“I was so impressed with the first edition of The HomeServe Story I went back to commission History Writer to add new chapters to capture our progress as a business. A well-written corporate history book helps to communicate the culture and values of your business for new staff, clients and business partners.”
Richard Harpin (HomeServe)
what we do
You tell us your story…
We start by talking to you about what you want – the story you want to tell in the book.
We do the research…
With permission, we talk to stakeholders and other contributors. We research and source archive material – for example, old photos, letters, artifacts – and we clear copyright where necessary. Depending on the story, we also search archive and history websites, such as ancestry.com. We also do original photography, and edit and enhance archive images as required to illustrate the book.
We write…
When we’ve assembled all the materials and are clear about the structure and story, we write the book. We discuss the draft of each section or chapter as we work, and make any agreed changes as we go. When the whole book is ready, it can be made available for other people in the commissioning organisation to make comments and have input.
We deliver the book ready for printing…
When the final draft is signed off, we deliver a “print ready pdf” (along with all the source material that we’ve collected, for your archive).
what we don’t do
We don’t do the cover design...
We can make a simple graphic cover, but designing a great cover is a highly specialised skill. We’ve also found that most of our clients have in-house or favoured freelance designers; if not we have excellent contacts…
And we don’t do the printing…
There are many ways to get the book printed, at different price points. However, we can arrange for printing: we have contacts with several companies that do smaller print runs.
example
Back cover and some pages from our most recent book, The Fish Brothers Story.
(Click to enlarge)
about us
History Writer started when founder Colin Ward was approached by a friend of a friend to write a company history for Silver Cross, manufacturers of high-end prams.
The end result was a unique company history book. The then chairman Allan Halsall said: “The final product has exceeded all expectations and is both a great history of our brand and also a superb marketing tool.”
Since then the commissions have been generated mainly by word of mouth. Colin expanded the company by bringing in two colleagues from his TV career: Susan Walls and Patrick Titley.
Susan is a trained journalist and published author, with multiple newspaper and magazine bylines. She also worked as a producer and writer in television.
Patrick was a senior executive in television, and as well as writing (literally) hundreds of TV scripts, he’s also written two TV tie-in books.
frequently asked questions
Why write the history of our company?
Telling the story of your company’s unique history is the perfect way to capture your legacy, mission, vision, and values. A corporate publication has many uses, from inspiring employees to attracting potential clients and connecting with your customers. But, most importantly, it tells the story of the people behind the sales figures, company logo and office buildings.
How much will it cost?
A difficult one to answer as it depends on so many factors. Less than the cost of a company car; more than the cost of a company bicycle…
The first step in the process is to talk through the project with you, and give you a detailed quote. We normally do the work on a buyout basis – that is to say, once we’ve agreed the fee, we then pay all expenses and other fees (such as copyright); and do whatever work is necessary until you are happy with the book.
(Note that History Writer is a co-operative, which means that we will normally invoice separately as freelance writers.)
How long will it take?
Again, it depends. Our most recent book, The Fish Brothers Story, was written in about nine months. That included several in-person and Zoom meetings; and some original photography. It was more complicated than some books, as the history of the company spanned nearly two hundred years, and the early part of the archive was missing some material.
How many drafts will you do?
We will do as many drafts as necessary to produce the book that you want (within reason!) When we were about halfway through The Fish Brothers Story, some new information came to light that meant we had to rewrite the whole of the first section of the book, which is one of the reasons why the whole process took nine months.
What do you need from us?
It works best if we have one person to liaise with, with full authority to approve the drafts. Of course they can get input from other people, but it’s easier and quicker to make changes once there’s a good first draft of each chapter for people to look at.
We also need access to possible interviewees, and have some time allocated to talk to them. And of course access to any archive materials.
How many copies of the book will be printed?
It’s really up to you, and depends on what you want to do with the book. Two examples: at the one end of the scale, Homeserve had about 9,000 copies printed altogether, and distributed them to their staff and business partners. At the other, Fish Brothers (a smaller company) decided to print 300, as it was mainly intended for their family and staff.
Most printing companies have a tariff where the more you print, the cheaper the unit price. But perhaps surprisingly, it’s not a huge difference, so a relatively small print run can make sense.
What about copyright?
We grant a licence to the client for use of the writing, photography and layout in the publication, in perpetuity. We’re happy to discuss other arrangements, for example use of the photography outside the book.
We also clear and pay for all other relevant copyrights for material used in the book. For example in The Fish Brothers Story, we used a front cover from The Illustrated London News. We traced the current copyright holder (the magazine is sadly defunct); and paid a fee of £50 + VAT to licence the image for the publication.
Reviews
“I have been delighted with the hard work, keen imagination, and dedication to the Silver Cross book project. The final product has exceeded all expectations and is both a great history of our brand and also a superb marketing tool.”
Alan Halsall (Silver Cross)
“History Writer did a thorough job researching our archive. The finished book captured the character of the company and also its pivotal role in the development of the mail order business in the UK.”
Koert Tulleners (Freeman Grattan Holdings)
“As a family business with a history going back to 1830, we wanted someone with the time and patience to carry out detailed research into our story. We were able to discuss what we wanted with the team. They listened, engaged with us throughout and became enthusiastically involved with the story. Our comments on the drafts were considered and changes made. The finished book was excellent and everyone was delighted to have such a vivid record of the dedication and hard work that so many people have shown in their contribution to the family company.”
Stephen Dexter (Fish Brothers)
“I was so impressed with the first edition of The HomeServe Story I went back to commission History Writer to add new chapters to capture our progress as a business. A well-written corporate history book helps to communicate the culture and values of your business for new staff, clients and business partners.”
Richard Harpin (HomeServe)
contact
Ready To Tell Your Story?
Send us an email or give us a call, and tell us a little bit about your company’s story. We can then set up a free consultation so you can find out whether our service is right for you.
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