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By StoryTerrace · 4,000+ life stories written
Your life story,
written for you.
Answer questions out loud, on video, or by typing. We turn it into a real memoir and print it as a full-colour hardback with your name on the spine.
4,000+ life stories made into books
How it works
You talk. We do the rest.
No blank page, no writing, nothing technical to learn. You'll be asked good questions — and the answers become a book.
At your pace
Answer the questions.
Choose 10, 20 or 50. Answer out loud, on video, or by typing. Follow-up questions draw out the detail you'd have left out. Nobody hands you a blank page.
You approve everything
We make the book.
First an outline, then style samples to choose the voice that sounds most like you. Change whatever you like. Then the full manuscript, yours to edit or sign off.
Within weeks
Your book arrives.
Add your photographs, choose your cover, and we print it. A full-colour hardback with your name on the spine — and copies for everyone who should have one.
Give the gift of their story
They receive the prompts. You get a finished book of their life stories.
On the day
You give it. They get an invitation.
No blank page, no homework, no deadline to dread. They open a warm invitation to tell their story. With Fondly Interviewed they get a professional interviewer, or with Fondly Told gentle prompts, to draw out their stories.
At their own pace
They just talk.
They answer the questions the way they'd tell it at the table - out loud, in writing, or over a call. And share the photographs as they go. All at their own pace.
Within weeks
The book arrives.
A proper hardback with their name on the spine. Theirs to keep, yours to hand down, with copies for everyone who should have one.
The toolkit
Everything you need to tell it.
No writing, no software to learn — just the tools that turn talking into a book.
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The right questions
Choose 10, 20 or 50 to start — then answer smart follow-ups that draw out the detail you'd have left out. Never a blank page.
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Talk or type, your choice
Answer out loud, record a video, or write — on any device. Most people just talk, the way they'd tell it at the table.
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We create the narrative
Your answers become a real narrative — not a list. You see an outline and style samples in your voice before anything's final.
By StoryTerrace
From the people behind 4,000+ life stories.
Fondly is made by StoryTerrace. The team that has spent over a decade crafting life-story books for families around the world. Same craft, same care. Now at a price for everyone.
10+ years
telling life stories
4,000+
books sold
500+
editors & writers
$5k–$50k
cost of the books we craft for families worldwide
If you can take a call, you can do this.
Talk, type or record on any device. No app to learn, no password to lose.
A professional, one click away.
500+ StoryTerrace writers, editors and designers — ready for the finishing touches whenever you want them.
Simple pricing
Three ways to do it.
Do it yourself with our tools, or have a professional interviewer draw it out of you. Either way, you end up with the book.
Fondly Told
$99
Your life story, narrated in your voice and printed as a full-colour hardback. Everything included.
- The hardback book, designed and printed on archival paper
- 10, 20 or 50 guided prompts, plus smart follow-on questions
- Answer out loud, on video, or in writing
- We create a narrative from your words and documents
- Style samples along the way, so it reads like you — then a full manuscript to review
- You review step by step and add your photos
- Up to 150 pages included
- Affordable extra copies available
Most loved
Fondly Interviewed
$399
The guided memoir. Four hours of interviews with a professional biographer, plus everything in Fondly Told.
- 4 hours of interviews with a professional biographer
- Option to answer questions and add documents in the app
- A 7,500-word or longer manuscript, created for you
- You review, add more text as you see fit, and add your photos
- A hardback book, designed and printed on archival paper
- Up to 200 pages included (manuscript plus your photos)
- Affordable extra copies available
StoryTerrace Classic
From $2,700
Prefer to have it written for you? StoryTerrace's most popular package pairs you with a professional ghostwriter who interviews you and crafts your life story for you.
- An editorial project manager
- A professional ghostwriter, personally matched with you
- Interviews — in person or remote
- Fully written, edited and designed for you
- Provide feedback implemented by your writer
- Hardbound, full-colour printed books
- Specialized in premium memoirs and thought leadership books
What StoryTerrace families say
The book they'll keep.
From the people who've written 4,000+ life stories.
★★★★★
"I'd held my story in my head for 14 years, and finally StoryTerrace brought it to life — in the most beautiful way. The whole process was smooth, encouraging, thoughtful and a real pleasure."
★★★★★
"This was easier than I thought it would be. As someone who struggles to talk about himself, I found myself bringing up memories that had started to fade — and my children enjoyed reading the book."
★★★★★
"Another off the bucket list. Together we produced a marvellous hardback book — my life story, a wonderful gift for my children and grandchildren. Any amendments were quickly sorted."
★★★★★
"Bought this for my grandmother and the book turned out absolutely beautiful. Everyone in the family loved it, and we're already getting more copies printed. The best gift you can give someone you love."
★★★★★
"The support I received through the whole process — my story being captured, and the final printing — was absolutely phenomenal. Every word was put on paper to my total satisfaction."
★★★★★
"The whole process was fantastic. They matched the perfect writer for my grandfather's war diaries, and the books arrived beautifully printed. I'm beyond thrilled. Don't hesitate."
★★★★★
"I wanted my 96-year-old mother to tell her story — she's had an amazing life. She was matched with a lovely, patient writer, and the whole process was so bonding for me, my brother and my mother."
★★★★★
"An exceptional service from beginning to end. We're absolutely thrilled with the result — a book about our mum that we'll treasure forever."
★★★★★
"The writing, the interview experience and the final print quality exceeded all our expectations. We're ordering several more copies to share with the wider family."
Start with one conversation.
Not a book. Not a project. One conversation, and the rest follows from there.
Start your bookFrom the founder
A decade of life stories.
I started StoryTerrace in 2014 because my father nearly didn't get to tell his story — and I realised almost nobody does. Twelve years and more than four thousand life stories later, we've learned exactly what it takes to get a life onto the page: good questions, patient listening, and craft. Fondly is all of that, made simple enough for everyone. The stories were always yours. Now the telling is too.
Start with one conversation.
Not a book. Not a project. One conversation, and the rest follows from there.
Start your bookThe questions
Every life has more stories than it thinks.
A few of the questions that do the asking. Answer the ones you like, skip the ones you don't.
"What's the story of how you met?"
"What was your first job — and your best one?"
"What did your childhood kitchen smell like?"
"What's the hardest decision you ever made?"
"Who was the funniest person in your family?"
"What did you do that your parents never found out about?"
"What's the best advice you were ever given?"
"Which day would you live again, exactly as it was?"
"What was the house you grew up in like?"
"What do you know now that you wish you'd known at thirty?"
"Who do you wish you'd thanked properly?"
"What should your grandchildren know about you?"
The Fondly Memoir
Your life story, made into a book. Everything included.
A properly made hardback — written from your stories, your photographs, your voice.
★★★★★ StoryTerrace rated 4.8 / 5 by 1000s of families
- The hardback book — designed and printed on archival paper
- Guided prompts — talk or type
- Family can add photos and voices
- Your name on the spine
$49.95
30-day money-back guaranteeYour memories are yours — download everything, alwaysOne-time price, not a subscription
Questions
The things people ask first.
And if there's something here we haven't answered, just ask — a real person will reply.
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Do I have to write anything?
No. You can answer out loud, record a video, or type — whichever suits you. Most people just talk. -
Is this just my answers printed out?
No — and this is the main difference. Your answers are raw material, not chapters. They become a narrative that runs front cover to back, in a voice that reads like you. -
How many questions do I answer?
Choose 10, 20 or 50 when you start. Follow-up questions draw out the detail you'd otherwise have left out. -
Do I get to see it before it's printed?
You get an outline and style samples in your voice to choose from, then the full manuscript to review. Change anything you like — nothing is printed until you sign it off. -
How long does it take?
As long as you want it to. There is no deadline. Most people answer over a few weeks, then the book follows within weeks of that. -
Can my family help?
Yes. Invite family and friends to ask you a question, share a story of their own, or send photographs for you to use. -
Can I use writing I already have?
Yes. Upload anything that matters to your story — old writing, speeches, letters, professional material, family history documents. It all feeds the book. -
Who owns my stories and photographs?
You do. Fondly takes no copyright over any of it. You can download your content at any point. If you'd like us to keep it stored after your book is finished, that's $2.99 — and we'll always give you 30 days' notice before closing an account. -
What happens to my recordings once the book is done?
They're yours. Download them, share them with family, or keep them stored with us for $2.99. -
What if I want more help?
Ask for it at any point. Type "human support" and a person picks it up. And because Fondly is made by StoryTerrace, 500+ professional writers, editors and designers are available if you want more support with the finishing touches.