Life Stories & Memoirs
Turn a life lived into a story your family can share.
For individuals and families preserving a life story, an immigration journey, or the memories of parents and grandparents.
Your story, heard.
Your ideas, shaped.
Your book, brought to life.
A U.S.-based writing and bespoke book studio for Chinese communities worldwide.
From family memories to ideas you have developed over a lifetime, we help turn conversations, manuscripts, and treasured materials into a book that carries your voice.
No complete manuscript needed. A few words about your idea are enough to begin.
Life Stories & MemoirsIdeas & Collected WorksFamily ArchivesManuscript Editing & Book Production
About
Your story.
Still your voice.
QUEENDA STUDIO helps individuals and families turn conversations, manuscripts, and personal records into books—from life stories and memoirs to nonfiction and collected works. We also offer manuscript editing and book production. Based in North Carolina, we serve Chinese communities worldwide.
You can start with a conversation, a draft, or a box of old photographs. Through interviews, a clear structure, writing, and careful review, we help create a book that remains true to your experiences and intentions.
For families across countries and languages, we consider how younger generations will understand their heritage. Cultural notes, bilingual excerpts, and translations can be discussed while preserving your Chinese voice and individual style.
Every life holds something worth keeping.
Leaving home for the first time. Finding your way in an unfamiliar place. Raising children. Looking back, years later, with a different understanding. These are stories only you can tell.
Your family may know where you went and what you did without knowing why you made those choices. A book gives those experiences room to be told—and gives others a way to understand them.
Services
Wherever you begin,
let’s shape your book.
An idea, a recorded conversation, or a manuscript already underway—each project has its own starting point.
Nonfiction, Collected Works & Family Archives
Give years of thought and accumulated materials a clear shape.
For authors with lectures, notes, poems, or essays, and families with letters, photographs, and genealogical records.
Manuscript Editing & Book Production
Help an existing manuscript become a finished book.
For authors with a partial or complete manuscript who need editing, design, or production preparation.
How we work
Listen carefully.
Check thoughtfully.
You share your experience. We listen closely and work to represent it accurately.
- You review important dates, people, and events with us.
- Uncertain details are acknowledged, rather than presented as facts.
- Different family recollections can be preserved together and attributed to their sources.
- Confidentiality, credit, rights, and use of source materials are agreed before work begins.
Choosing your writer
Together, we find
the right writer for your book.
Based on your subject, preferred style, and project needs, QUEENDA STUDIO helps you choose the right writer for your book.
We discuss the direction of your book, use an outline and sample chapter to agree on voice and style, and coordinate writing, review, and revisions so the work remains true to you.
Discuss your writing needsProcess
A clear path,
one stage at a time.
We agree on the scope first, then develop and review the work through an outline, a sample chapter, and clearly defined stages.
An initial conversation
We discuss your subject, intended readers, existing materials, language needs, and budget. For families in different locations, we can plan remote interviews, time zones, and participation.
A clear project agreement
We agree on scope, milestones, fees, payment, revision rounds, and an estimated schedule. Confidentiality, credit, rights, and use of your materials are addressed before work begins. We also discuss which sensitive details belong in the book and which are for background only.
An outline and sample chapter
We establish the book’s direction and chapter structure, then use a sample chapter to agree on voice and style. A finished manuscript may move directly into the agreed editing and production stages.
Writing and review in stages
You review each agreed stage and provide consolidated feedback. When several family members are involved, we suggest a primary contact to coordinate comments and confirm important facts.
Final review and book preparation
Once the text is approved, we proceed with the agreed design, proof checks, printing, or platform preparation. Private printing and public release follow different arrangements; deliverables are set out in the project plan.
Questions
A few things you may be wondering.
Have another question? , and we’ll respond to your specific needs.
What will it cost, and how long will it take?
Fees depend on the condition of your materials, interview time, manuscript length, editorial needs, language editions, and design requirements. Timing also depends on the availability of materials, review feedback, and intended use. After an initial conversation, we provide a project-specific scope and quote, stating whether printing, shipping, platform charges, and other third-party costs are included.
Can I begin if I’m not a writer or don’t have complete records?
Yes. We can begin with conversations and the materials you already have, prepare an interview outline, and work toward an agreed book outline and sample chapter. Missing details are checked with you rather than invented.
How are credit, rights, and privacy addressed?
Before work begins, we agree on author credit, rights to the work, use of source materials, and confidentiality. The inclusion of sensitive information in the manuscript is confirmed under the project agreement.
My parents speak Chinese. My children are more comfortable in English. What can we do?
We can begin with a Chinese manuscript, then discuss an English introduction, bilingual excerpts, or a full translation. Translation, review, and related fees are agreed separately.
Can we make a book just for our family?
Yes. We can plan the content, print quantity, and delivery for private keepsakes or gifts, with the intended sharing limits agreed at the outset.
Collaboration guide: where to begin, language, and book formatsExpand for more details
Use the information below to consider a suitable starting point. Scope, fees, and delivery dates are confirmed in a project-specific proposal.
Start with what you have
An idea without a manuscript: begin with interviews, an outline, and a sample chapter, then develop the writing in stages.
A partial manuscript: assess the material and discuss collaborative writing, additional text, or restructuring.
A complete manuscript: move into editing, design, and production preparation.
Archival materials: begin with an inventory, then agree on the structure of a collection or family record.
Languages and family participation
When older relatives speak Chinese and younger readers mainly use English, we can establish the Chinese text first and then discuss an English introduction, bilingual excerpts, or a full translation. Cultural notes may explain place names, forms of address, and historical context. Translation, review, and bilingual layout have separately agreed scope and fees.
For families living in different locations, we can discuss remote interviews and materials supplied in stages. A primary contact can coordinate feedback and arrange participation.
Private books and public release
A book may be intended for family keepsakes, gifts, a small print run, or public release. Print books, ebooks, and additional language editions are assessed separately and are not automatically included in one quote.
Whether an ISBN is needed, who provides it, and whether platform listing is included are stated in the project plan. Channels depend on language, format, and platform requirements. Rush work, added chapters, additional languages, and revisions outside the agreement are confirmed before extra work begins.
Choosing your writer
Based on your subject, preferred style, and project needs, QUEENDA STUDIO helps you choose the right writer. We agree on voice and style through an outline and sample chapter, then develop and review the work in stages.
Preparing an inquiry
Tell us about the type of work, estimated length, current materials, intended readers, purpose, and timing. You may also include design preferences and a budget range. Leave undecided items blank. Begin with a project summary; if further review is needed, we will first agree on how materials are provided and used.
Start a conversation
One idea.
A book of your own.
North Carolina, USA (Eastern Time) · Serving Chinese communities worldwide
Tell us what you hope to record, who you want to reach, and what materials you have. That is enough to begin a conversation about your book.
[email protected]Please email us first. We can then arrange a suitable way to communicate in writing or by video.