's website, www.thecheerfulword.com, for news on writing retreats in Germany and in North Carolina and her online workshops.
If you enjoyed the show, leave us a review on iTunes. And if you have any ideas to share or questions about this episode, share them in the comments. Thanks!
Now go out and save someone’s story.
What do people do with all the memorabilia they've collected over the years? Martie McNabb's Memories Out of the Box creates life story memorabilia boxes to tell the stories behind the stuff that matters most to us. And her show and tell events harnesses the power of face-to-face connection to foster an interest in telling our life stories.
How she started her career as a life story professional Martie had careers as a NYC public school teacher and a sign language interpreter before she opened her life story business, Memories Out of the Box.
At Show and Tales, Martie tells stories with people’s stuff. You can, too."
A lost photo spurred the creation of Memories Out of the Box, Martie’s company that tells people’s stories through the objects they’ve collected through the years. Martie gathers, organizes, and edits memorabilia for busy individuals who value what they’ve collected but don’t have the time, energy, or creative vision to create a legacy item. Memories Out of the Box Martie has offered many types of products, but most clients want bespoke heirloom scrapbooks. [Hint: Show your clients what’s possible, then give them what they want.] Listen as we talk about:
creating an interactive experience with scrapbooks new technology for oversized scans Flippal for mobile scanning and making several passes and stitching together images for larger pictures the demise of letter-writing the Letter Writers Alliance
Martie’s clients work long hours and don’t have the time for long meetings. They feel guilty and overwhelmed by the memorabilia they’ve collected and neglected, and are relieved to find Martie to create something for them. Martie spends time going through their photos and other memorabilia, and has developed an intuitive sense of where the stories lie. (Listen to Dennis Ledoux on the Myers-Briggs Personality Test, and being a feeler and an intuitive person.) [Hint: If photos aren’t labeled, they can still be appreciated as works of art in an heirloom project.]
How do clients find Martie? Martie started Memories Out of the Box with a store in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn (she no longer has the store). But now she finds that word-of-mouth is best. Ask previous clients to let others know about you. [Hint: Get testimonials from clients at the end of each project.] Her new marketing tool? Show and tell events.
Show and Tales Most creatives don’t like marketing themselves. And what we do doesn’t lend itself to an easy elevator speech. Our first task is to build rapport with potential clients. We need to educate people who have never heard of doing life stories. Having a book to read at the end of the project is wonderful; what’s surprising is the power of telling the story. It’s a gift the storytellers give to themselves. Long sales cycle. It can take years of ruminating before someone decides to START on a project. Because Martie tells stories with people stuff, what better way to publicize Branded Saloon in Prospect Heights Brooklyn was the venue for her first show and tell event. Martie held it in the backroom. People were invited to bring any object that they wanted to show and share its story. She lived in the neighborhood so started by inviting friends. Then she reached out over Facebook and started a Meetup group (just like Chad Elliot discusses in this episode).
Show and Tale: The Moth meets Antiques Roadshow Storytelling is huge in NYC (and elsewhere!). But storytelling events are more performative (think of shows like The Moth). Martie’s Show and Tales are more like a cross between The Moth and Antiques Roadshow—without the competition or even having a developed story. Show and Tales are more about story-sharing than story-telling. They can be held around a table, at a coffee house or library. Or they can be held at venues with a stage. Regardless, everyone feels welcome. Martie has had anywhere from 0 to 50 people show up. One of her best-attended events was in conjunction with the Morbid An...
What's the value of AncestryDNA for life story professionals? Why is one sibling’s AncestryDNA results different from another’s? If we share the same parents and grandparents, how can our tests show something different? Is genetic genealogy incompatible with family heritage? Mike Tones, scientist, explains the science behind genetic genealogy testing at sites like AncestryDNA and 23andMe. You share an average of 50% DNA with your sibling. But that’s just an average. Theoretically, you could share 100%—or 0%—of your DNA with a full sibling. Genetics and family history don’t line up exactly. In this episode, we discuss a simple overview of how genetics work, including:
how DNA carries the genetic information how the DNA is packaged in chromosomes how we each have 23 pairs of chromosomes—22 pairs of autosomes and 1 set of sex chromosomes
How are these genetic “packages” passed down? You don’t necessarily get 25% of the DNA from each of your grandparents because of the way the DNA is packaged. Some grandparents may be under- or overrepresented in your DNA pool. The deviation from the average gets greater and greater the farther back you go in your family tree. The “packages” of DNA in a chromosome—e.g. all of the genes on Chromosome 1—don’t get mixed up. The set of genes are arranged on that chromosome, and it holds steady.
Interesting fact: By the time you get back to your great x5 grandparents, there are more grandparents than there are number of chromosomes.
Genetic genealogy makes some assumptions For example: if you trace your family back to the Mayflower, that's going back nearly 400 years, or 15+ generations. The probability of you having any of the DNA of an ancestor who came over is very low. These relatives exist in your family tree, but probably not in your DNA. Genetically, you’re not like a glass of water, infinitely divisible. Because your inheritance is packaged in these chromosomes. In her Facebook group, Family History Writing and Photos, Lynn Cobine posted a message stating that the average British person’s DNA is 36% British. (One British member got results back from AncestryDNA saying she was 1% British!) What does this mean. And how are the genetic tests conducted? They don’t sequence your entire genome (yet). Mike gets into the science of genetic sequencing, explaining concepts like the double-helix, SNPs, base pair rules, and how genetic data from different populations are considered representative of certain regions. The upshot? The science is real. However, we need to bear in mind that there are certain assumptions inherent in the scientific process. A few things that genealogical genetics can show:
They know the SNP markers for Neanderthals; there was interbreeding between Neanderthals and humans, and that can show up in your DNA. DNA genealogy also shows migration patterns in humans. Exchange of DNA can cross between members of pairs; it occurs during the formation of the sperm and egg. The chromosome as a completed self-contained package isn’t 100%; over time there’s a little bit of seepage between them. There are ancestors from which you will have inherited NO DNA.
In the end, we’re ALL related to each other because we’re part of the same species.
The nuclear genome isn't the only genome in town. Introducing the mitochondrial genome. Inside most cells are mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell, where ATP is made. The mitochondria are derived from bacteria, which are in turn descendants of ancient bacteria. Our cells are fueled by these descendants, providing the energy they need to survive.
For more on this topic, read what the Naturalis Historia has to say. The human egg is a huge cell. A nucleus and a huge amount of cell surrounding it, with the mitochondria. The sperm basically injects its DNA. That fertilized egg divides and develops, and during that process of cell division, the mitochondria are dividing as well.
A state grant started a thriving memoir business Denis started as a writer of autobiographical fictional. When he shared his stories with audiences, it struck a chord, and the Turning Memories into Memoirs workshop was born. At first funded by a state grant, Denis segued into teaching memory writing at community workshops. In this episode, we discuss:
how resistance to writing memoirs abated in the mid-1990s how clients write their own memoirs with Denis’s help, then use presentations to sell copies of their books to the public the difference between writing for family and writing for the public. the importance of honesty when writing your memoirs helping clients learn elements like suspense and foreshadowing. e.g. “How could this change?” Adding a simple line to the end of a paragraph.
Maximize your income Prioritize by starting your day with the work that produces income. Denis makes sure he does ten hours of billable time per week, including coaching, editing, and ghostwriting. This is augmented by income earned on work that he subcontracts to other editors. [Hint: Denis is always looking for good editors, so get in touch if you’re looking to work as a subcontractor. It’s an excellent way of focusing on your writing without the added pressure of all the other tasks: marketing, sales conversations, invoicing, etc.] More topics:
the importance of keeping your work and free time separate. underpromise and overdeliver. on billable time: if he hasn’t done his 10 hours by the end of the week, he catches up. He can do more, but not less. in addition to his 10 hours, Denis earns a cut of the income from his editors, plus the profit from selling packages. the importance of giving honest feedback to coaching and editing clients. Don’t avoid the hard moments. Do it honestly, lovingly, and offer suggestions when there’s a problem in a manuscript. if you’re a life story writer and you send your client’s manuscript to an editor, don’t take criticisms personally. Editors want your book to be the best it can be. some suggestions lead to a discussion with the client, and a hybrid solution comes about.
What’s the difference between coaching and editing? Coaching proceeds without a manuscript, more focused on the client, carrying the client along. Editing is more focused on the manuscript. Sometimes they become indistinguishable.
“Who am I to think that I should write?” When clients ask this, they’re acknowledging the fact that they are impelled to write, but they’re fighting the voice that tells them they don’t have the right to write. Denis’s suggestion: Set a certain amount of time to write everyday. That way you don’t have to decide whether you “should” write or not. One coaching client calls Denis every day, a thirty-second accountability call. That’s part of coaching: supporting the writer. Adult children sometimes want a book done on their parents, and the parents don’t get on board. We talk about the difficulties with dealing with a third party (e.g. the adult child). This usually doesn’t work in Denis’s experience; it very often does in mine. To make your services appealing to a wider group of people, have an array of products and services, including coaching or editing, which can more affordable than ghostwriting a memoir.
Average costs for services:
$8,000-$12,000 per one hundred pages; on the lower range for people who are involved in the editing and writing. If the cost of a ghostwritten memoir is out of someone’s budget, offer other products at different price points.
Workshops:
Workshops: 40% of people who came to workshops bought a subsequent product, e.g. editing or coaching services. Speaking: at libraries, clubs, fellowship halls, etc. also a good way to find clients. One year Denis earned $22,000 of work from four speaking gigs; another year none. As a beginner, workshops are a good source of local clients. Send a press release, bio,
Learn how to scale up your life story writing and personal history business with Tom Cormier Tom Cormier knows the legacy business. A former nationally-syndicated radio host, Tom is cofounder of legacystories.org, a platform for sharing legacy stories, and its sister enterprise, legacystories.com, a B2B company that offers coaching and resources for professionals who want to teach their clients the value of recording and sharing life legacies. Tom shares tips he has learned on how to scale up life story and personal history business by using the "one to many" approach. Tom didn't start with a biding interest in legacy stories. Several years ago, his business partner and the partner's wife perished in a plane crash, and it changed everything. Through this tragedy, Tom met Dennis Stack, a wealth manager who after losing his parents had created a legacy saving program for hospices. The joined forces, and the Living Legacy Project was born. In this episode, we discuss:
how they trained hundreds of hospice care givers on how to collect stories, an how to break down the barriers of reluctant storytellers how they scaled up their story-saving mission by bringing their legacy training to home care companies and independent living communities (some of the largest home care providers use their system today) how they shifted their focus to estate planners and wealth managers
Why do wealth managers need personal historians and legacy professionals? We talk about:
the legacy wave and the aging boomer population the value people place on passing down their values and their stories, not just their tangible wealth
9 out of 10 wealth managers and financial advisors lose their accounts when the patriarch of the family dies. Why? Because they don't have a connection to the client's family beyond being the "numbers person."
One one side, there's the recognition of the importance of family history, values, and life stories.
On the other, there's the need for wealth managers to differentiate themselves, foster bonds with their clients' families, and bring a value-add to the relationship.
Those two tides converge to create an opportunity for personal historians and legacy professionals. Legacy coaching teaches financial advisors a process of how to have that legacy talk with their clients. It changes and deepens the relationship. Russ Allen Prince, an author and contributing writer for Forbes, did a study that showed some startling numbers. We all live our life based on a set of core values. Prince found that if a financial advisor knows their client's top 8 core values, they'll be entrusted with 100% of the family's assets and be given, on average, about 4 referrals. The less familiar the advisor is with the core values, the fewer assets and referrals the client shares. Tip: This opens the door for scaling up life story and personal history business in an organic way. We also discuss:
the legacystories.org platform (it's free!) growing your business by focusing on the people who serve your potential clients the Legacy Stories Consultants program, with business tutorials how life story writers and personal historians can work with estate planners a couple interesting examples of unconventional marketing the Legacy Cafe Podcast, hosted by Robb Lucy, author of How Will You Be Remembered?: The Definitive Guide to Creating and Sharing Your Life Stories and Legacies Aren't Just For Dead People: Discover Happiness and a Meaningful Life by Creating and Enjoying Your Legacies Now! the Legacy Stories app, available in your favorite app store the Legacy Stories Handbook
Tom has graciously offered listeners of The Life Story Coach Podcast a discount on his coaching program and the Legacy Stories Handbook. Click here to check out the offer.
If you're interested in becoming a Legacy Stories Consultant, visit legacystories.com for more information.
If you enjoyed the show,
As a personal historian, we don't often share about ourselves. Should we? Today’s topic is sharing. But not about the clients sharing their story, but about how and when we share our own story. In episode 8, I warn personal historians away from sharing about themselves (and then tell you about how I broke that rule). In this episode, I share how a couple of recent incidents have made me rethink that. What a conversation with a podcaster taught me A couple weeks ago I had a long conversation with Jennifer Gardner, the host of the podcast Roamhowl. During our hour-long phone conversation, we explored whether I might be a good fit for her show. At quick glance, I met her criteria. Mid-life career change, check. Change spurred by painful life episode: check. Out-of-the-ordinary steps taken that might appeal to others: check. Extra dollop of hardship: check.
In other words, we talked about how I started The Story Scribe, my personal history business, when I was in the midst of a divorce, during a time when I was moving each week between the kids’ home and the secondary residence my ex-husband and I shared as part of our “nesting” arrangement. I told her about a lot of the hard stuff—some expected, some not—that happened during this dark period. Our conversation is hard. The conversation was full of starts and stops. Basically, she kept asking me to dig deeper, to paint the picture for her of what my life had been like. And I tried, but the deeper we got into it, the more panicky I felt. I was hitting up against a wall.
The more longer we talked, the more frantic I felt.
Words failed me. Over and over.
I’ve always considered myself to be pretty good at self-reflection, but it that’s what happens on the page, when I’m writing. As it turns out, I’m not that great at sharing in conversation.
It wasn’t just the facts she was going for; she was mining for my reactions, my feelings, my reflections and interpretations. I gave a little start when she asked me what I had learned from one particular experience. Hey! I thought. That’s my question! Dive deep—but not on me! When I interview people about their life, after someone tells me about something about a big event or incident, I regularly ask, “How did that make you feel?” or “What did you learn from that?” (The first question tends to be easier for women; men do better with the second one.) Sometimes you watch as the storyteller struggles to find words. Sometimes they never do.
I like to think that I show sensitivity during these times. But until my talk with Jennifer, until I was on the other side of the interview table, so to speak, I didn’t fully understand how hard it can be to share in a coherent way. Not just the facts, but the storyteller’s reactions to things.
A couple weeks ago, I had a client apologize for not “knowing” the answers to some of my questions. I hate that, because a storyteller should NEVER feel like they aren’t “doing” it right. Another client (both are men) asked me at the end of our iv if he was doing good. It was sweet but also a sign that I need to improve. I need to find a better way to convey that there is no right or wrong. I tell my storytellers many times not to worry about questions they can’t answer, that I’m just doing my thing of poking around to look for their stories, but I want to do a better job at convincing them.
So that’s one thing that my pre-interview interview with Jennifer taught me--an appreciation for how hard it can be to answer questions about your life. Not because you don’t want to, but because you haven’t maybe churned through it and made sense of it. So I think I’ll have more understanding when a storyteller doesn’t know how to talk about something. (As an aside, I also learned that nope, no way am I prepared to bare myself to the world on a podcast. No. No.) Try this at home. It might be a good exercise for any of us personal historians to put ourselves in this position,
Tips for Finding Clients for Life Story Writers and Personal Historians, and More Derek Lewis ghostwrites business books on a large scale. His client-authors range from IT-startup millionaires to a Turkish oil tycoons and he's written for people on all continents but Africa and Antarctica. While his business books are created with a different intent and a wider audience than what we personal historians create, we have more in common than you might think. In this episode, Derek shares how to find clients for life story writers and other personal historians, giving us a behind-the-scenes peek at his marketing strategies and how a simple revelation changed everything for him.
How he started his ghostwriting career One post on a freelancers’ forum kicked off his ghostwriting career. But it wasn’t all rainbows from this point on. Derek spent a lot of time with outbound marketing, casting a wide net to find ghostwriting clients. But all that time and energy reaped…nothing.
Yet the work kept coming. People who wanted a ghostwriter were finding Derek’s website and reaching out to him. It took a long time for Derek to sit up and pay attention. When he did, he realized he’d been asking the wrong question. Instead of, “Where do I find clients?,” what he needed to ask was, “How can I help clients find me?” He didn’t need outbound marketing—the stuff we associate with traditional selling, like cold calls, advertisements, email blasts—he needed INBOUND marketing. He needed clients to come to him. And that’s when he started implementing the strategy he uses today. Make it easy for people to find you. People are out there Googling and trying to find us; scatter breadcrumbs to help them. Scatter them in different places and make sure they all lead to your hub: your website.
Purpose of the website: it's not to get someone to hire us, it's to get them to speak with us. Your website is not your sales conversation, it's a tool to spur that conversation. Make sure your website has the right content and focus, the markers and signals of credibility and legitimacy.
Attractive and repellent marketing: the yin and yang of your marketing effort
The goal is to use breadcrumbs that will attract potential customers and repel those who aren't a good fit. (And why you may not want to repel even poor prospects early in your career.)
The two elements of breadcrumbs: the content and the medium or venue.
Examples:
book white paper blog posts youtube videos
Offline venues:
speaking engagements (retirement communities, veterans groups, etc) local radio or podcast shows
The purpose of breadcrumbs isn’t to get people to hire you. It's to produce helpful, varied content that you can put onto your website, on YouTube, on social media, or on written literature that gets passed around. Decide which types of breadcrumbs work best for you They should be:
easy and fast to produce relatively inexpensive enjoyable to work on
Derek likes interviewing and being interviewed—he feels energized. This makes podcasting a pleasant type of breadcrumb for him. Blogging is a different story. After hating it for years, he finally gave himself permission to quit doing it. (Does that mean I don't have to use social media? Yes? Please??)
We also examine my long-held belief that you should never teach what you sell, and talk about the mentality of abundance versus the mentality of fear. Where to find Derek Lewis: Derek's email
Derek's website
Derek on LinkedIn
Check out Derek's podcast here
And here's Derek's book:
If you're interested in Derek and Ed Gandia's occasional course for established writers wanting to break into ghostwriting, visit b2blauncher.com
If you enjoyed the show, leave us a review on iTunes. And if you have any ideas to share or questions about this episode, share them in the comments. Thanks!
Now go out and save someone's story.
Tips on How to Price Your Personal History Project
I was recently asked by a few listeners what boils down to the same question: how do you price your projects? It’s no surprise that this is on people’s minds. It’s a common question, one that gets batted around a lot. I remember a conference I went to where they had a panel discussion on this very topic, and the crowd was huge. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got your own way of doing it, it seems like we’re all curious about how other people are doing it. I’ve got to admit, pricing has never been easy for me. I’m not talking about earning money, or even collecting it. I’m talking about the psychological stumbling blocks. I hope you don’t have them. My guess is that people who come to personal history from a business background may have an easier time with it. But I didn’t. I've been a teacher, a social worker, a travel director. And mostly a stay at home mom. My business skills weren’t rusty as much as, umm, non-existent. Know the value of your work Not only that, I’ve never had a comfortable relationship with money. I can’t remember now if it was my dad or Miss Campbell, one of my high school teachers, who first taught me the old saying, "Money is power, and power corrupts." Whoever it was, I took it to heart. It’s not that I dislike money as much as I fear its corrupting influence. And then there’s the whole issue of putting a monetary value on something I create. And not in any abstract way. Of saying to a client, yes, I’m bringing these skills to the table, and I’m providing you with a service that equals x number of dollars. I find the whole thing difficult. My dream is to hire someone to take care of all that so I can focus on what I’m good at, and what I like doing: interviewing and writing. But until then, I have to put on my big girl pants and figure out the best way of tackling the pricing stuff. And invoicing. And bookkeeping. And I’m telling you, if I can learn it, anybody can. Let's get to it. How does one price a personal history project? Okay, now that you know I’m no expert, I’m going to walk through my process. Just keep in mind that there are no hard and fast rules. Take whatever sounds good to you and adapt it any way that makes sense. Roughly speaking, we all fall into one of two categories: those who price by the hour, and those who price by the project. And then, of course, the people who use a hybrid model.
I charge by the hour. And I tell every potential client in our initial sales consultation: That’s not going to mean anything to you. Because they have no idea what goes on when I’m not with them. They don’t know how long it takes to transcribe an interview, or how many hours go into shuffling the material into roughly the correct spots, or how much time is spent writing and rewriting, and entering corrections once the client goes through the draft, and then more rounds of edits. And if you’re just starting out, you’re not going to know this either. And that’s one more reason it’s so valuable to have a sample project, a book you do for someone for free or low cost, your guinea pig. You’ll go through all the stages of the creating a life story book and be able to work out the kinks as you do. Track your time I highly recommend that you keep really good records of the time you spend on each main category of task. That would be interviewing---not just the number of interviews, but how long each lasted, whether it’s 90 minutes or 120 or 45--; the time you spend either transcribing, or the total cost to have it transcribed; the time you spend editing; the time spent scanning photos and, if necessary, doing some photoshopping to clean off the noise and speckles.
One thing I’ve tried to track separately is research, but it doesn’t work for me. There’s too much going back and forth between the draft and checking things on the internet; the processes are too intertwined. The only exception is if I’m going to a research facility to spec...
How Blake Snyder's beat sheets can help us structure our personal histories C. David Milles is a teacher by day and author by night. After stumbling onto Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! books, Milles began to incorporate the screenwriter’s lessons in his novels and the way he taught middle school English. His keen understanding of story structure landed him a gig as a contributor for the popular Save the Cat! website, where Cory breaks down components of current and past movies to show their inner workings—a great exercise for storytellers in all media. In this episode, he shares how the Save the Cat! system can help us find the story structure in our personal history books.
Help your clients archive their photos, papers, and more Margot Note is a professional archivist with nineteen years experience. A couple of years ago, she realized she could use her talents and skills as an archivist to help individuals and families bring order to their chaotic piles of photos, letters, and other family history mementos. In this episode, she shares professional tips on how you can help your clients archive their own precious mementos, following standards and best practices used by museums, corporations, and organizations.
If you want a deep dive into helping clients archive their materials (or to get a grip on your own), join Margot's upcoming webinar, "Organize What's Meaningful to You."
Tune in to this episode of the The Life Story Coach to hear us discuss: How to create order out of chaos!
Margot becomes the family historian—and a new idea is born: taking her archiving skills to the public
slow and steady progress begins with a plan
Be intentional with where you invest your time, and choose where you’ll get the most dividends (look here for Margot’s Project Prioritizer) Don’t think of the project as one big lump; chunk it out to keep it from being overwhelming How it works: an example of one Margot helping a client get her and her children's mementos out of the Lululemon bags and into acid-free folders and archival boxes Start getting the physical artifacts in order before digitizing anything Margot is digitizing, annotating, and posting the 1940 love letters of her grandparents; the interplay of letters, photos, and research starts with getting things organized On recognizing the value of history and the historical artifacts; you need to reach a certain age before you appreciate family history. Organize what you have and keep it preserved for future generations, even if the teenagers show no interest now! Keeping it organized gives more insurance that it won’t end up in the trash On hearing the dreaded: “I know my child isn’t going to want this material.” Don't throw it away; give them a change to decide if and what they want to keep (hint: it'll be more than you think!) Be kind to your descendants: provide captions for your photos Use full names on captions, e.g. "Joyce Smith," not "Aunt Joyce" On working with letters and scrapbooks, and the surprising dangers of newsprint Decide on an order of organization (and what that means!)
Tips on storing archival materials:
Take them out of harm’s way; get them out of the attic, shed, garage, and basement storage, or anyplace with fluctuation in temperature and humidity Don’t get fixated on the details of individual items, think in terms of groups. What are the big buckets you can sort your material into? Think of high level groupings. Keep the original order (and what that means) don’t worry about getting rid of duplicates; it’s probably not worth your time. Get things in their group and then start looking at it in a more granular level Best place to store family archives: interior closets, like a bedroom or linen closet If you don't know what kind of supplies you need, start at the Container Store, which has a section with archival boxes and folders and even garment bags for things like old christening gowns. Do not use old plastic containers or old cardboard boxes because of chemicals and off-gassing A great preservation retailer: Gaylord Archival Look for products that are acid-free and lignin-free
What is a finding aid?
Create a document to itemize what you have in each box; this is your finding aid The finding aid gives an overview of the materials you have and how they’re organized Finding aids act as a map of where things are and can be especially helpful when materials are spread among relatives
What if my client is overwhelmed?
When to bring in a professional archivist People love to save things, but they don’t usually think about the order i...
Photo by David Travis on Unsplash What the initial sales call should look like (but didn't) In episode 7, I talked about what an ideal initial sales call looks like, everything from the planning session to the sales conversation to the review afterwards. Today I’m going to dissect an actual sales call I went on and show you what worked, what didn’t, and how I can modify for my next sales call. Okay, to set the stage: A few weeks ago an 86-year old woman--we'll call her Miss X--contacted me about writing her life story, and we scheduled one of my free initial consultations. But on the morning of our appointment, I cancelled because of an ice storm. Well, sort of. There was a big ice storm and my daughter’s school was closed. And I’d been working way too hard. So when I got the early-morning text that daughter had the day off, I made a snap decision to give myself a snow day too. I NEVER cancel appointments with my clients or potential clients. But I did that day. Because my youngest is a high school senior and I’m getting a little wigged out about her moving away to college in a few months. So I made the executive decision to take the day off—and make it a movie day with her. We drove (yeah, see why I’m still feeling guilty?) to a big multiplex theater and saw THREE movies. Best day I’ve had in a long time!! My next not-so-professional semi-mess-up was not rescheduling right away, mostly because I’m working on so many books at the moment that I wasn’t all that excited about adding another. I did try to call Miss X to reschedule, but only once, and her answering machine was full, so I couldn’t leave a message. However, she called me a week later and we got it scheduled. Still, I knew I hadn’t treated her with the professional courtesy she deserved. Promptly returning phone calls and emails is definitely something I have to work on. Okay, on with the review. I’ve always been pretty good about entering dates on a calendar; where I fall down is checking the calendar. My kids tell me I’m a great mom but on paper I stink; that's because of all the doctor appointments and teacher conferences I've missed. Obviously, this had to change when I went into business for myself. But it hasn’t been easy. Even a great tool —I use the calendar app Fantastical 2 for Mac—is worthless unless you use it. So one thing I’ve done is to set up alerts. I get a pop-up message (okay, usually more than one because one is too easy for me to ignore and/or forget about) on my phone, my laptop, and my desktop for each appointment I make. For initial sales calls, I have it set up to remind me an hour in advance (plus the night before, and at the time I need to leave the house, and...). Because an hour, I’ve determined, is plenty of time to get ready for one of these sales calls. Have you heard of Parkinson’s Law? A task expands to fill the time you allot to complete it. If I gave myself a couple hours to prepare, I’d take it, and that would be less billable time to work on other projects. So restricting myself, in my schedule, is a good thing for me. Except that this time, it barely worked. Because what I hadn't remembered until an hour before my appointment with Miss X was that I needed to print out copies of my service agreement. And somehow my printer, that sadistic, whirring hulk of machinery, always goes fritz-y on me when I most need it. Can I take just a moment to say how much I HATE printers?? They work when you least need them to. Otherwise, it’s all “Printer not connected”! Until that point, I was feeling pretty happy with myself. I’d managed to clean myself up, dress in my business clothes, do a mental run-through of questions I wanted to ask Miss X and points I wanted to cover, and gather most of what I needed to bring to the call. I managed not to smack the printer and it managed to spit out the papers I needed, and I flew out of the house. I was leaving just a few minutes late but a whole lot flustered. Especially when I saw my car.
Photo by Haley Phelps on Unsplash What the initial sales call should look like Today I want to talk to you about how to make the most of your initial sales call, that all important meeting that will either get you that new project, or won't. This is going to be a two-parter. In this first episode, I’ll talk to you about what goes into making that initial sales call; in part two, I’ll do a review of an actual sales call I went on, to show you what it looks like in practice. And show you what I did right and where I messed up! (In this case, I committed a huge gaffe before I even got in the door!) I always like to do a review of these personal history sales calls for a few reasons:
Reviewing these meetings after they happen allows me to figure out what’s working, what not, and how I can modify the sales conversation the next time I meet a potential new client. This review has become an indispensable part of my process. Plan—Act—Review—Modify I don’t just run through it in my head. I take notes. I have a folder on my computer called Inquiries, and start a new document for each person who reaches out to me, and I save it with their name and the date they contacted me. Then, after each subsequent contact—an email or a phone conversation—I take notes. They’re messy and full of the details the person has told me—why they want to do a life story, how they found me, but also the random pieces of info about their family or their life, the kernels that will develop into the stories in the book. Also random comments about them, which is pretty often This lady is so sweet! Or quiet man, seems thoughtful—hints that will help me when I sit down to interview them should they hire me.
I do this for every inquiry. Then, after I sit down with them in person—the actual sales call—I go back and take more notes. EVEN WHEN THEY DON’T HIRE ME. Why? Because it they call back in a year or three—and trust me, this will definitely happens with some inquiries—I can review my notes and catch up on what we talked about. It's helpful to me and gives them a sense of connection—that they’ve been heard. In today's episode, I'm going to describe how I think my initial sales call should go; in the next episode, you'll hear me dissect what actually happened on a call I made this week.
Stage 1: Preparation This falls under the “planning” stage. And honestly, it’s one of my weak spots, because I’m not a planner by nature. But it just feels better when things go right, and I’m upping my chances considerably if I force my monkey brain to try to be systematic about it—to plan ahead. Ugh. Okay, so it’s got to be done, and building a system helps me make that happen.
First step: gather what I need to bring with me.
My nice leather portfolio, with pockets for:
my business card (which I inevitably forget to give to the prospective client—see why I need to keep reviewing my process??) my presentation folder. If anyone’s interested, I can do a later post about what I have in this presentation folder—but just briefly, it’s about 15-20 pages (on nice paper and comb-bound) with sections for a description of my process, some testimonials, and some excerpts from books I’ve done. Even if you have all this on your website, don’t assume a potential client has seen it. And even if they have, giving them something tangible that they’ll later see lying on their desk or the kitchen counter is only going to help remind them about you and your service. a brochure—I’m getting away from doing these; they don’t seem to be a very current way of marketing our services. a pen—duh!! Don’t even ask me how embarrassing it is to come as a professional writer, then have to borrow a pen! two blank Professional Services Agreement forms (what I use instead of contracts); if they’re ready to sign on immediately, I want to have the forms at the ready. I didn’t used to do this—it somehow seemed a little rude—which just shows how little business sense ...
Dhyan Atkinson Meet marketing guru Dhyan Atkinson New York Times-featured marketing guru Dhyan Atkinson studied psychotherapy for six years before opening her own practice and realizing she needed more than excellent skills to grow a business: She needed to learn how to find clients. After studying all she could about marketing and selling, her newly acquired skills converged with her interest in family history and life stories to create a new passion, a business and marketing consultancy specifically tailored to the needs of personal historians. Want a free copy of Dhyan's Five Essential Skills to Find New Clients? Click here. Here are a few highlights from today’s episode with marketing guru Dhyan Atkinson:
how her background in psychotherapy has equipped Dhyan to teach marketing skills to personal historians how learning the skills isn't enough; you have to put them into action start by tackling the things that scare you learn about Dhyan’s Five Essential Skills to Find Your Clients don't jump straight into marketing; work on the basics first the difference between selling a furnace and a personal history what to talk about first in your initial sales conversation guiding the interview with your storyteller from head conversations to heart conversations the importance of strategic planning and organizing your time the danger of task-switching and the importance of giving your mind the breaks it needs investing in training to learn the business skills you need having the courage to start your own business your message shouldn’t be what you do for your clients, but why your clients hire you: what do you do for them? identifying your ideal target clients most personal historians are marketing-averse, and why they need to get over it a challenge: set the goal that 200 people a month are going to hear about your business; now brainstorm how what is your marketing equation? and much more.
The best part is, Dhyan is gearing up for a new teleclass bootcamp to teach you how to find your personal history clients. Click here for more info.
Want a free copy of Dhyan's Five Essential Skills to Find New Clients? Click here.
You can reach Dhyan Atkinson and find out about her services, including her upcoming boot camp teleclass, at memorysaving.com.
Ghostwriter Tim Vandehey
Meet Tim Vandehey, ghostwriter extraordinaire. Over his fifteen year career, he's written 55 books for his client-authors—and a couple of his own. He's hit the New York Times bestseller list, and one of his books recently won a coveted Axiom award. Join us as we discuss how his practices and procedures can improve our own work when writing legacy stories for our clients. What is ghostwriting? It’s a hidden economy, but Tim estimates that 80% of the nonfiction titles you see on bookstore shelves are ghostwritten or co-written. The more famous the person, the more likely their book is ghostwritten (except, of course, if the person is famous because he or she is a writer).
On saying yes to an opportunity, even when you haven’t done anything like it before. Tim went from a career in copywriting to being an author of 55 books and counting. His training in journalism made it a smooth, natural transition, because with ghostwriting, as with journalism, you need to enjoy telling people’s stories. How one referral led to another, including work he did for Mark Victor Hansen, creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. The difference between personal history and ghostwriting: the readership for personal history projects is family and friends; for ghostwriters, it’s the wider public. But we’re both trying to write a compelling story in someone else’s voice. A lot of writers have the skill to be a personal historian or a ghostwriter, but they can’t set aside their ego. To do either well, you have bring a sense of service to the project, have a higher purpose than getting your name on book (sometimes Tim is credited, sometimes not). You need to suppress your ego and take pleasure in telling other people’s stories.
On getting the writer’s voice in ghostwritten books (hint: it’s tricky!) The authors think you’ll come up with a voice that reflects how the speak or write today. They don’t want that, but they don’t know it. What Tim tries to do is come up with an idealized version of their voice. To get to know their values and stories, but not to mimic their voice patterns. It’s a matter of craft and practice and getting to know the author and why the materials matter to them. My take on voice in a life story book: I try to write in the voice the storyteller would write in if he or she were a writer. Tim ghosts nonfiction books only, most of which are used as a medium to teach something. As such, they rely heavily on structure. Just like a class has a syllabus, a book has to have structure.
Tim’s ghostwriting process:
Step one: phone conversation with the author to talk through concepts and ideas. Tim is always thinking in terms of story. Step two: first outline; what’s the overall concept of the book? What will be its broad structure? This outline runs 4-5 pages or shorter, with bullet points and descriptions. Naming conventions are addressed. The final preliminary outline serves as a blueprint of how the book should be built. Once the author signs off on it, it’s time for the next step. Step three: Face-to-face meetings with the author. Tim does a LOT of traveling! He conducts several days of recorded interviews one time. Step four: Working from the transcripts of the recorded interviews, he creates the comprehensive outline. At 30-40 pages (sometimes longer), it lays out the entire book in bullet points and descriptions. After the author approves, it’s on to the writing phase. Step five: Tim writes the book.
It's all about the outline(s)
How this outlining process can be adapted for doing life history projects. How outlining can help the writer find the scaffolding—the structure—of a book, and how it can take the fear out of a personal historian’s first book-length project. Tim’s work on a book with a three-week deadline, and how the outline is keeping him afloat. The outline for Tim's book Lovability ran 80 pages and was the hardest part of do...
Chad Elliot grew up a shy, home-schooled kid, but that didn’t stop him from becoming Seattle’s preeminent improv coach. In this episode, Chad talks about how he adapts improv techniques to help people improve their communication skills—not just on the stage, but in their personal and professional lives as well. We explore how we can adapt those same lessons to improve our interviewing skills, and what it means to be the best listener for our personal history clients.
Some of the things we cover:
Chad’s childhood and the winding path that brought him to where he is today Tony Robbins, hitchhiking, and ballroom dancing Using dance as a way to break through social fears and to experience the physical power of touch Keith Johnstone’s influential book, Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre Improv and its opportunity for people to be more expressive and better communicators Viola Spolin and letting go of the ego Leveraging the power of Meetups to attract new students and hone your teaching skills (brilliant idea, Chad!)
One of Chad's imrpov classes
Brenda Ueland’s beautiful treatise on the gift of listening to others The main reasons people go into their own heads and stop listening to others Paying attention to the gap between body language and what someone says Establishing a sense of trust as a personal historian working with a new client Using counterintuitive methods to turn off your own limiting filters Story scavenger hunts Taking a lesson from the great interviewer and journalist Cal Fussman Priming your mind, then letting go
To connect with Chad, visit him at seattleimprovclasses.com. And be sure to check out his book, Improv Manifesto: 7 Easy Steps to Confidence, Creativity, and Charisma—Even if You're Shy!
If you like the show, help spread the word by leaving us a review on iTunes.
Thank you!
Photo by John-Mark Kuznietsov on Unsplash Show notes, episode #3 There are two major skills you need for life story writing: writing and interviewing. Today were going to talk about what's probably the more important of the two—interviewing. Setting Choosing the right environment for the interview is crucial. Make sure it's someplace where your storyteller is at ease. (This will usually be in their home, or, occasionally, at their office.) Recording gear and set-up
iPhone or iPad vs dedicated recorders the importance of having a backup recorder optimal placement of the recorders also recommended for your gear kit: extra batteries and an extension cord start the session with the date, name of the storyteller, and interview number
Interview skills
don't expect yourself to be perfect at the beginning the more you practice (on friends, relatives, the barista at your coffee shop...), the better you'll get the advantage of practicing on non-paying people before you take on paying clients the importance of active listening getting the details to bring their stories to life
Show notes, episode #2 Annie Presley is co-author with Christy Howard of the Read This series of guided journals, big, beautiful books that encourage people to gather the practical information of their lives and their personal stories, all under one cover. It’s a different take on legacy projects, something the two authors were inspired to write after one lost a parent at an early age and the other nearly lost one too soon. In this interview, we discuss how the authors are on a mission to change the world, one book at a time. Their first book, Read This When I’m Dead, deals with weighty matters in a fun and irreverent way, adding levity to the difficult end-of-life discussions our culture shies away from.
In this episode, we also talk about:
their target audience of female baby boomers the hunger for stories Annie never knew about her own mother, who died when Annie was just a girl the practical value of gathering data in one place and how it helps family members at the time of a parent’s death how we shouldn’t fear talking about death, and solving the pain point felt by both the elderly and their adult children in addressing the topic and collecting the information obits, the new “selfies” how pets and possessions can be used as a way access and frame life stories the trend for family history and family mission statements Annie and Christy’s innovative approach to marketing their book through presentations, and identifying the clients most likely to benefit from the Read This books (hint: they connect with the same people who can help personal historians reach their target clients) writing in collaboration with a co-author, and the need to take breaks from each other the benefit of having a partner or an outside reader Annie’s conversation with John Grisham—yes, the John Grisham! the need to knock on doors and make phone calls to get in front of the right people beta testing a book club and much more.
It’s a great conversation full of actionable ideas that we can use to grow our business as personal historians. I hope you enjoy listening to Annie as much as I enjoyed speaking to her! Links and resources discussed: Cowork Waldo, I didn't give it more than a brief mention, but this was the coworking office where I rented desk space for a year and a half when my house was too full of kids for me to be productive. Circumstances and my needs have changed, but I can't stress enough the importance of finding a workable work environment if you plan to make personal history your career.
readthis.guru, where you can order all of the Read This books and reach out to Annie and Christie
Createspace.com for print-on-demand book publishing
John Grisham’s A Time to Kill
Reach Annie and Christie at readthis.guru.
Writing life stories, a rewarding career choice. Show notes Thanks for joining me for this early episode of my new Life Story Coach podcast. As a working personal historian, I get the question all the time: "What is personal history?" My overall aim with the show is to create a space for conversation about the field of personal history and life story writing (and making videos and audio), both for people already working as personal historians, and for those of you who may be new to the field. Or maybe you’re just curious, and thinking about shifting into a new career as a full-time writer. What is personal history anyhow? Honestly, most people have never heard of it. Even now, after working for years in the field, I still get a blank look from people when they ask me what I do for a living and I tell them, “personal history.” It’s no wonder, because the term is so ambiguous. Here’s my definition: Personal history is the craft and business of helping people record their life stories and family histories. These legacy projects can take the form of a book, an audio recording, a video, even a website, but the type of life stories I create are books, printed and bound long-form narratives with some images. I write in first person, that is, in the storyteller’s voice. My goal is to capture not only their stories, but also their voice, to create a narrative that they would have written themselves, had they been a writer.
So, who are these storytellers, and why do they want to do a book or other legacy project about their life? And who are they doing it for?
I’ve been asked to speak to many groups and on the topic of what is personal history, and I’ve never yet addressed one where at least someone—usually more than one—had dabbled with writing their life stories. Let me be clear. These aren’t writers groups. These are groups of financial advisors and estate lawyers and businesspeople—people who don’t consider themselves writers, and don’t necessarily have the urge to write. What they do have the urge to do is preserve their memories, to pass along the stories of their lives to their kids and grandkids.
The desire to reminisce and reflect back on our life is a natural part of life, especially as we get older. If you who studied psychology or education, you’ll remember Erik Erikson’s developmental stages—the steps we each pass through in life, stages defined by specific needs relating to our sense of identity, like the baby’s need for nurturing from its parents or the middle-aged, empty-nester’s need for a sense of deeper meaning in life. In later years, the need revolves around reflection, looking back at our lives to find that sense of meaning, to make sense of this long ride of life. The yen for telling stories, of course, isn’t new; after all, we tell stories about ourselves and our experiences all throughout our life. But in the golden years this need sharpens and intensifies. Who benefits? And it’s not just about making sense of our lives for ourselves. It's also about the desire to pass that accumulated wisdom on to the next generations. It’s a way to connect to younger generations, to say, “I get it, the world of my youth was different, let me tell you about ME, not as your parent or grandparent, but about me as a person.” Because all the great stuff an elder has experienced and learned, all the fun times and sadness and challenges and joys? Those are treasures, valuables in the truest sense to pass down to their heirs. Because those people they love today, and the generations who will follow, they will have fun times and sad times and challenging times too, and wouldn’t it be great if they knew how someone upstream in the stream of generations dealt with all that?
People don’t need the research to tell them what a gift it is to leave this is for their kids and grandkids, but it’s there anyhow, study after study that have identified traits like greater resiliency and stronger sense of self-identity among ...