Many consequential lives are never properly recorded.
Those who build organisations, shape industries or carry real responsibility rarely leave a full account behind. Decisions are remembered without context, motives guessed at years later.
I write the story that sets the record straight.
“Mark brought real discipline to the project. He turned my life and career into a compelling story and understands risk and reputation because he has led companies himself. I would not have trusted my book to anyone less rigorous.”
​David Giles
CEO, Entertainment Brands
The Private Record
For people who have lived consequential lives but whose story is intended first for family, colleagues and future generations.
For:
People who have shaped organisations, industries or institutions, but whose contribution has often been reduced to headlines, anecdotes, or forgotten entirely. Many reach a point where they realise their story has been simplified, misunderstood, or never properly told at all.
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What it delivers:​
A compelling account of a life, or of a defining period within it, written to explain how things actually happened and why they mattered.
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Built together through extended conversations, research and drafting, the Private Record creates an accurate and lasting record of your life. Written for family, close associates and future generations, it sets down what happened, why it mattered, and how decisions were made at the time.
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It is not simply a trip down memory lane. The aim is to capture the context of a life while the details are still clear, and before hindsight simplifies the story. Something future generations can read and understand in full.
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​​Outcome:
Typically 40,000 to 70,000 words. Private by default although publication remains an option.
The Public Story
For those who have led visible careers and want to shape
the full account before others do.
For:
Those who have led visible careers and want the full story of what happened set down properly for a public audience.
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For some it is about legacy. For others it is about setting the record straight. Often it's simply the recognition that a life’s work deserves more than a few lines of summary or digital fragments.
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What it delivers:
A complete, structured memoir built for publication.
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The work sets out what happened, why decisions were made, what was at stake at the time, and what the consequences turned out to be. Written with clarity and narrative drive, it is shaped so that general readers can follow the story without losing the substance behind it.
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Built through extensive interviews, research and careful drafting, the aim is not reputation management but a durable account turned into a compelling, well-paced story.
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Outcome:
Typically 70,000 to 90,000 words. A finished manuscript ready for submission to agents and publishers, or for independent publication.
Why Work With Me
​Before I returned to writing full-time, I spent years inside businesses, leading, funding, negotiating and sitting on both sides of risk. I know what it feels like when a decision affects payroll, reputation or even survival. I understand pressure, trade-offs and the calculations that never make it into the official account.
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I didn't come to this work through journalism, and I'm not a ghost for hire smoothing everything into sentiment or easy lessons.
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Earlier in my career, I wrote Crystal Mapping, a book on structured thinking and clear communication. The same discipline applies here.
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Whether I'm working on a Private Record or a Public Story, the process is the same. I listen carefully, ask the questions that matter, and look for theme and structure. My aim is to produce something clear, honest and engaging that stands up over time.​
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If you've built something, led something, or made decisions that shaped outcomes beyond yourself, and you want that documented without embellishment or evasion, we should talk.
Process & Engagement
Every project begins with a confidential consultation to clarify intent, audience and scope. From there:
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• We start with a series of structured, recorded interviews, to find the patterns, turning points and detail to make your story breath.
• I'll then start to draft the narrative and shape each chapter into a professional manuscript through iterative review and refinement.
• Once you're happy with the shape and architecture, I'll deliver a full manuscript for final review and acceptance.
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Timelines vary depending on scope, but most projects run between three and nine months.
Throughout the process absolute discretion is guaranteed.
Because of the depth of work involved, I take on only a small number of commissions each year.
Fees & Scope
Every project is a bespoke collaboration. Whether we're building a private family legacy or a commercial manuscript for the public eye, the goal is the same: a disciplined and engaging account of a life's work.
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Private Records:
A focussed, self contained commission. Through structured interviews, I'll capture the unwritten history and your authentic voice. The result is a high-quality, private manuscript, preserved for family, friends and future generations.
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Public Stories:
Crafted for the marketplace. Beyond the narrative, I'll shape the work for a general readership, building the structural rigour and "hooks" required by literary agents and publishers.
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Investment:
A project of this scale requires significant commitment and momentum and usually takes 4 to 6 months. Commissions typically begin at £12,000, with the final investment determined by the depth of research, the intended audience and the length of the record. Every journey begins with a consultation to clarify objectives, timeline, and budget before any commitment is made.
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