FAQ

Subscription

What is included in my subscription?

Your one-year subscription to our platform includes access to all the curation and writing tools you need to start and write your stories. We have over 300 questions to help you curate your life story. You may download your story to PDF, allowing you to save or print a copy locally. The subscription includes one free printed hardback copy of your book, redeemable at any time. It also includes access to our print shop to order additional copies and ship globally. Friends and family can be given access to contribute and read your story.

What happens when my paid subscription ends?

You will receive an email with the option to renew your subscription for another year, or print your book. Please complete your order within three months or renew for another year if you want to continue to write. You will not lose access to your account or your stories when your subscription ends but additions and editing will no longer be possible unless you renew the subscription. Renewing costs another 100$ per year upon which all functions will resume as with the initial subscription term

Using the platform

How does the Lifestories platform work?

Our platform provides you with over 300 questions that are curated to help you tell your life story. You are free to use the questions as you like and even add your own questions and chapters. We encourage you to curate your life story to how you want it to be shared amongst your friends and family.

Can I edit the questions?

You can change the question in a chapter. Open up the question by clicking on “EDIT,” then click on the pencil icon beside the question in the green box. A text box will open and you can then type your question into the text box. Hit the “done” button when you have finished writing the question.

Can I delete a question I don’t want to answer?

Questions can be deleted by clicking on the “x” in the upper-right hand corner of the box that has the question you want to remove.

Can I change the order of the questions in my book?

When you are in the chapter viewing the list of questions, you can grab a question with your cursor (little hand) and move the question up or down the list of questions.

Can I delete chapters that aren’t relevant to my story?

Yes! Some chapters may not be relevant to your story and can be deleted. Just click on the chapter and you will find a “Delete chapter” button under the chapter title.

Can family and friends contribute and/or read my stories?

Yes! We highly encourage you to allow your loved ones to contribute to your stories. To invite a contributor, click on “edit” for any question and click on “Invite a contributor” in the lower left corner. A box will pop up where you can enter their name, relationship to you, email address, and phone number (optional). Then just click “invite.” The contributor will receive an email guiding them on how to contribute to the question. As the primary user, you can always choose whether or not to include a contribution and also can edit a contribution further once it has been accepted to be in your book. Note – contributions not accepted will not appear in printed copies of your book. To invite someone to read your book, go to the Preview book page and click to invite a reader. Note that contributors are not automatically added to be readers for a book. This is to ensure that your privacy is maintained and that your book is only read by those who you want to. Friends and family members can be both readers and contributors as well as just be a reader solely.

Looking for a tutorial on how to use Lifestories.com?

Books and printing

What will my book look like? Can I create my own cover?

The books are 6”x9” with a full color hardback quality cover. You may design the front and spine of the book. In edit cover mode, you can choose your title, subtitle and author name. Only one font is available right now for the covers. You may select the cover color from a range of color options or choose a custom color from the color palette. You may also select your cover photo and upload it. The photo must be in an image format (JPEG, PEG) Please use high resolution photos (at least 300 dpi) if possible but smaller photos may be printed at 150 dpi.

How will my story look in the printed book?

The “preview book” option allows you to see what your book will look like on a printed page. This preview can be accessed on your homepage or in each chapter page when a question is in “edit” mode.

Can I purchase additional copies of my book?

Additional copies of your book are available for sale and can be ordered at the same time you place your order for the free book. Additional copies can also be ordered at a later date. · $39: Black and white interior, up to 480 pages · $79: Color books, up to 300 pages · $99: Color books, 300-480 pages Please review your book, using the preview tools, before ordering. Make sure that each page’s layout is as you would like—pictures are placed appropriately with captions, text is properly spaced, spelling errors are corrected, etc. If you are ordering a large number of books, we recommend you first order one preview copy to make sure everything is the way you want it. Necessary corrections can then be made on the website before ordering additional copies.

Is there a page limit to my stories?

Our printer can print books of up to 480 pages. If your story exceeds that, you might consider dividing it into volumes, publishing it in parts. To find the current page count for your book, select “Preview book” and read the instructions at the top.

Can I include color pictures? How do you add pictures?

There is no limit to the number of photos you can include, aside from the maximum page limit of 480 pages per book. Generally only one or two photos will fit nicely on a page. It is necessary to reduce large photos by grabbing the corner and shrinking them so that they fit on the page better. Pictures can be added when in the edit mode for any question. The picture icon at the top of the edit box is clicked, opening up your picture files and allowing you to select the photo you wish to use. The photos will not be in color unless you order your book in color.

Can you ship internationally?

Our $100 package includes shipping within the United States. For other destinations, your shipping costs can be determined using our shipping calculator. Some countries may collect customs or import fees that may have to be paid by the recipients at the time of delivery.

Can you print my book in another language?

Our printing software currently only supports languages using the Latin alphabet. If you would like to know if we can print in your language, contact us at questions@lifestories.com

What is your return policy?

We offer full refunds within 30 days, as long as no books have been printed. Printed books cannot be returned or exchanged. Use the “preview book” tool to make sure the book is as you would like it to be printed. Check for grammatical mistakes and make layout adjustments.

How long does it take for my book to be printed?

With standard shipping, hardcover books take approximately 10 business days to print and deliver. We also offer economy and expedited shipping options. Our shipping estimator and order page can give you a more precise estimate of delivery time but it is not a guaranteed estimate.

Can my friends and family order copies of my book?

Currently we do not support this feature. The best way to share copies of your book would be to purchase them from your account and then send them directly to your friends and family.

Referrals

Can I invite my friends and family to get a Lifestories subscription?

You can invite friends and family to join Lifestories by clicking on “Invite a Friend” at the bottom of the homepage. A box will open which allows you to enter their name, email, and any personal note. Then just click “Invite.” There are also options to share on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. They can try a 14-day trail membership or buy a one-year subscription. You can gift a Lifestories subscription to family and friends by clicking on “Gift a story” at the top of the homepage. Just fill out the information requested and then follow directions. For other questions, click on the letter icon in the left bottom corner and send us a message.