Frequently asked questions

Sign up at makememoir.com, choose your plan, and enter your storyteller's name and email. They'll receive an invitation with a personal message from you. From there, weekly prompts arrive automatically in their inbox — no app download required on their end.

Absolutely. At checkout, select "I'm gifting this." You'll enter your own payment details, then provide your loved one's email address. They'll receive a gentle invitation and weekly prompts from you — they don't need to create an account or download anything.

No. Every weekly prompt arrives by email. Your loved one clicks the link, and recording opens directly in their browser. It works on iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows — on any modern browser including Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.

Each week an email arrives with a thoughtful question — things like "Tell me about the house you grew up in" or "What was your first job?" Your storyteller clicks the link, allows camera and microphone access, and records their answer in their browser. The video is saved securely and immediately visible to your family.

No problem. Prompts accumulate — they can answer whenever they're ready. There's no penalty for missing a week, and the year-end book includes every story they've recorded, whenever they recorded it.

After a recording is saved, our AI transcribes the audio and converts the transcript into a written story in the storyteller's own voice. The family account holder can review and edit any story before it goes into the book. The AI is a starting point — you're always in control of the final words.

The AI preserves the meaning and voice of the original recording. It cleans up speech artifacts (like "um" and "uh") and formats the text into readable paragraphs, but it does not invent details or change the story. You can edit the text at any time, or revert to the raw transcript.

No. Your recordings, transcripts, and stories are never used to train AI models — by us or any third party. We process your content to deliver the service and for nothing else. Your family's stories belong to your family.

Book production begins approximately 8 weeks before your subscription anniversary. You'll approve a digital preview first. Printed hardcover books ship to your address within 4–6 weeks of your approval. Total timeline from production start to delivery is approximately 10–14 weeks.

A hardcover, lay-flat book printed on archival-quality paper. Each story includes the written narrative, a photo of the storyteller, and a QR code that links directly to the original video recording. It's designed to look like a proper memoir — something you'd be proud to display on a bookshelf and pass down to future generations.

Yes. Additional copies can be ordered at cost (printing + shipping) from your account dashboard. Many families order copies for siblings, grandchildren, or to keep at a family home.

Yes. You can invite additional family members to your account as readers. They can browse all stories, watch videos, and leave reactions — but they cannot change account settings or order books. There's no extra charge for invited family members.

Nothing is auto-deleted. All recordings and stories remain accessible to the account holder for the full duration of the paid subscription, and for 30 days after cancellation. We encourage you to download your family's content. If you need us to extend your access window during a difficult time, please contact us at support@makememoir.com — we will help.

You can turn off renewal from your account settings. Your access continues until the end of your paid annual term. You can download all your videos, transcripts, and story text from account settings at any time. After cancellation, your data is retained for 30 days before it is permanently deleted.

Make Memoir is $99 per year, billed annually. This includes 52 weekly prompts, unlimited family readers, AI story generation, and one hardcover book. There are no hidden fees. The subscription auto-renews each year unless you cancel before the renewal date.