How to make a life story book for a parent or grandparent
A life story book is a parent’s or grandparent’s memories, written up in their own words and printed as a book. ChatGPT can do the interviewing, and Inkbind prints the result as a 21.6 cm square hardback for £42, delivered in about two weeks.
The stories you’ve heard a hundred times over Sunday lunch are the first ones to go, and you don’t need to be a writer to keep them.
Let ChatGPT do the interviewing
Sit down with your mum, dad, nan or grandad, or ring them, and let ChatGPT lead the interview:
“Interview my grandmother about growing up in Sheffield after the war. Ask one question at a time, follow up on details, and keep her words.”
Type or dictate the answers. An hour gives you more material than you’d expect. Several short sessions work better than one long one; people remember more on the second day, once the first conversation has stirred things up.
Questions that open things up
- What was the house you grew up in like, and who lived there?
- What was your first job, and what did you spend your first wage packet on?
- How did you meet Grandad?
- What were you doing when you were the age I am now?
- What’s something you’ve never told anyone in the family?
Turn the answers into chapters
Ask for one chapter at a time, in the first person and in their voice: “Write chapter 3, the years at the mill, using only what she told me. Don’t add anything.” Then read it back to them and fix what’s wrong. They’ll correct dates and add stories you’d never have thought to ask about. Don’t skip this step. A memoir book for grandparents should sound like them, not like ChatGPT.
Add photos
Scan or photograph old pictures and put one at the start of each chapter. Old prints scanned at 600 dpi are sharp enough to fill the width of a 21.6 cm page. Write a caption with names and the year while someone still knows them.
Memoir printing as a hardback
Ask Inkbind to make the memoir into a book in the same chat, or paste the chapters on our start page. Each chapter starts on its own page, and you check every page in the preview before ordering. A hardback is £42 with delivery, and extra copies for brothers, sisters and cousins are £25 each. Lulu prints UK orders in the UK. If a copy arrives damaged, send a photo within 30 days of delivery and we’ll reprint it free.
A personalised book for grandparents, the other way round
Some families write the book for the grandparents instead: what the grandchildren remember about them, a page each, with a drawing or a photo. It makes a personalised book for grandparents that’s easy to put together for a birthday, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, and it gets read again every Christmas.
Keep it private
Only you, the people you share the edit link with, and the printer see the book. We delete the files 90 days after delivery, so keep your own copy of the text in case anyone wants another book later.