FAQs

If you don’t find the question and/or answer you are looking for here, please chat with us on weekdays between 9 am and 6 pm PST or get in touch with us through the contact link in the menu above. Fill out the contact form with your information and question(s) or, if you’d prefer, write us an e-mail, call us or chat with us by clicking on the chat system at the bottom of any page. We would love to hear your story and explain how we can help you get started making your own book alongside one of our writers today!

The experience of having your stories professionally written is still unique to most and we welcome the opportunity to talk personally with each customer in order to address any individual questions.

We try our best to respond to any inquiry within one or two business days, so please leave us with the appropriate contact information and we will respond as soon as possible.

Your story is more important than you may realize and is certainly suited for a book. Contact us and we can discuss how best to begin the process with your story!

We have StoryTerrace offices in both Los Angeles and London, providing local writers across the USA, United Kingdom and around the world.

You have complete control over the content of your book. We provide professional writing and editing but you will always have the final say. Have a look at our website for more information about the writing process.

We aim to finish all projects within 4-7 months which should give you, the writer and project editor plenty of time to complete your book. You can take up to 9 months in case of planned or unplanned delays. If your project takes longer than 9 months to complete it will be subject to extension fees.

Always!

While our questionnaire helps you to bring back memories and decide which stories, anecdotes, and turning points to focus on, it is also possible to create a book based solely on the interviews conducted by your writer.

If you have already written a few chapters or your entire book, one of our editors/writers can help you finish and add a professional touch. Please give us a call or send your work to [email protected] for our US office or [email protected] if you wish to speak to our UK office, and we’ll suggest a plan and quote a price for creating your book.

The cover of your story should fit you, so we provide different options to appeal to different tastes. Whether you prefer a personal photo as your cover or a custom illustration by one of our artists we can find an option that suits you. Talk to us about your ideas and we can find a way to make your cover help tell your story!

The time you spend on your story outside of the interview process depends on you. Some people want to spend more time on their questionnaires in order to capture more memories and details. Depending on your chosen package, you’ll need to scan and send between 20 and 40 images to us to go alongside your story.

Your own professional writer will prepare and conduct the interview(s). Depending on the length of your book, the interview(s) last around 3-4 hours for a Compact package, around 5-6 hours across two sessions for a Complete, or up to 10 hours as part of the Novella package. You can always add additional interview sessions at extra cost.

If you must miss your scheduled interview because of a personal or medical emergency, you can notify your project editor and writer as soon as possible. Missing a scheduled interview without notice will result in 1 interview hour from your purchased package being 'spent'.

While it is possible to allow family members to participate in the interview process, it may require more of the writer’s time and can increase the cost of your book.

We will work with you to find the perfect writer for your story based on your preferences. You can learn about a few of our writers before making a final decision.

We have over 400 writers working with us across the USA and United Kingdom - but if we don’t have the perfect fit in your area we’ll start a writer search and find someone right for you.

While most of our writers can be found on our website, we are constantly seeking new talent to add to our selection, so we can’t guarantee that every single writer will be on there.

We have 3 levels of writers: Critically Acclaimed, Senior and Junior. Critically Acclaimed writers are very experienced with extensive published works, often including books of their own. Senior Writers have published work and experience, and Junior Writers have less professional experience - but are still fantastic writers!

We’re confident we can find you a perfect match, and we can always reevaluate and look at other possibilities if you don’t like your writer.

Please send us your work and give us a call to discuss how we can help.

We offer custom products and services and we'd be delighted to discuss the options available to you. Get in touch to speak with a member of our team through our contact page, email, phone or the chat system on the bottom-right corner of the page!

Definitely! Let’s get in touch and talk about the best way to divide your story.

Many customers find that there is actually more to remember than they anticipated. Often customers choose to upgrade to the Complete package when they realize how much there is to remember and capture.

Each package includes four printed copies, but extra copies can be ordered at an additional cost. The cost of extra copies depends on the package you’ve chosen, and the number of copies you want to order. Larger orders, perhaps for sharing with family and friends or colleagues, help to bring down the price per copy. Give us a call and we can give you a quote!

Our books are private documents so we can only send you representative samples. If interested, we have copies at our offices that you can have a look at if you’d like to stop by.

Our writers partner with us for the purpose of writing people’s stories. However, if you have another format for writing personal stories and would like our help, please get in touch here and we will do our best to help. We have experience with custom projects and we'd like to find out more about your needs.

We know that sometimes life gets in the way or things come up unexpectedly. Our goal is always to help you complete your book so if something happens please inform your project editor as soon as possible. You can see in our Terms and Conditions that projects can pause progress for up to 30 days without penalty.

We’re sorry to hear that! If you would like to cancel your project please read our Terms and Conditions to see if you are eligible for a refund. Please contact your project editor directly to start the cancellation process.

After you receive your first proof you have one round of corrections. We advise that you take the time to go through your book and make sure you are happy with it before it goes to print. If you change your mind and would like to have more changes in a further round of revisions, just let your editor know and they can provide you with a quote.

Yes, we can create a book without the participation of the protagonist. If multiple people are interviewed for the benefit of the book, we charge a bit more than the standard packages as this increases the complexity of the project and more interviews are required.

Yes - we can send a standard welcome package to most places for arrival within 48 hours. If you’d like us to create a blank StoryTerrace journal with a personalized photo cover of your friend as part of the welcome package, then we need the photo and a selected title two weeks in advance.

Yes!

Yes! We can help you to self-publish on Amazon. You can read more about our self-publishing packages and additional costs here. Terms and conditions apply.

Our books are private and confidential and are not produced for the public unless otherwise agreed. We do not provide routes into traditional trade publishing.

StoryTerrace shares the copyright of your book with you. If you would like to own the full copyright of your book, just let your editor know and they can sign it over to you free of charge. As sole owner of the copyright, you are free to print or sell copies of your book as you wish.

Unfortunately, we are not able to provide your book with an ISBN, as it is not possible for us to transfer ownership over to you once an ISBN has been purchased by us. If you are interested in selling your book, please read more about our self-publishing packages here. Your book will be automatically assigned an ISBN by Amazon’s KDP platform when purchasing one of our packages, however you also have the option of purchasing your own ISBN and we can then apply it to your book for you. We are happy to help with advice on how to obtain this.

You can pay online, by giving us a call with debit or credit card in hand, or by bank transfer. For customers in communication with the UK office, you can also pay via PayPal. You can find our bank details on the invoice that we’ll send you after learning which package you’d like to purchase.

You can either pay upfront in full, or in installments starting with a 10% deposit.

Yes, shipping costs are included in your package price. The only time you'll have to pay shipping is if you order a large number of extra copies.

Yes, it would even accelerate the process.

If we put a custom agreement in place, for custom projects, our Terms & Conditions will apply. If there is anything else you’d like to agree upon concerning your project, such as the price for a large number of additional copies, then we can do so via email. Following payment, you will receive confirmation of your purchase.

KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing. This is Amazon’s self-publishing platform. It is the best-known and most-used platform of its kind in the world.

IngramSpark is a self-publishing platform and distribution hub through which authors can publish their books and have them distributed worldwide via the Ingram book distributor – to book retailers (including Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, and Apple Books), libraries, schools, and universities.

Once your publishing specialist has uploaded all of the book files, descriptive copy, and metadata to KDP and pressed ‘publish’, Amazon then requires up to 72 hours for their quality assurance checks. If there are any outstanding issues that are flagged during this time, you will receive an email from KDP alerting you to the issue and how to fix it. If you receive an email like this, please forward it on to your publishing specialist who will make the corrections and re-publish the file. If there are no issues flagged by KDP, your book will usually be available well before 72 hours. During the title setup process on IngramSpark, once your publishing specialist clicks the enable button to add distribution services to your book, it can take 2-6 weeks before appearing on retailer websites or on a distributor or retailer’s internal ordering system. Depending on the time of year, it can also take less than 2-6 weeks and you may see pieces of information appear and then disappear (depending on the retailer) until the title information and cover are fully uploaded onto websites. For more information about where IngramSpark distributes your book worldwide, please click on this link: https://www.ingramspark.com/how-it-works/distribute#printbookdistributionpartners

Both Amazon KDP and IngramSpark require authors to create accounts on each platform. In order to do this, you will need to provide your specialist with an email address, password, and banking details. The banking details are so that any royalties you accrue from sales of your books can be directly deposited into the bank linked to your account. This information is kept confidential. Within five days of your book being published, your personal information is deleted from our system.

Amazon Essential (click here for How It Works 1 pdf) Amazon Plus (click here for How it Works 2 pdf) Platinum Distribution & Marketing (click here for How it Works 3 pdf)

The role of the publishing specialist is to guide you through the self-publishing process. The specialist will set-up your Amazon KDP and IngramSpark accounts before uploading all of the book and cover files, descriptive copy, and your book’s metadata (i.e. keywords and categories). The specialist will be on-hand during the process to answer any questions you might have at any stage. Once your book is published, the specialist will show you how to navigate your Amazon KDP and IngramSpark dashboards so you can keep track of orders and royalties, and know how to order your author copies and how to work with KDP and IngramSpark’s customer service process so you feel empowered to direct any questions you might have through the right channels after the specialist has completed their part of the journey.

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. This is typically the number you see in the bar code on the back of most published books. The ISBN is your book’s unique identification number. It is the number by which most book retailers (including Amazon) inventory your book. KDP provides free ISBNs to customers but these are exclusive to Amazon and cannot be used if you wish to have your book available with other book retailers. We recommend you purchase a packet of 10 ISBNs because it is cheaper to purchase them in bulk than individually. You will need 3 in total – for the ebook, paperback, and hardcover. For clients in the US, please click here for more information and to order: https://www.myidentifiers.com/identify-protect-your-book/isbn/buy-isbn. In the UK, please click here: https://www.nielsenisbnstore.com/Home/Isbn.

Log into your Amazon KDP account: kdp.amazon.com Click the ‘Help’ button Scroll to the bottom of the page and click ‘Contact Us’ Select a category that best describes your question or concern, write your message,, and then click ‘Submit’ Please contact Amazon KDP directly rather than ask your publishing specialist to do this for you. As you are the account owner, it is more expedient to log into your Amazon KDP account and contact customer service directly. Once your specialist has completed the publishing process, s/he will no longer have access to your log-ins as these are private to you.

IngramSpark offers global email support via this link: https://www.ingramspark.com/help. Their response time to queries is usually between 1-2 days, 7 days a week. You will find IngramSpark’s FAQs on this link as well. Please contact IngramSpark directly rather than ask your publishing specialist to do this for you. As you are the account owner, it is more expedient to log into your IngramSpark account and contact customer service directly. Once your specialist has completed the publishing process, s/he will no longer have access to your log-ins as these are private to you.

Royalties are a form of compensation paid to authors as a percentage of their book sales. The specific royalty rate can vary depending on factors like the format of the book (eBook, print, audiobook), the distribution channels, and the pricing strategy. Amazon and IngramSpark each have their own royalty structures. Amazon calculates royalties based on factors like the book's retail (or list) price, delivery costs, and sales region. IngramSpark's royalties depend on the print cost, retail price, and distribution channel. Royalty payments are usually made on a regular schedule, such as monthly or quarterly, but the timing can differ between platforms. It's important to review the terms of each platform and its specific payment schedule to know when you can expect to receive your royalties. Amazon KDP typically sends authors their royalties on a monthly basis. Royalty payments are usually processed and disbursed around the middle of the following month for sales made in the previous month. For example, royalties earned in January would be paid out around the middle of February. However, it's important to note that there might be slight variations in payment schedules based on different regions and currencies. Also, you will need to earn a minimum threshold of royalties before Amazon KDP sends their payment. For most regions, including the United States, this threshold is typically $100 USD. This means that once your royalties from sales on Amazon KDP accumulate to at least $100, they will be eligible for payment in the next payment cycle. If your royalties haven't reached this threshold, they will roll over to the next payment cycle until you reach the minimum payout amount. Keep in mind that payment thresholds might vary depending on the region and currency you're using. IngramSpark generally sends authors their royalties on a quarterly basis. This means that you can expect to receive your royalty payments every three months. The payment schedule is often structured to disburse earnings for sales made during the previous quarter. Keep in mind that specific payment schedules might vary based on factors like sales volume, currency, and the payment method you've chosen. We recommend that you review the details in your IngramSpark account or contact their support for the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding their royalty payment schedule. Please note, authors typically need to earn a minimum amount of royalties before IngramSpark sends their payment. As of September 2021, the minimum payment threshold for IngramSpark is $50 USD. This means that once your royalties from sales on IngramSpark reach or exceed $50, they will be eligible for payment in the next payment cycle. If your royalties haven't reached this threshold, they will roll over to the next payment cycle until you accumulate enough earnings to meet the minimum payout amount. However, payment thresholds and policies can change, so it's advisable to consult the latest information on IngramSpark's website or contact their support for the most up-to-date details regarding their royalty payment requirements.

No, your book will only be distributed to all the online book retailers that get their books from Ingram. However, once your book is fully distributed via IngramSpark’s network, buyers can go into their local bricks and mortar stores and order your book in the store.

Your Amazon KDP book marketing specialist is responsible for three Amazon-focussed book marketing-related activities: 1) setting up a paid Amazon advertising campaign on behalf of your book for a period of 1 to 3 months after your book goes live; 2) recommending and updating Amazon keywords to help make your book more findable for potential readers; and 3) creating Amazon A+ page content. Your marketing specialist will provide you with a report at the end of each month your Amazon ad campaign is running as well as an updated list of keywords and the number of clicks per keyword. In addition, the marketing specialist will advise you on how much you should budget per day towards your ad campaign. The marketing specialist is NOT responsible for press releases, media outreach, social media, or any marketing activity that is not directly related to Amazon.

The single most important thing you can do on behalf of your book is to ask family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances to buy the book from Amazon and write a review. The more reviews you have, the more Amazon takes notice of your book and the more likely its algorithm will kick in to improve the book’s findability to potential readers. Also, if you’re active on social media, don’t be shy about posting about your book with the Amazon link to your followers.

Once your book is published and the project timeline completed, your specialist will schedule a wrap-up call with you to show you how to access and navigate your KDP and IngramSpark dashboards and answer any last remaining questions you may have, If you wish to extend access to your specialist for an additional month, there is an extension fee of £200/$300 for Package #1 (Amazon Essential) clients and a £400/$500 extension fee for Package #2 (Amazon Plus) and Package #3 (Platinum) clients. The higher fee for Packages 2 and 3 is to incorporate the additional marketing support. Within five days of your book going live to the public, your personal login and account details will be deleted from our system and will no longer be accessible to your publishing specialist.

When someone purchases your book through Amazon, it provides essential services that facilitate the sale, printing, distribution, and customer experience. The percentage of earnings that Amazon deducts from your book's sales price is commonly known as a "royalty" or "commission." This deduction covers various costs and benefits: Platform Maintenance: Amazon invests in maintaining and improving the website, infrastructure, security, and customer support that enable buyers to find and purchase your book easily. Marketing and Exposure: Amazon promotes your book through its search algorithms, recommendations, and advertising efforts, increasing its visibility and potential sales. Distribution and Delivery: Amazon handles the logistics of printing and delivering physical copies of your book to customers, ensuring a seamless purchasing experience. Payment Processing: Amazon manages secure payment transactions and processes various payment methods, ensuring both buyers and sellers have a smooth payment experience. Customer Service: Amazon provides customer service to handle inquiries, returns, and other post-purchase issues, enhancing the trust and satisfaction of buyers. Access to Audience: Amazon gives you access to its extensive customer base, making it easier to reach potential readers who might not have found your book otherwise. Digital Services: For digital books, Amazon offers features like Kindle e-readers and apps, as well as cloud-based storage and synchronisation across devices. By taking a percentage of your earnings, Amazon covers these services and operational costs, allowing authors to focus on creating content and reaching a wider audience. It's important to note that the specific percentage Amazon deducts varies based on factors such as the pricing structure, book format (eBook vs. physical book), and the region where the sale occurs.

Yes. You have full control over how you price your book as long as it is priced high enough to cover Amazon’s costs of printing and manufacturing. You can get that information on the KDP site when your book is uploaded for publication. Please note, however, that sometimes Amazon will discount the price of your book without advance notification if the book is already selling well.

From the draft tab in your Bookmaker account, you can add comments by highlighting the text you wish to edit and then clicking on the turquoise comment box that will appear to the right hand side. Then you would add your feedback text to the box and submit it. Please watch the following video for a step by step look: https://www.loom.com/share/1fd07e48704e4a13ac9c690b78cbb94e

From the Photo Uploader tab in your Bookmaker account, you can upload a photo by clicking on the brown upload button at the top righthand side of the photo library. From there a box will open up asking you to upload your photo. You can click anywhere in that box and it will open up a separate box that accesses your computer files, most likely the downloads folder. From there navigate to the photo you wish to upload and click on it. Please watch the following video for a step by step look: https://www.loom.com/share/faa7cddf0b42437aa541179e198befd0

From the Photo Uploader tab in your Bookmaker account, you can edit a photo by choosing the image you wish to edit from your photo library and clicking on it. This will open the photo details box. You would then click on the image which will open up the panel of editing tools. For an in-depth, step by step look at photo editing please watch: https://www.loom.com/share/c964cdbcec6b41939bcdfb28d2e14cd4

From the Photo Uploader tab in your Bookmaker account, you can add or change a caption by first choosing the photo you wish to caption and clicking on it. This will open the photo details box. On the right hand side you will see the open text box labeled Caption. If you click in this box your text cursor will appear and you can type in your caption then click save. Once you have added and saved a caption, to edit it all you must do is return to the photo details box, click into the caption box and alter your text before clicking save. For a step by step look please watch: https://www.loom.com/share/a1af44004925478c8d68292a8a6d778d

From the Photo Uploader tab in your Bookmaker account, you can move or reorder your photos by first going to the photo library. Once there you can click and hold on the photo you wish to move and drag it to the chapter on the left hand side that you want it to appear. Once it has been deposited in the chapter, Bookmaker will refresh and the image will appear there. Repeat this drag and drop process for each photo and all chapters. To reorder photos, simply click and drag the image and move it in front of or behind the photo you wish it to be and the images will reorder. Please watch the following video for a step by step look: https://www.loom.com/share/569de3601930492b83c6736757703b61

In order to create your cover first navigate to the Cover Creation tab in your Bookmaker. From there you will be given the options for template cover designs. Choose the template you wish to use and it will fill the space on the left side. Then you would scroll below the template where you will find a brown upload photo button. Click on this button in order to upload your cover image from your computer. Once the image is uploaded you would go back to the top of the page and click the Cover Text tab. Here you can add your title, subtitle, author name, and your chosen back cover copy. Please watch this video for a step by step look: https://www.loom.com/share/08f3fa752a6142a8aca123f240577562