Just picture the look on your father’s face when he unwraps the gift wrap paper to find the finished family history book you had us ghostwrite for him.
Or imagine your grandfather’s smile when he opens his card to find a most memorable message: You’ve engaged for him a personal ghostwriter to capture all those stories he loves to tell (and all the ones he hasn’t yet gotten to).
A memoir, family history, genealogy, or autobiography is truly the gift of a lifetime – one they will never expect and always remember.
How Your Ghostwriter Brings Your Family Stories To Life:
Stories you can’t stop reading.
Our skilled ghostwriters are adept at transforming raw data and historical facts into a captivating narrative that reflects your loved one’s unique journey. With a keen eye for detail and a talent for storytelling, we breathe life into the characters of your loved one’s past, allowing them (and the rest of your family) to connect with their heritage on a personal level.
In person interviews.
Our family historians are more than happy to travel to your loved one to interview them and anyone else necessary to get the information we need. Your ghostwriter will travel to conduct interviews with your family, as well as help organize family documents and historical files.
Forgotten moments remembered.
We lock within the pages of your meticulously crafted book all the treasures of forgotten tales and hidden gems. By conducting extensive research and interviews with your loved one, we bring to light stories that have been buried by time, revealing the triumphs, challenges, and everyday moments that have shaped your loved one’s identity.
Families brought together.
A book is a gift for the whole family. Family members can help contribute memories, photos, article clippings, and questions for other family members. Our team of experienced genealogists will help you contact any immediate and extended family members you’d like to involve in your family history project.
Traditions preserved.
We ensure that your loved one’s book includes all the customs and traditions from past generations, which may include specific ways of celebrating holidays, or perhaps family recipes or even rituals and ceremonies.
Beautiful design and presentation.
We also include photographs, newspaper clippings, documents, and other memorabilia that further enhance the reading experience. Then we work with skilled and experienced publishers to package it all in a professionally designed and bound format. The final product is a visually stunning keepsake.
Full genealogy services.
If you would like to combine your family history gift with a family tree, we can provide full genealogy services, including online and offline research. We’ve traveled the world to find facts and information stored in obscure locations, like village church records in Germany, Scotland, and The Netherlands dating back hundreds of years.
Choose From 10 Popular Gifts or Create Your Own
We’ll help you choose the format that’s best suited to your needs, whether you want to tell one person’s story or dig deep into past generations.
We’ve listed below just a few ideas, but feel free to come up with your own.
1. Autobiographies and Memoirs – Their Story in Their Own Words
Perhaps our most popular option, we can capture your loved one’s own life story. Choose from traditional formats such as a memoir that reflects on a significant life theme or event, or a comprehensive autobiography that captures their memories from childhood until present day.
2. Oral History Compilation – An Experience for the Whole Family
The time to capture your family stories is now. Don’t wait to gather the memories and voices of your loved ones. We’ll help you collect and transcribe oral histories to preserve the “living voice” of each person who has contributed to making your family what it is today. Add photographs, supporting historical material, and scrapbook-style nostalgia for a stunning final piece.
3. A Family Cookbook – The Taste-ful Gift
Is your recipient a fervent foodie, or a professional or home chef? Are they known for whipping up wonderful dishes for family and friends, then being asked for their recipes?
If so, a personal cookbook that combines their delectable recipes with shared memories, anecdotes, and photos could be the perfect gift. We’ll blend those ingredients and present them in a book as beautiful as a fine table setting.
4. Narrative, Regional and Ethnic Family History – A Journey Through Time
Narrative family history books tell the story of your loved one’s family starting with the earliest known ancestors and progresses through the generations. This type of book includes stories, anecdotes, and historical context, making for a compelling — and often surprising — read.
We also collect and transcribe oral histories and interviews conducted with family members to preserve the “voice” of your loved one and others. These publications usually also include photographs and other supporting historical materials.
5. Family Business History – An Enterprising Legacy
Did your loved one found a business legacy? Does your family run a business? Trace the accomplishments and challenges that paved the way for today’s successes. Filled with interviews, photographs, business documents, news clippings, and other information, it will become an inspiration for family members down the line.
6. Genealogy Gift Books — A Gift for Generations
These books trace the history, lineage, and relationships of a particular family or group of families. They generally include a variety of information related to family ancestry, including names, dates of birth and death, marriages, and other significant life events. These books may also include photographs, historical documents, maps, and other relevant materials that provide context and enhance the understanding of your loved one’s family history.
7. Family Trees – An Heirloom to Display
After tracking down your loved ones’ ancestors and their vital information, our skilled genealogists and creatives can put together a beautiful family tree suitable for printing and framing. A visual reminder of their—and your—heritage. This is a truly unique gift for your family, one that will keep giving for years to come.
8. Ancestral Travel Tours – The Book That Is Also a Vacation
Imagine literally tracing your family’s footsteps with the help of a certified international tour manager. We’ll use our genealogical expertise to research your family’s history and create a travel itinerary that provides historical context and travel recommendations to become a valuable and highly personal resource for those interested in physically exploring their heritage.
Are you interested in visiting archives and digging into old books yourself? We also offer a great service where we travel with our clients to their ancestral homes, towns, cities, regions, and countries, and take them on a historic tour while describing our research process.
9. Heirloom Catalog – The Most Treasured Gift
If your family has a large collection of heirlooms, such as jewelry, antiques, and fine art pieces, or they are keen collectors of other significant objects, we can draft a catalog-style book that documents and describes each item, including the historical significance and stories associated with each heirloom or collectable.
10. Medical Triumphs – Words to Inspire
Has your loved one fought through great medical adversity? Honor their bravery with this one-of-a-kind gift journaling their battle against disease. A great way to help bring something positive from their experience. How have they coped? What has inspired them? What would they like to share with others?
Keepsake Gift: A Fast, Simple, Fun Memory Book
If you’re looking for an effort-light option with a faster turnaround, consider our interview-style keepsake. We capture a record of your loved one’s special memories through personal interviews, so their stories are never lost. Your whole family can get involved in choosing the interview questions. Then, in just three months they’ll be presented with a professionally bound and printed manuscript, complete with photos and layout.
Customer Testimonials
I had previously sent you an email stating how very much pleased I am with the book…but, I am not sure whether I fully expressed it. Frankly, the writing of the book is simply outstanding! You and your team have done a wonderful job of creating a very readable and interesting book! I just can’t believe how it is all coming together.
What you came up with was very, very good. When Ray told me you were the best, I thought he was just blowing smoke (he does that a lot you know), but you really do a quality professional job. I have enjoyed working with you!
Once I started reading Kevin’s story, I couldn’t put it down. Though I knew him personally, I did not know all the struggles he faced on a day to day basis. This is a story of love, courage, faith, and an incredible warrior.
I’ve had so much positive feedback and response, from the great job that you did. As a matter of fact, I have been nominated for the Georgia Music Hall Of Fame! It was well worth the time and effort!”
We are very pleased with the stories you did for us, and it has been a pleasure doing business with your company. We have other books planned, and we will certainly be in touch with you for additional work. In the meantime, please know how much we appreciate everything.”
About The Writers For Hire, Inc.
Our team of experienced ghostwriters and family historians has written more than 30 nonfiction books and autobiographies. Not only are our team members talented storytellers, they’re also skilled interviewers who understand the nuances of writing for someone else.
The Season of Giving is Now
At The Writers For Hire, we can help you give your loved ones the ultimate gift – a personalized ghostwritten book that captures precious memories, historical events, and the rich tapestry of your loved one’s heritage.
So, don’t settle for an ordinary gift. Give that special someone in your life the gift of a professionally ghostwritten book crafted by our amazing, expert team of genealogists, historians, and writers at The Writers For Hire.