StoryTerrace: The Unique Memoir Writing Service That Captures and Preserves Life Stories

Amid the current economic instability across the globe, StoryTerrace, an internationally recognized biography-writing service, has maintained its revenue and growth trajectory since its inception in 2014 by sharing the stories of everyday people worldwide. The platform has documented the life stories of thousands of “ordinary” individuals with extraordinary tales, resulting in an over 40% increase in the number of books printed in the US over the last year and a 44% rise globally. 

Rutger Bruining, StoryTerrace’s CEO and founder, Rutger Bruining left his career in private equity to embark on a meaningful journey of immortalizing the stories of people from all walks of life. He drew inspiration from his grandfather’s accounts of his experiences serving in the Dutch resistance during WWII and believed that such stories were too valuable to be forgotten. 

“In my experience, the stories that have left the biggest impact on me are ones that I hear from my family. Most profoundly, the stories my grandfather used to tell me when I was younger which have resonated with me since I was young,” he says.

“It’s easy to get caught up with the lives of other people, most commonly, the celebrities in the media, but sometimes you needn’t look so far to hear about someone’s incredible story. Oftentimes the most touching experiences we hear about are from our grandparents or people we know.”

The company’s success is evident in the significant number of projects submitted during the pandemic, with a doubling of their ghostwriter workforce.

Memoirs have recently gained popularity in the publishing world, with high-profile celebrity accounts dominating international newsfeeds and shooting to the best-selling category on Amazon. However, it is the stories of ordinary people that often resonate the most with readers. StoryTerrace’s offering is unique in this regard, democratizing the art of biography-writing.

In addition to preserving personal legacies, StoryTerrace has also brought countless families closer together by fostering a greater appreciation and understanding of their family history. 

“It is easy to forget the minor but significant details which happen to us in our everyday lives. From the wins to the drawbacks, we are all navigating our life story as it plays out. The beauty of StoryTerrace is that we get the privilege of gaining that extra insight into the lives of people all over the world – embracing and documenting diversity and individuality in its best form.”

The company’s proprietary data shows that 56% of respondents feel that much of their family history has been lost because they no longer have access to the person with the most knowledge about it. 23% say that it would improve their mental health if they were to hear about their family history and background. This highlights the need to record these valuable memories while there is still an opportunity to do so.

About StoryTerrace

StoryTerrace has a unique goal: to ensure that every person’s life story is recorded and preserved in a meaningful way. To achieve this, the award-winning memoir writing service offers a comprehensive process that includes matching clients with one of over 750 professional writers, conducting interviews, gathering photos, editing, designing, and printing a personalized book. With an average length of 100 pages, everyone can now have their life story or those of their loved ones documented in a professionally curated biography or a series of memoirs.

Using its proprietary technology platform, StoryTerrace has been able to scale globally, and since its inception in 2014, it has sold over 3,500 packages. The company’s exceptional service has won it numerous accolades, including being a winner on BBC Dragons’ Den in 2020, and has garnered attention from top news outlets such as Sky News, The Wall Street Journal, The Times, Forbes, and CBS News.