A patient question, then another.
A gentle interviewer asks about the years, the places and the people. It is software, and it says so. They can follow the question or tell something else entirely.
A gift for a parent or grandparent
Give them
their story.
Your mother. Your father. The grandmother who still tells the same three stories at dinner. Give them a gentle way to tell all of them, in their own voice, and a book your family keeps.
US $179 with a printed hardcover, or US $129 digital. The first story is free for anyone, so they can try it before you decide.
Their stories. Their name on the cover.
Illustrative cover design.
See an example digital bookThe stories are already there.
This gives them somewhere to go.
What they get
Someone who asks, and listens, and writes it down.
No typing. No blank page. No app to learn. They open one page, press one button, and talk.
Their words, written down.
Every answer is transcribed and shaped into a story that still sounds like them. A missing name or year stays a question on the page. Nothing is invented.
A book your family keeps.
Stories gather into a digital book: a PDF to share and a Word file to edit or print. Their recorded voice is kept too, and it is yours to download.
What it costs
US $179 with a printed hardcover, or US $129 digital.
The book
Twenty hours of recording, at their pace. Every word transcribed and written up. The PDF and Word downloads. Their voice, kept. With the printed edition, a 6 by 9 inch hardcover posted to you when the stories are finished.Any applicable tax is shown before payment. There is no subscription attached to a gift.
The first story is free
Anyone can record up to 30 minutes and read one written story without paying anything. If you would rather they try it first, set up their story now and buy the book when you have seen the first one.
Why a gift code
It arrives when you want it to.
- You choose the moment. The code sits in a card until Christmas morning, a birthday, or a Sunday lunch.
- They stay in charge. The story is set up in their name. They decide what to tell and what to leave out.
- You can help. Set it up together on your phone or tablet. Most people record their first story the same afternoon.
- Two years to use it. A gift code stays valid for two years from the day you buy it.
How a gift works
Four steps, and you can do the third one for them.
- 1
Buy a gift code below. We email it to you within a few minutes, with a card you can print or forward.
- 2
Give it however you like. In a card on the day. In a text. Read aloud over the phone.
- 3
Set up their story. Go to worththetelling.com/start, add their name, and type the code where it says Gift code. Sit with them for this part if you can.
- 4
They talk. The book grows. You can read every story as it lands, fill in a missing detail, and download the book whenever you like.
What it is not
So there are no surprises on the day.
Not printed until it is finished.
The hardcover is printed once the stories are told and you have checked the book on screen. Then it is posted to you, usually within two weeks.
Not a rush order.
Stories take as long as the telling takes. A first story can be finished in an afternoon. A book takes months, and that is the point.
Not a replacement for you.
It gives them a way to be heard between visits. The best first recording is the one you sit beside them for.
Not a medical anything.
It does not test, treat or train memory. It records what they choose to say, and writes it down the way they said it.
Give the book
Buy a gift code.
One payment: US $179 with a printed hardcover, or US $129 digital. The code and a printable card arrive by email. Prefer to set up their story yourself right now?
Set up their story now insteadBefore you buy
Questions families ask us.
They are not comfortable with technology. Will this work?
That is who it is built for. One page, one large button, a spoken question. Set it up on your own phone or tablet, hand it over, and stay for the first story.
What if they already started a free story?
The code works on the story they already have. Reply to your gift email with their name and we will apply it to that story, or type it when you set up a new one.
Who owns the stories and the recordings?
They do, and the family account you manage. Download the audio, the PDF and the Word file at any time. Nothing is sold or shared.
Can I give this to more than one person?
Yes. Each gift code is for one person's book. Buy one code per storyteller.
What if they do not use it?
The code stays valid for two years. If they never start, write to us and we will sort it out with you. We would rather you were treated fairly than keep a payment for a book nobody told.
Tell them you want to hear it.
Their voice, in their words, for the ones who come after.
Give the book, or start their free first story today.