Some Lives Should Be Recorded
A life is more than dates, places and achievements. It's the choices you made, people, the near misses, and the things you never saw coming. Most of it never gets written down. I write the book that should exist, but doesn't.
“I spoke to a few writers before Mark, but once we started talking I knew I had the right guy. He didn’t just write the story, he worked through it with me and made sense of it.”
David Giles - CEO, Entertainment Brands Group
Why Work With Me
Written by a Human. On purpose.
I'm a UK-based ghostwriter and author. I help create the books that should exist, but often don't, wherever you are.
I don't believe interesting lives belong only to people who've built businesses or made headlines. Doctors, teachers, musicians, sportspeople, lion tamers and accountants, people who simply got on with it: they all have stories worth keeping - and telling. Often it's the ones nobody thought to ask about that matter most.
I didn't come to this from journalism or publishing. I came through business. I founded companies and sat on both sides of risk for long enough that I stopped having to imagine what a hard decision feels like. I know those twin impostors - success and failure. I know what it means when a call lands on payroll, reputation or survival. All of it teaches you a lot about ambition, judgement and the gap between what people intend and what actually happens. It also makes it easier to ask the questions people are quietly hoping you'll ask.
Alongside my own independent work, I also ghostwrite for an established publishing house.
Earlier in my career I wrote Crystal Mapping, a book on visual thinking and clear communication. The same discipline applies here. Stand far enough back to see the whole thing, work out what the story really is, and make it make sense.
I work personally with each client, start to finish, and I take on only a small number of commissions each year. I listen carefully, ask the questions nobody else has, and find the story inside the life. Then I make it clear and dangerously human. Something people will actually want to read, not another machine-driven book with the person polished out of it.
If you've lived a life worth recording, or know someone whose story shouldn't be lost, give me a shout.
How We Can Work Together
There's no single reason people decide to write their story, what matters is the connection between the story and the people it's written for.
Every life has its own story, and every memoir its own purpose. Some preserve personal memories for family and future generations. Others capture the values, principles and judgement behind a lifetime of building a business, passing on not just the assets, but the thinking and decisions that created them. And some are written for a wider readership. All deserve the same care, curiosity and attention to detail.
Whatever its purpose, I manage the entire process, from our first conversations to the finished book, whether that's a beautifully bound private edition for family and friends or a book prepared for publication and a wider audience.
Private Memoirs
Not for the bookshop, but for the people who know you, and those who may only ever know you through what gets written down. A private memoir captures the experiences, relationships and turning points that shaped your life, creating a lasting record for children, grandchildren and generations to come.
Memoirs for Publication
Some lives have stories that reach beyond family and friends. They may offer insight into a particular world, an extraordinary experience, or simply something about being human that others will recognise. These memoirs are written with a wider readership in mind, combining the truth of a life with the narrative craft needed to make a compelling book.
Explore Memoirs for Publication
From Conversation to Book
You don't need to arrive with a manuscript, a detailed plan or even a clear idea of where your story begins. Discovering that is part of the process.
First, we talk.
We begin with an informal conversation about the life you want to record, who the book is for and what you hope it will achieve. If we decide to work together, we'll agree the scope, timescale and fee before anything begins.
Then, we explore.
Through a series of relaxed, recorded conversations, we revisit the people, places, experiences and decisions that shaped your life. Photographs, letters and other material can help bring memories to the surface. Where appropriate, I may also speak with family, friends or colleagues.
Next, I write.
I find the connections, develop the structure and turn those conversations into a narrative. Not simply a chronological account of what happened, but a story that captures the life of person who lived it, in the voice that's unmistakably theirs.
Finally, we refine.
You'll have the opportunity to read the manuscript, correct details and help me make sure it feels right. We work through the revisions together until we have an agreed final manuscript, ready for the next stage, whether that's a private family edition or preparation for publication.
The aim throughout is simple: to make the experience enjoyable, the process manageable and the finished book something you'll be proud of.
Fees & Scope
Every memoir is different. Some lives cover decades of extraordinary events. Others are quieter stories, no less interesting for that, where the people, relationships and decisions matter more than the milestones.
My memoir commissions start from £18,000, with the final fee depending on the length, complexity, research and intended purpose of the book.
A typical commission includes a series of recorded conversations, research and supporting material, the development of the book's structure, writing the manuscript and working through revisions together.
Most projects take between six and nine months from our first interviews to a completed manuscript, although some take longer depending on the scope of the book, the availability of contributors and the amount of research involved.
We'll agree the fee and payment stages before we begin, so there are no surprises along the way.
Professional editing, design, printing and publishing support can also be arranged where required, with any additional costs agreed in advance.
The first conversation is simply an opportunity to explore what you have in mind, whether it's for yourself, someone in your family or a wider readership. It's free and there's no obligation.
Every story begins with a conversation.