Why 2023 could be the year you finally write your book

As new years resolutions come to mind – nation’s top biography-writing service, StoryTerrace, proves that writing your own bestseller is a goal within reach 

CEO/founder of StoryTerrace, Rutger Bruining, discusses the value in self-publishing 

The bestseller we’ve always dreamed of writing isn’t going to write itself – but, the often introspective and emotionally draining process of gathering all of our thoughts on a page seem like an insurmountable task. According to research, more than half of Americans believe they have an idea for a book, but only 8% have managed to finish writing their novel. Although a blank page can be a threatening presence, writing the next great American novel is a task well within our reach. Enter StoryTerrace, the nation’s top biography-writing service, which matches clients with professional ghostwriters who help them immortalize their stories. Sometimes we have an incredible idea of a book, but life can get in the way – with StoryTerrace, the process of memoir-writing becomes streamlined, giving you not only full creative control of your work, but also eases the pressure of spending too much time on your project. By giving you full rights to your completed book – StoryTerrace has championed self-publishing as an accessible manner to sell and circulate your book. 

Self-publication has now become a serious option for even established authors, offering potential returns that were previously unimaginable. It is now commonplace that authors wishing to take the conventional route using a publishing house won’t see as high return percentages compared with publishing independently. Coinciding with the emergence of smart devices, e-books, and online subscription models, this has transformed both the publishing landscape as well as the reading behaviour of readers. According to recent statistics, 31% of Amazon’s e-book sales in the US are all self-published novels. Commenting on the benefits of self-publishing and why it has become so popular, Bruining says: “Self-publishing puts you in the driver’s seat. You won’t have to deal with a complex contract, and you’ll have the final say when it comes to things like your book cover and title. Plus, you get to keep the royalties from every sale when you self-publish. Self-published authors take home 40–60% royalties per book. This is four to six times higher than what they would make with traditional publishing, where they get only 10–12% per book.”
This comes as memoirs become the top-selling non-fiction genre on Amazon, which has a monopoly on global book sales. Statistics suggest that this demand for new authors is projected to grow with national ghostwriting agencies reporting up to 400% increases in inquiries over the pandemic. 

Rutger Bruining, Founder and CEO of StoryTerrace, comments on how the stories that leave the largest impact can’t always be found in store:

“Just a decade ago self-published books were almost unheard of, but in recent years self-publishing has been on the rise and it is something we see often at our service. At StoryTerrace, our mission is to help ordinary people tell their stories. In many cases our clients want to keep those stories private, sharing them only with friends and family. When someone does have a story they want to share with the wider world, though, our self-publishing service helps them do just that.

“There are many reasons why people decide to publish. First and foremost, publishing makes your story accessible: Complete strangers can pick up your book and be inspired, educated or entertained by your life experience. A desire to share your outlook on life is a good enough reason alone to want to publish.

“At StoryTerrace we can help through the entire process, if the client wishes of course. As one of the largest memoir-writing organisations in the world, we’ve had a great deal of experience making beautiful books, and getting them out there into the hands of readers.”

Key stats from StoryTerrace:

51% wish they could tell their younger self to document their family’s life story, as they feel most of it has been forgotten

71% say they wish they knew more about their grandparents’ life stories, as they only know vague accounts about their experiences 

23% say that it would improve their mental health if they were to hear about their family history and background

56% say that a lot of their family history is lost because they no longer are able to speak with the person who knows the most about it

About StoryTerrace:

StoryTerrace’s mission is to ensure that every life story is captured and passed on in a meaningful way. Its award-winning memoir writing service takes care of the whole process – matching clients with one of over 750 professional writers, interviewing, photo gathering, editing, designing, and printing their very own book. Books are on average 100 pages long, meaning that everyone can have their life story – or those of their loved ones – documented in a professionally curated biography or series of memoirs. 

Powered by its proprietary technology platform, StoryTerrace continues to scale globally and has sold over 3,500 packages since its founding in 2014. The company was a winner on BBC Dragons’ Den in 2020 and has gained traction in the likes of Sky News, The Wall Street Journal, The Times, Forbes, and CBS News.