"It's easy enough to go into a store and buy a book off the shelf. But until you worked with us, I had no idea of all the details involved in creating a book from scratch."
Jody Hoyt, Treasurer and Co-owner, A. W. Hastings & Co.

Jody's statement is so true that we copied it onto a placard that hangs in our offices. Unearthing the story, crafting an organized narrative from raw material, finessing "all the details" — that's what we love to do. We do it for businesses, and we do it for individual business owners and executives who want to leave a written or videotaped legacy.

Case study: Our book Melwood — A Story of Empowerment, co-written with President Emeritus Earl Copus, is a great example of a hybrid history/memoir. Melwood is a private nonprofit agency that serves adults with developmental disabilities. Drawing from his 40 years as Melwood's director, Earl drafted a copious amount of material that we shaped, edited, and polished. The first half became a memoir of Melwood's growth in the past 40 years, as seen through Earl's eyes. It's packed with human-interest stories about Melwood's clients — their jobs, their relationships, their overcoming of obstacles — along with a few tales that Earl tells on himself. In the second half, Earl shares his hard-earned wisdom on running a not-for-profit organization. The result is a book that speaks to the mind and the heart. It simultaneously reaches several key audiences: the families of people with disabilities, the professionals who serve them, and the nonprofit community at large. To read some of the text, visit the Melwood page and click on the writing samples.

If you're intrigued by the notion of combining your personal and professional story, contact us. We'll help you explore the possibilities — and together we'll create a book or DVD that you just can't buy off the shelf.