Most people have never even heard of the term “personal historian.” That’s not because preserving their stories for the next generation doesn’t matter to them. Nor is it because leaving a legacy hasn’t crossed their minds. It’s merely because as an industry, personal history is still relatively young and hasn’t fully “branded” itself.
That doesn’t negate the fact that there are plenty of professional personal historians out there (myself included) who are eager to help you get your stories down. So whether you are searching for a personal historian, a ghostwriter, an oral historian specializing in family history, a video biographer, or just an experienced interviewer to capture your stories, here are three simple steps to finding the right match for you.
1 - Determine what you would like your end-product to be.
Do you dream of a feature-length film about your life? A series of short video clips highlighting various aspects of your life?
Or would you prefer a book? And if so, what kind—a primarily narrative biography, a visually compelling coffee table book, or a brief volume about your most significant memories?
Maybe you want to hone in on one specific experience or time period from your life (your war years, say, or your experience of becoming a parent). Or would you rather broaden the scope of your project to include memories from other family members or stories from your genealogy research?
Knowing what you’d like to accomplish will help you choose a personal historian who can best cater to your needs. You don’t have to be exact (it’s a professional’s job to help you shape your project, after all), but having some sense of what you’d like to accomplish during the process will be incredibly helpful.
2 - Consider your budget.
I am willing to bet you have NO IDEA what a personal history project should cost. How could you? Unlike shopping for clothes or a car, you likely have no precedent.
Get this: When I first transitioned from being a magazine editor to a personal historian, I too had no idea what to charge. My early projects took way longer than I had initially estimated, and surprise charges crept up here and there that I hadn’t accounted for. It took me years of cataloguing my time and fees on actual personal history projects to feel confident in my rates and to be able to accurately estimate how long a project would (and should) take.
Complicating matters further is that so many personal historians do not publish their fees on their websites or elsewhere. Part of this is, I think, because each project is so unique and it can be tough to generalize. Part of it, though, I suggest, is that there will inevitably be sticker shock.
Most people I speak with are surprised during initial calls when I first mention broad price ranges (this in spite of the fact that I do list price ranges on my website). And I don’t blame them. How can you know that beyond the one-on-one interviews that you will be participating in, it takes hours of interview prep, transcription, editing, design, image optimization, and more expert-level work to produce your final product?
Here’s what I suggest, then: Go into your search for a personal historian knowing that you are making an investment in your legacy—and that investment is likely to start at $1,500 and could go up to $60,000 or more.
Ask lots of questions:
Do you work on a project fee?
What if I want to add more interview hours?
What will my book look like? (Or, how will my video be delivered?).
How many revisions does the fee include?
Is there a word limit or a cap to the number of photos I may include?
Personal history projects are a lot like family vacations: You can choose to road-trip to the next state and stay in a camper or you can travel the world with a personal concierge who guides you on one-on-one tours and to luxury accommodations. Neither approach is wrong; they merely speak to different people at different times in their lives. You’ll be making memories and seeing new places in either case.
It’s the knowing that matters. By asking questions and being specific about your end goals and about the type of journey you would like to take, you will be able to best discern a total cost for your personal history project.
One last tip: If this is a gift for a family elder or a project that your whole family will benefit from, consider asking relatives to chip in for the cost. Whether they simply pay for the production costs for additional books for themselves or they contribute significantly to the project fee will depend upon your situation, but it never hurts to ask!
3 - Talk to your top personal historian candidates.
It might seem obvious to hire the personal historian who came in with the lowest cost estimate—and if budget is your primary concern, then indeed that may be the way to go. But I would also argue that finding a personal historian who meshes with you—with whom you have an easy rapport, with whom you feel comfortable enough to delve deep into your memories sans judgment—is equally important.
Remember: During your interviews (or writing sessions) you will be getting personal. You’ll be sharing stories that matter immensely to you—often those will be joyful and sometimes they will be difficult. In either case, you want to feel supported and like you are talking to an engaged listener. You want someone who can steer the conversation to keep you on track, but also be willing to encourage you to go off on tangents when they seem worthwhile.
Think about what’s most important to you in an interviewer. Is it their level of experience? Their cultural background (I have interviewed Holocaust survivors, for example, but referred others who felt more comfortable talking with someone who was raised Jewish to colleagues who shared that background).
Often you won’t know what exactly is most important to you in a personal historian, but you’ll feel it. That’s why talking to them—either in an exploratory meeting or during a trial interview session—is so critical, in my opinion. Go with your gut.
Would you like a personal historian to reach out to you to discuss what type of project you have in mind? Fill out this quick form and we’ll be in touch promptly.
Would you like to get a sense of the basic steps to creating a personal history book from your life experiences? Read How to Plan Your Life Story Book in 3 Simple Steps on my blog, or reach out to me any time to chat about your dream project.
Dawn Roode, a personal historian based in northern New Jersey, helps families and family-run businesses preserve their legacies in bespoke coffee table books.