Personal Story Books
Their story, written down. And, if you'd like, sung back to them.
Keepsake books and custom songs, made in Lubbock, Texas by singer-songwriter and author Steven M Bell, so the people you love are remembered the way they deserve.
Founding Family pricing: first five families.
See Packages below.
How it works
1. Tell me about them. Fill out the short form below. I'll reach out to set up a relaxed conversation by phone, Zoom, or in person in Lubbock. You share the stories, and I listen.
2. Send photos and a fact sheet. You send favorite photos (phone pictures and scans are fine). I send you a one-page fact sheet to check names, dates and spellings. For a Legacy Book, you also fill in a short family tree sheet. Getting these right up front saves a lot of fixing later.
3. I write it. I turn their own words and your family's memories into a book, a song, or both. You get a proof to read. You tell me what to change.
4. You approve, and I publish and print. Nothing is printed until you say it's right. Your family tree pages get their own one-page sign-off. After that I publish the book on Amazon, order your copies, and they arrive about two weeks later. Then you have something to hold, wrapped and ready to give.
Packages
Founding Family pricing: limited to the first five families.
I'm building Personal Story Books one family at a time, and I'd like to start with a few families I can give my full attention. The first five families get a lower price in exchange for two things:
1. Permission to show your finished book as a sample: the cover and a few pages you approve, on my website and in my posts. You say yes or no to each page.
2. A short, honest note about what it was like to work with me. It doesn't have to be glowing. I'll show it with your OK, labeled "Founding Family."
Keepsake Story Book: $295 (regular $395)
Legacy Book: $595 (regular $795)
Legacy Book + Song: $795 (regular $995)
Everything in each package is the same at both prices. After the fifth family, the regular prices apply. If you'd rather keep your book out of any samples, that's fine; the regular price applies. Songs, add-ons and extra copies don't change.
A 50% deposit reserves your spot. The balance is due when the proof is ready for your approval, before anything is printed or published. Prices don't include shipping or sales tax. Every book is published on Amazon so your family can order more anytime (see the FAQ). If you want nothing public, tell me before we start.
Keepsake Story Book: $395
Founding Family price: $295
A short life story in a paperback the family can pass around.
• Up to 40 pages, paperback, 8.25 x 11 inches, written from one interview (about an hour)
• Up to 15 photos
• Fact sheet and proof approval before printing
• One round of revisions
• Two paperback copies, sent to you
• Listed on Amazon so family can order more
• Ready about 4 weeks after the interview and photos
• Optional: Family Tree Pages add-on ($75)
Legacy Book: $795
Founding Family price: $595
A full life story in a hardcover, with the photos and family history to go with it.
• About 80 pages, hardcover, 8.25 x 11 inches, with the title on the spine
• Two interviews: in person in Lubbock, by phone, or on Zoom. Family and friends can add their memories too.
• Up to 35 photos, with light cleanup and captions
• Family tree pages: where they came from, and the family they built
• A "Life at a Glance" page
• Memory pages where the family can write their own notes
• Two rounds of revisions
• One hardcover and one paperback copy, sent to you
• Listed on Amazon so family can order more
• Ready about 6 weeks after the first interview
Add-Ons
Make it fit your family.
• Family Tree Pages for a Keepsake Book: $75
• Extra tree page (for example, a spouse's side): $40 per page
• Kindle ebook (fixed-layout, looks like the pages of the book): $59. Sold on Amazon, so it is public. Best on tablets, phones and the Kindle app.
• Extra Legacy hardcover $30 / Legacy paperback $20 / Keepsake paperback $15, plus shipping (or buy on Amazon)
• Ship copies straight to relatives: shipping at cost
• Extra revision round: $75
• Extra photos: $4 each
• Lyric video (the song with the lyrics and your photos on screen): $99. Requires a song from me.
• Companion song with any book: Simple Song $149 / Signature Song $249
Custom Songs
Every song is original. Steven writes the lyrics and melody from your family's story, then produces it.
Simple Song – $149
Best for: birthdays and anniversaries
• A stripped-down original song, voice and acoustic guitar, about 2-3 minutes.
• Written from your questionnaire answers
• Ready in about 2 weeks
Signature Song – $249
Best for: weddings, memorials, and big moments
• A fully produced original song with full instruments (drums, bass, keys and more), about 3-5 minutes. Like 'Jimbo to Bumpy.'
• A personal story call to capture the details
• One revision
• A printed lyric sheet
Just want a song?
You don't need a book to get a song. I'll write an original song from your family's story on its own, Simple or Signature, priced the same as above.
• Streaming release: +$49. I'll release your song on Spotify, Apple Music and most other streaming platforms, so the whole family can find it. (Only with your OK.)
• Lyric video: +$99. A YouTube video with your family photos and the lyrics on screen.
Legacy Book + Song
The Family Tree (included with every Legacy Book). Two pages: where they came from (parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, leading down to them and their spouse) and the family they built (children, spouses and grandchildren). You fill in a short family tree sheet, I send a proof with a one-page sign-off, and nothing goes into the book until you approve it. Only what your family can confirm goes in: if a name, spelling, year or relationship is uncertain, I leave it out and list it on your sign-off page. I lay out what you give me; I don't do genealogy research. A spouse's side can be added as an extra page ($40).
Legacy Book + Song: $995
Founding Family price: $795
Their story in a book. Their story in a song.
The book keeps the details. The song carries the feeling. I write both from the same interviews. Good for a milestone birthday, a 50th anniversary, a retirement, a family reunion, or a memorial.
• Everything in the Legacy Book
• A Signature Song written from their story: fuller arrangement, one revision, printed lyric sheet
• $49 less than buying the two separately
A 50% deposit reserves your spot. Founding Family pricing is available to the first five families.
Tell me a little about who you have in mind and I'll be in touch to talk it through. No pressure, no hard sell. A 50% deposit reserves your spot. Founding Family pricing is available to the first five families.
See what it looks like
Jimbo to Bumpy: A Life of Stories & Love, a Legacy Book and song made for our own family.
The Warrior and the Song — a book I wrote for my son
Watercolor portraits from the book
About Steven
Hi, I'm Steven M Bell. I'm a singer-songwriter and author in Lubbock, Texas.
I started Personal Story Books after writing a book and a song for my wife's father, Jim Hester. His grandkids called him Bumpy. I sat down with his stories, his photos and his family, and I made something the family can hold and play. I wanted other families to have that too.
When you work with me, you work with one person: I do the listening, the writing and the music myself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take?
A Simple Song takes about 2 weeks. A Keepsake Book takes about 4 weeks and a Legacy Book about 6 weeks from the first interview. That includes about 2 weeks for approval, publishing, printing and shipping. Late photos or proof feedback push the date back, so tell me early if you have a date in mind.
Will my book be public on Amazon?
Yes, by default. I publish your book on Amazon so your family can order more copies any time. Anyone can find it by title or author, and Amazon shows the title, author name, cover and description. Please tell your family before we start, and tell me if anyone in the book or photos would not want to be public. If you want nothing public, tell me before we start and I can print privately instead.
How does shipping work?
Your books are printed and shipped straight to you. Shipping to one U.S. address is included for the copies in your package. Extra copies are available at print cost plus shipping, and they can go to other family members' addresses too.
Can I have it taken down after my copies arrive?
Yes, with a catch. I can unpublish the book and Amazon stops selling new copies (up to 72 hours). But the page can stay live showing the book as unavailable, other sellers can list used copies, and the title and ISBN stay in book databases.
Who owns the photos and the story?
You do. You give me permission to use them to make your book or song and to publish the book on Amazon, and I use them for nothing else. I won't post or share anything from your project, including samples, without your written OK. You confirm you have the right to share the photos you send.
How does payment work?
A 50% deposit reserves your spot. The balance is due when the proof is ready for your approval, before anything is printed or published.
What is Founding Family pricing?
The first five families get a lower price: $295 for a Keepsake Book, $595 for a Legacy Book, $795 for a Legacy Book + Song. In return, I ask for permission to show your finished book as a sample (the cover and a few pages you approve) and for a short, honest note about working together. Your note doesn't have to be positive, and I'll only share it with your OK, marked "Founding Family." If you'd rather not be a sample, the regular price applies. After five families, the regular prices apply.
What's a round of revisions?
One round is one list of changes from you, sent together: a name, a date, a story detail, a photo swap. I make the changes and send a new proof. Extra rounds are $75.
How many photos can I include?
Keepsake Book up to 15, Legacy Book up to 35. More are $4 each. Phone photos are fine, and I can help with scans.
What if we aren't sure about someone in the family tree?
I leave that person or branch out rather than guess, and I list what's left out on your sign-off page. You approve the tree before it goes in the book.
What if the person isn't comfortable being interviewed?
That's common and fine. It feels more like a visit than an interview. A family member can sit in, or we can talk with children, siblings or friends instead.
Can you make a book or song for someone who has passed away?
Yes. I'll talk with family and friends to gather the stories, and I'll handle it with care.
Can I order extra copies? Is there a Kindle version?
Yes. On Amazon any time, or through me: Legacy hardcovers $30, Legacy paperbacks $20, Keepsake paperbacks $15, plus shipping. A Kindle version is $59; it's a picture-perfect copy of the pages that reads best on a tablet or phone, and the text can't be resized.
What if I want changes to my song?
The Signature Song includes one revision. For the Simple Song, I'll do my best to get it right the first time from your answers, so the more detail you share, the better.
Do I need to live in Lubbock?
No. Interviews work well by phone or Zoom. Songs are delivered digitally and books are shipped.