Small Business Spotlight: Modern Memoirs
In a world where so much of our lives lives online and disappears with the next scroll, there’s something deeply meaningful about preserving our stories in a lasting, tangible way. That’s exactly what Modern Memoirs has been doing for over 30 years, helping individuals and families turn their life experiences into beautifully crafted, heirloom-quality books.
What began as one woman’s heartfelt project to document her mother’s story has grown into a full-service publishing company dedicated to capturing the voices, memories, and legacies that might otherwise be lost to time. From intimate family histories to richly detailed memoirs, Modern Memoirs offers a thoughtful, highly personalized approach to storytelling—one that honors both the storyteller and the story itself.
I had the pleasure of learning more about their process, philosophy, and the powerful impact of preserving personal histories in this interview.
New York Times article, 2016
Credit: Modern Memoirs
Life in Mass (LIM): For readers who may be discovering you for the first time, how would you describe what Modern Memoirs does and who you serve?
Modern Memoirs (MM): Modern Memoirs, Inc. is a self-publishing company specializing in memoirs and family histories. We are committed to preserving life stories and genealogies in archival books of the highest quality. We help clients/authors create a lasting legacy of beautiful books for their families and friends.
LIM: What inspired the founding of Modern Memoirs, and how has that original vision evolved over the years?
MM: Modern Memoirs was founded in 1994 by Kitty Axelson-Berry, who began with interviewing her mother to create a memoir of her life story, complete with family stories, recipes, “do’s and don’t’s,” letters, songs, photos, and genealogy charts. Axelson-Berry was confident that other baby boomers would want to know their parents’ back stories, too, and would want to be able to hand those stories down to the next generation. Over 30 years, the company has expanded from memoirs and family history books to include additional genres, such as art books, essays, fiction, journals, poetry, and history.
LIM: Your work centers around personal stories. What drew you to this kind of storytelling?
MM: Modern Memoirs Director of Publishing Ali de Groot gives one reason that personal stories are so essential: “It is an act of love to pour your energy into writing, to delve into your psyche or the past—painful or distant or beautiful or conflicted—and record your memories, knowledge, or family lore. An account of feelings, reflections, or recollections is a gift to your loved ones, a golden gift that only you can give. It’s a window into your soul. It also can provide roots for family members or promote belonging, connection, and understanding among people.”
LIM: Can you walk us through what it’s like for a client to create a memoir with you, from the first conversation to the finished book?
MM: We create two types of memoirs: “As-told-to” (or Commissioned) and Assisted. The As-told-to memoir begins with one-on-one interviews, including Zoom calls, where clients share their stories naturally and conversationally. Our team then meticulously transcribes, edits, and refines the content into a polished narrative that captures the client’s unique voice. An Assisted memoir begins with a manuscript already written by the client. Our editors and proofreaders work closely with the client to revise and polish the text, while preserving the voice in an authentic and engaging way. The next steps in both processes are design and production. We custom-design books, adding photographs, captions, and supplementary materials, such as genealogy charts, letters, articles, and custom maps. For print/bind, we specialize in long-lasting sewn bindings and unique materials such as custom foil stamping, Italian endsheets, specialty leathers, and satin ribbon markers.
Interior and exterior book design
Credit: Modern Memoirs
LIM: Many people feel overwhelmed by the idea of writing their life story, it seems a daunting task. How do you help make that process not only approachable but enjoyable?
MM: Unlike services that rely on automated prompts or templates, we provide a truly collaborative, human-centered process. Our clients are not left alone to navigate the complexities of writing, design, and publishing. Instead, we are the client’s dedicated team of professionals—writers, editors, designers, and print/bind experts—guiding them through every step easily and enjoyably. Authenticity is essential, and this means possibly including painful as well as positive elements of a person’s life. As Modern Memoirs president Megan St. Marie describes: “There is an art to being candid without bitterness, and open rather than excessive. This is the sort of balance my team and I strive to help Modern Memoirs writers achieve when they address challenging life experiences in their books.” Interior and exterior book design
LIM: You emphasize a “white-glove” or concierge experience. What does that look like in practice for your clients?
MM: We know a life story is worth more than can be measured. Our mission is to honor that value with a service that matches its significance. With over 30 years of experience developing systems for project management, our in-house team of dedicated, creative, sensitive professionals is committed to helping each client create a beautiful book with compassion, finesse, and expertise. Our primary goal is to have a set of distinctive, well-written books in the client’s hands in a timely manner. Our comprehensive service is a solution for those who want to do more than just document their history. We professionally curate it into a timeless masterpiece—a finished product as sophisticated and unique as their own life, free from the limitations of automated systems and generic designs.
LIM: How do you ensure that each book truly reflects the unique voice and personality of the person whose story you’re telling?
MM: Each memoir is a unique and personal journey, and sharing it with the world requires sensitivity and skill. Our specialized memoir editing services are designed to honor each client’s individual voice and experiences while ensuring their story resonates with readers. We understand the delicate nature of life stories and employ a thoughtful approach, inspired by Modern Memoirs’ own “Sensitive Editing for Ruthless Editors” philosophy. Our goal is to help clients achieve authentic storytelling by providing meticulous manuscript editing with a keen focus on nuance, consistency, and emotional impact, keeping the original voice intact. We go beyond simple grammar and spelling checks to delve into the heart of each client’s narrative, ensuring their message is clear, engaging, and deeply felt. Our best compliment we can get is when a reader of his grandmother’s book says, “This sounds just like Grandma!”
LIM: Can you share how design plays a role in bringing these stories to life?
MM: We believe that exceptional book design is crucial for capturing readers and conveying the essence of the client’s story. Our professional in-house book designer provides custom book-design services for authors seeking to self-publish high-quality books in all formats, including digital books. A well-designed book is more than just aesthetically pleasing; it enhances readability, respects the subject matter, and meets the rigorous standards of the publishing industry. Our design process is collaborative, ensuring the client’s unique vision is brought to life with the latest design trends and a keen eye for detail. When we had the difficult task of creating a book for an author who wrote in two languages, English and Chinese, Modern Memoirs designer Nicole Miller took on the challenge with gusto, producing a “tête-bêche” binding. She notes: “The design’s effectiveness in affirming the equal value and importance of two languages was an excellent reason for us to use tête-bêche binding for our client’s two-volume, bilingual autobiography.”
LIM: You often talk about creating “heirloom-quality” books. What does that mean to you, and why is it so important?
tête-bêche book design
Credit: Modern Memoirs
MM: Each book we create is not only a compelling read but also a beautiful visual artifact. Our dedication to high-quality standards extends to the physical product, as books are printed and bound using the best materials and techniques, ensuring each one is a durable and elegant heirloom. We don’t want a memoir or genealogy to fall apart after a few openings. Our goal is for these books to last for generations.
LIM: What are some of the most meaningful reactions you’ve seen from clients when they hold their finished book for the first time?
MM: The “Client Feedback” page on our website serves as a perpetual reminder to us of how fulfilling this work is for clients and how honored we are to help clients make their books a reality. In their words, authors express delight with the beauty and quality of their publications, appreciation for the guidance and support they received from our team, recognition of the significance of the life review process, gratitude for the opportunity to honor the legacy of their forebears, and joy in sharing their stories with family, friends, and colleagues.
LIM: In your experience, how does documenting a life story impact families across generations?
Genealogy book
Credit: Modern Memoirs
MM: One of our clients said it best when he wrote: “Completing these two projects at the end of our father’s life, at a time when things couldn’t possibly get any harder for him, was a clear demonstration of his perseverance—his resilience, his determination, and his unwavering commitment to fulfill something he always aspired to do. It was also a clear demonstration of his genuine love for sharing his experiences, his insights, and his knowledge with others. To us, these books will forever serve as lasting legacies that will allow us and our extended family to connect with him on a deeper level, even in his absence. And, lastly, they will inspire us to be the best version of our unique self that we can possibly be…just as he would have wanted.” Modern Memoirs’ genealogist Liz Sonnenberg sums up the importance of a legacy: “It must be written down, or it will be lost. It is as simple as that. Start it now, share what you know already. Give others a foothold to take steps from there. Write it down!”
LIM: Without sharing anything too personal, is there a project or story that has stayed with your team over the years?
MM: Our blog series entitled “Five Questions: Reflections from Modern Memoirs Authors” features client interviews that record their rewarding experiences. Two quickly come to mind. One relates to a client who published her memoir about her life in a science profession in the days when there were few women working in the science fields. Sadly, she passed away shortly after finishing the book, but not before celebrating with two launch parties, one for residents of the hospice-care facility in which she was staying, and one for family and friends. The other example relates to an entrepreneur who collaborated with his wife to publish his autobiography. He began his book just before being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia with the variant PPA, which progressively compromises the patient’s speaking and writing. We worked hand in hand with him to create the narrative from his painstaking writing, which went very slowly. Now he lives in a memory care home. He keeps a copy of his book on his bedside table, and he and his wife look at it often. Sometimes they just go through the pictures. Other times his wife picks a section of the book to read aloud—how they first met, for example—and he sits in rapt attention.
LIM: You’ve worked with clients from all over. Have you noticed any common themes in the stories people want to preserve?
Author interviews journal
Credit: Modern Memoirs
MM: Each client’s life story is unique, formed by unique backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences. However, some common themes that appear in their memoirs are a review of their family histories, descriptions of their parents’ lives, milestones in childhood and adulthood, challenges and accomplishments, mentors who helped shape them, and guiding principles or life lessons that they would like to share with others. Overarching themes might include “rags to riches” stories, family business development, professional ventures, and immigration experiences.
LIM: As you look to the future, how do you see the role of memoir and personal storytelling evolving?
MM: In her Modern Memoirs Philosophy statement, founder Kitty Axelson-Berry identified the essential role of memoir and personal storytelling: “Creating a memoir is an opportunity to engage in a dynamic process of recollection and integration, one that can deepen and expand our own lives and those of generations to come. Memoirs underscore connection and the singularly human tradition of telling our stories to our closest group. As society evolves and new technologies are introduced, in many ways contributing to a growing sense of alienation and fragmentation, storytelling will remain a powerful remedy. Preserving a record of our interior lives not only helps individuals feel known and acknowledged but also counters collective amnesia by adding our experiences to the stream of memories that flows through our families and time.” We know people will always tell stories, and we are honored to play a part in making them available in a lasting way and in a reaffirming, tangible form.
At its core, Modern Memoirs is about more than just books, it’s about connection. It’s about giving families a way to hold onto the voices, experiences, and lessons of those they love, long after the moments have passed.
In an era where memories can feel fleeting, their work is a reminder that our stories matter and that they deserve to be told, preserved, and shared. Whether it’s a tale of resilience, a family legacy, or a collection of life’s small but meaningful moments, these stories become gifts that span generations.
As the team at Modern Memoirs so beautifully puts it, if these stories aren’t written down, they risk being lost. And thanks to their dedication, care, and craftsmanship, countless families now have something timeless to hold onto.
Contact Modern Memoirs
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(413) 253-2353