Our story

    We help families keep their stories

    Every life is full of them. We just make it easy to save the ones that matter, in their own voice, in a book you'll actually keep.

    How Ethos began

    The whole story, one stop at a time.

    1. Stop 1

      It started with a sailor

      My grandfather was a sailor, with a story for every port he had ever seen. In high school, I sat him down and turned those stories into a book for our family. Watching them read it, I understood something I have never forgotten: a life written down is one of the greatest gifts you can leave the people you love.

    2. Stop 2

      Then I met Ralf

      Then I met Ralf, who had done the very same thing for his own family. He had gathered their history into a book, and watched it draw them closer than he ever expected. Grandkids asking questions, cousins swapping stories, a whole family knit a little tighter around the people who came before them.

    3. Stop 3

      We joined forces

      So the two of us joined forces. We gathered a team of professional biographers and began offering it to other families, sitting with family after family and turning long conversations into books meant to be handed down. The work felt sacred, but doing it well by hand cost more than most families could ever afford.

    4. Stop 4

      A biographer in your pocket

      So we built the tool I wish every family had. A patient interviewer that lives in your pocket and asks the right questions, one gentle question at a time. Your mom or dad simply talks, a few minutes here and there, and their words become a real book in their own voice. And the whole family can join in, adding their own memories of them along the way.

    5. Stop 5

      Now it's for everyone

      Keeping your family's history is no longer reserved for the wealthy or the patient. It is within reach of anyone who loves someone and wants to remember them. Because every soul has a story worth keeping, and every family deserves to hold onto their own.

    The Ethos teamThe Ethos teamThe Ethos teamThe Ethos team

    Edward, Cofounder

    2022
    Making books since
    4.9
    Rating from 180 reviews
    30 day
    Money back guarantee
    US
    Based in the US

    What we promise you

    The stuff we'd want if we were the ones buying.

    Honest pricing

    What you see is what you pay. No gimmicks, no fine print.

    Private to your family

    Nobody outside your family ever reads or hears a word.

    Made with care, every time

    Every book is checked and finished before it goes to print.

    Yours to keep

    Download the stories and recordings anytime. They're yours.

    Love it or your money back

    Not happy with your book? We'll make it right, no questions.

    Made to last

    Premium hardcover on archival paper, built to survive generations.

    Families who did it

    I gave this to my mom on her birthday and she cried. We all did. The most meaningful gift I've ever given, honestly.
    Hannah R.
    I was worried Dad would find it awkward. He lit up. He's told us stories we had never heard in forty years.
    Sarah M.
    My kids will get to know their grandma the way I do. That's worth everything to me.
    Michael T.

    Start their book today

    A few minutes of talking is all it takes. We'll handle the rest.