Some Lives Should Be Recorded
Those who lead consequential lives, build organisations, or take on real responsibility rarely leave behind a full account.
I turn your story into 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.”
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​David Giles - CEO, Entertainment Brands Group
Why Work With Me
I’m a UK-based writer working with business and cultural leaders to write the books that should exist, but often don’t. Memoirs, start-up stories or accounts of lives that carried real consequence. Most of them are never properly recorded.
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I didn't arrive at this work from journalism or publishing. I came through business, leading, funding, and sitting on both sides of risk for long enough that I stopped having to imagine what those decisions felt like. I know what it means when a call affects payroll, reputation or survival.
Earlier in my career, I wrote Crystal Mapping, a book on visual thinking and big picture communication. I've always had a thing for making sure the story you're telling hits the mark. The same discipline applies here. The goal is simple enough: stand far enough back to see the whole thing, breathe in life and energy, then make it make sense.
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Whether you have a part written document that needs editing or finishing, or you're starting from scratch, the process is the same. I listen carefully and ask the questions that matter to help you produce something clear and dangerously human. Something others will want to read - not just another machine-driven business book.​
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If you've built something, led something, or made decisions that shaped outcomes beyond yourself, and you want that documented as a compelling story, give me a shout.
How We Can Work Together
There's no single reason people decide to get their story written down, and no single form it has to take.
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I tend to focus on business, but a career in medicine, the arts, public service or sport can carry just as much consequence as anything that happens in a boardroom. It's the connection with people that matters and that can come from anywhere.
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As for format, some want a private account, written for family or close colleagues, while others have led careers visible enough that a public memoir makes sense, shaped for a general reader and built for publication.
And some aren't sure yet whether they want a book at all, but know there's value in having a clear, honest record of how their career actually unfolded, something more considered than a Wikipedia page and more useful than a LinkedIn profile.
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Then there's a different kind of book entirely where some aren't looking to tell their story so much as share what they've learned, a book built around ideas, hard-won perspective and a point of view on leadership, culture or their industry.
Done well, that kind of book does something a memoir can't: it positions you as a thinker, not just a practitioner, and gives you a platform that outlasts any single role or company.
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Each of these options require different commitments, processes and outcomes and part of what I do, before a word is written, is help you work out which one fits.
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If you're not sure where to start, no worries, we can figure that one out together.
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 breathe.
• 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 structure, 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 confidentiality and discretion are guaranteed.
Because of the depth of work involved, I take on only a small number of commissions each year.
Fees & Scope
Every project is different. The subject, depth and the intended audience shape the work and determine the cost.
Costs typically range from around £5k for a a short form project with private and public book projects starting at £12k. ​
Final cost depends on the depth of research, length of manuscript and what you're trying to achieve.
In all cases we start with a conversation before anything is agreed. If it helps, payments can be spread monthly or by stage.
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