The APH is a non-profit international trade association of skilled professionals passionate about preserving life stories.  BoehmGroup’s founder, Client Services Managers, and most of our biographers belong to the Association of Personal Historians and adhere to their code of ethics when working with a client. 

We recommend beginning a biography project as soon as possible, even if this is just the first step in a longer process. Unfortunately, memories fade quickly. When a person leaves a company, their thoughts and experiences are either gone forever or become more difficult to collect.

Upcoming milestone events such as mergers, product launches, anniversaries, and retirements are also great occasions to focus on your history. Boehm Biography Group strongly encourages you to consider what items and photos from your past you would like to preserve.

For information on preserving these items yourself, see our Preservation Guide, while our Biography Planning Guide can help you organize your history and plan your biography project.

Three time factors to consider are the availability of the biographic subject or interview subject, the project size, and how long it takes us (BoehmGroup) to do our work.  Listed below are the steps necessary to create a biographic book.  For further information on these methods, or on other media, such as a DVD, visit our Creating Your Biography page. 

When planning a project with a client, we factor in the interview subject’s schedule while encouraging steady progress through the following steps:

1)  Record the biographic interviews:  For a whole life story, this often takes 8-10 hours. These interviews are completed on a schedule according to the interview subject’s availability. The interviews can take as little as two days or can be spread over a number of weeks.
2)  Write the manuscript: A book manuscript is completed within five weeks of the last interview.
3)  Review for revision:  The interview subject/client reviews the text within an agreed-upon time period.
4)  Make revisions: The writer completes any changes within two weeks of the manuscript’s return.
5)  Edit the manuscript: A professional editor takes two weeks, on average, to edit a book.
6) Apply graphic design and layout:  We provide a “proof” of the first chapter for the client’s approval within one month of sending it in for design.  The time the client takes to approve the proof varies.  After the first chapter is approved, an additional month is needed to complete the book design and layout.
7)  Review and approve final proof: The interview subject/client completes this task at their own pace.
8)  Complete printing and binding: Our client receives the printed books in about five weeks, including shipping.

The time a project requires can vary according to how quickly you choose to work with us and the size of your project and print order.  In most cases, you can expect the work that Boehm Biography Group does for a full-sized project to take five to seven months to complete. Video/DVD, audio history, and smaller projects can be finished much faster.  The client agreement for your project will spell out the agreed upon schedule for your project in some detail.

We offer a wide range of product and service options, and every new client’s project is a little different than the last.  So it’s hard for us to know what YOUR biography will cost to create. If you look at our methods for producing a biography, you will have a clearer understanding of the steps involved in completing your project.  Take a look at our products page to see what kind of biography you may be interested in creating. 

For information about the factors that affect the cost of a biography, see A Word About Pricing. Please feel free to contact us to ask any questions or get a free price estimate.

Business biography options are as diverse as the individuals and organizations involved.  If you imagine a way to capture the stories of your firm’s history, Boehm Biography Group can shape your vision into reality.

We can produce books, video, and audio recordings that allow you and your team to be as creative – or as “official” – as you desire. And if you’re not sure which option is best for your situation, we help you sort through and choose from the possibilities.  Please take a look at some examples of our products.

From what we’ve seen, getting started tends to be the hardest part of creating a business biography.

A biographer helps you determine the goals and the scope of your project while acting as a neutral listener trained to elicit comprehensive stories and preserve them. We work hard to match our clients with a biographer whose style best fits their needs.

Writing your biography is a major project. Our professional team provides expert guidance and effective project management, ensuring that your biography is completed in a timely and appropriate manner.  We use professional biographers, writers and editors, along with graphic design, layout, printing, and video contractors to bring your story to life with high-quality, professionally made books, DVDs and audio recordings.

While some of our clients may choose to do some of the work on their own, working with us ensures the overall quality and coherence of the work.  We save you what could be hundreds of hours of effort and prevent mistakes, yet still allow you to be involved in the process and oversee the product.