Books of value(s)
Involved together in a code of ethics
What is a ghost-writer? How long does it take to write a book? What cost for writing a book?
Here are our replies to those questions.
On becoming Scribes of memory, besides our method, we agreed to...
... the following commitments:
- Guarantee total discretion when listening to and transcribing the author’s words
- Protect the identity of authors who choose not to be identified
- Place the prestige of our clients before our own
- Refuse to write any slanderous or outrageous texts
- Proceed by transcribing audio-recordings to guarantee the tone and freedom of pace found in the original oral expression
- Deliver a first draft called “trial gallop” to finely adjust the tone and the style of writing which will predominate in the rest of the book
- Offer a great freedom of choice in the frequency and setting for the listening sessions , then in the timescale for the book’s development.
- Grant the possibility of interrupting the writing at any stage of advancement
- Give the possibility to try the autobiographical adventure for a lesser price, by accepting the possibility of a very long writing phase, or by paying in instalments
- Offer a service from A-Z : from the first recording session until the production of a final draft with as many illustrations as you wish, ready to print
- Be open to any possibility of intellectual property rights, particularly the most common situation for a family writer: assignment of property and moral rights for publication on behalf of the author
- Deliver your autobiography in an impeccable language and presentation
- Supply a vast choice of printing options for the book design, according to the number of copies to be produced.
- Never demand an upfront payment, except for the minimum necessary to secure the contract between sessions (yet, each member has the discretion of his/her rate).
A nod to the writer Paul Auster whose hero Nathan Glass - in the novel The Brooklyn Follies - has an intuition of what the job of private biographer could be like :
Read the extract...
A beautiful and generous profession that has since proved itself with the emergence of digital technology. Such method makes it possible to print your book at a lower cost, even for just a few copies, with a quality in all respects similar to that of publishing.
Indeed, everyone can now access the written word to convey their life story, give social testimony, or express their feelings and opinions.
Even when they are very personal in nature, these works often take on a universal tone. This paradox makes it all the more precious.
Offering them is always an act of love.
