Skip to main content

Frequently Asked Questions About No Story Lost

You're interested in a No Story Lost project as a gift for your parent or grandparent - or even for your own life story! Below you'll find answers to our most popular questions when it comes to recording memories and creating our photo story books.

  

Who is No Story Lost?

Hello!

Our Co-Founders, Andrew and Jeremy, are cousins. A few years ago Andrew and Jeremy realized that their parents and grandparents weren’t going to be around forever, and they wanted to write down their stories, memories & advice.

They knew they had something special on their hands when they printed beautiful coffee-table books for their own families. Though most families had the thought of doing this, they realized that almost nobody took the time to actually sit down and do it. Once it’s done, it’s amazing to have… and it was a lot of work to do it alone!

They lead our team of people who are passionate about capturing families’ stories, memories and advice.

We've assembled an incredibly talented team of interviewers, transcriptionists, writers and designers to make beautiful books filled with your own loved ones’ stories, memories and advice.

What do you do?

We interview your loved one, and record the conversations. Then we produce a beautiful coffee table book full of their stories, advice, photos, and quotes.

Our proven Narrative-Centered Questions Process uncovers your parent's best memories - including stories you've never heard before. We produce a collection of your loved ones’ best stories, memories and advice.

Our books are written in the style and tone that our storytellers speak. When you read your No Story Lost project, you can almost hear your loved one’s voice – reading it will make you feel like they are right there telling you all their amazing stories.

How involved am I in the process?

Our process if flexible and you can be as involved or hands-off as you wish! With that said, there are three things we ask from all clients to ensure the project is a success:

→ A quick Welcome Call with our Project Coordinator to discuss how we can make your project perfect.
→ You’ll have a chance to approve the written content and design before we go to print. This is a great time to check things like names and dates. You can also suggest any edits or changes you’d like to see.
→ Photos! We’ll have you supply us with digital copies of old family photos to go into your book.

If you’d like to get more involved there are a few ways we can make that happen:
→ you can join your parent or loved one to listen in on their interviews.
→ you can make more detailed edits to the writing before it goes to print
→ you can contribute extra written content or even do an interview yourself for the project.

Can I see some sample questions?

You bet - see here to sign up and get our our free sample questions.

Can I see some finished books?

Yes! Please sign up here and you'll get instant access to our sample books.

How many copies are included? Can I order extra copies of my book?

Each of our project packages includes one Premium Book.

Extra copies of our Premium hardcover books cost $100 USD each, and our Basic books cost $50 USD. You can make the decisions regarding how many books to order once your project is done.

This video explains the difference between our two book styles:

Do I own the book? Can I publish and sell my book?

You have the rights to the book for personal use. If you would like to publish and sell your book or use it for other commercial projects, please let us know during the Welcome Call and we will provide additional paperwork to transfer the commercial rights to your book, and release No Story Lost from legal liability.

How It Works

What’s involved? Can you break down the process in more detail for me?

Of course!

1. You purchase whichever package suits you best from our Ordering Page.

2. Once you purchase, you'll receive an email with a link to schedule your Welcome Call. During the Welcome Call, we'll go over the process in more detail and answer any questions you have. And, we’ll learn more about what you’d like for your project – stories we must ask about, anything we shouldn’t ask about, etc.

3. We schedule and complete interviews with your loved one. Then we transcribe and edit the writing to turn it into a beautifully flowing story.

4. You provide photos you’d like included in your book, and then look over your project before we print. You can make any adjustment and edits you’d like. Once it’s perfect, give us the green light and we’ll print it!

5. Lastly, we’ll deliver your coffee table book to your doorstep!

But what if my loved one isn’t into it? What if they are reserved, nervous, stubborn or apprehensive about it?

Yep, we get it! One of our first clients was our friend, Stef. Her Dad said he didn’t want to do it. Full stop. Talk to someone he didn’t know about his life? No thank you. But she told him he’d be doing it for Stef and for his future grandkids. That sure got him. He changed his tune pretty quickly! Her dad ended up loving the interviews and now couldn’t be happier with his book :)

Parents and grandparents often need to hear how meaningful this book will be for their kids and grandkids (and future generations). Let us know if you’d like more advice - we're happy to chat (you can use the chat button in the bottom right of this screen, or email us at hello@nostorylost.com)

Who is the ideal Storyteller?

Anyone you love and whose stories you want captured!

If your loved one has memory issues, is hard of hearing, or has another complication, feel free to reach out and we can explore how to make things work. A great solution we do commonly is to have you or another family member join for the interviews to help relay questions clearly to the Storyteller. Another option is our interviews can be done with loved ones talking and reminiscing about the Storyteller, instead of directly with the Storyteller.

My loved one has passed away. Can you still do a project to help us remember them?

Yes! We do Memorial Books, where we interview a few people who knew your loved one to get their stories and memories. We try to get a diverse group of people involved - maybe a spouse, a child or two, a grandchild and a personal friend or old co-worker. These are a beautiful way to remember someone who has already passed away, and makes an incredible gift to their spouse or family.

Do you do in-person interviews?

Unfortunately, we aren’t set up to do in-person interviews. All of our interviews take place over the phone, or online video call if you prefer.

Do you only allow one storyteller per book? Or is there an option to have two people interviewed for one book?

You bet! We allow two storytellers per book if their lives are intertwined. We often do books for married couples, which works great. The Storytellers can do their interviews at the same time for some back-and-forth, or they can be separate for their interviews - or a mix of both! This is available on projects with 4+ total interviews, and there's an upgrade charge due to the increased complexity of joining two stories together.

How fast can you complete a book?

From the time you order a project, we can have your book shipped to you in 8 weeks. This relies on you and the Storyteller having some availability for the Welcome Call and Interviews, and providing photos in a timely manner.

If your loved one is sick and time is of the essence, know that we can usually have all the interviews completed the week you order your project. From there, you can relax, knowing that their memories and stories are safe forever. If this is the case, please send us an email when you make your order, letting us know it is an urgent timeline.

Do you offer a card for me to give to a loved one as a gift?

The moment you order, you will receive a Welcome Email from us, which includes a Printable Card that you can give to your loved one as a gift. The card explains what No Story Lost is and outlines the process to create a beautiful book of someone’s stories. This makes No Story Lost a perfect last-minute-gift!

If you have a more time, you can let us know during your Welcome Call that you’d like a professionally printed card shipped to you, and you can give this to your loved one to tell them about their book project.

Do you support multiple languages?

Not yet, sorry! For now, we only do interviews in English.

Can I add or include old recordings?

Yes! We can include any recordings you provide as if it were interview content - it will be transcribed, edited, and worked into the story seamlessly. We will reduce the amount of interviewing included in your project by the number of minutes of recorded audio you give us.

What if someone has written work they wish to have included in their book?

We have two options:

1) We can place it, unedited, in an appendix for a nominal fee which will cover the increased printing cost.

2) We can have our team include it as if it was interview content - it will be studied, edited, and worked in seamlessly. In this case, we’ll charge for increased interview time, or reduce the amount of interviewing we can offer. For every 6000 words of written content we’re given to process, we’ll use up one hour of interviewing time.

Oops! The Storyteller missed their interview.

We know that life happens, so we’ll happily reschedule the first missed interview.

The second no-show will result in a $50 fee. This is designed to respect everyone’s time and energy.

Shipping and Returns

Is shipping included?

Yes! Shipping is included anywhere within Canada and the United States. If you live elsewhere, we will charge a nominal extra fee, which is calculated at checkout.

What’s your refund policy?

No Story lost is 100% risk free. To help reinforce this, we created our “Happy Tears Guarantee” - your family will be so happy that they could cry happy tears. If not, we'll make it right or refund your money.

Customer Service

How can I talk to a human?

Reach out to us at 💌 hello@nostorylost.com

Your Cart

Your cart is currently empty.
Click here to continue shopping.