The 18-Month Journey
From the first conversation to the first copies in hand
Eighteen months is long enough to find the stories beneath the stories, and short enough to keep your life moving. Here is what happens in between, what you can expect from us, and what the journey asks of you.
Why Eighteen Months?
A book that shapes generations cannot be rushed, and it should not drag. Eighteen months gives a story room to surface, settle, and be written with care, while a steady rhythm of sessions and milestones keeps it moving toward a finished book. Most of our authors tell us the time went faster than they expected, and that the book became more than they expected.
What to Expect
A Steady Rhythm, a Clear Path, and a Team That Listens
What We Bring
- Two storytelling guides on every book, a lead and a second chair, who listen deeply, guide thoughtfully, and ask the second question in one-hour sessions over Zoom.
- An outline with cinematic clarity before a single chapter is drafted, so you always know where the story is going and why.
- A team that answers within two business days, so the work never waits on us.
What We Ask
- Your presence and honesty. The first six months involve fifteen deep dialogue sessions where we uncover the stories beneath the stories.
- Your eye at the moments that matter: the outline, the chapters as they arrive, and the finished manuscript.
- Your readers. The hundred people, by name, this book is being written for. Write for a hundred people you know, and you give the book its best chance of reaching thousands you don't.
The Journey, Movement by Movement
From Our Clients
“You can't do surgery on yourself.”
-Steward of a $1B enterprise
“I saw things I had never fully recognized before.”
-Twelve-year Major League veteran
“What stood out most is that you listened. Really listened.”
-Senior Partner, UBS
“Way better than we expected. A third-generation board member keeps saying it should be mandatory reading for every new employee.”
-CEO, family-owned global industrial enterprise
“Renown helped us create a living link for generations.”
-Patriarch, $100M annual enterprise
“I found myself engrossed in my own story, and now I have a cohesive narrative of my own life. It's so grounding.”
-Sixth generation, iconic American candy brand
Three Movements
Excavation: The First Six Months
- Fifteen one-hour dialogue sessions, each one going a layer deeper than the last. We ask the questions you've never been asked, and we listen for the stories beneath the stories.
- Between sessions, your storytelling guides map what surfaced: the people, the turning points, the meaning you've been living but never named.
- By the end of the Excavation, usually within six months, you hold an outline you can see the whole book in. The architecture is set before a single chapter is drafted.
“What stood out most is that you listened. Really listened.”
-Senior Partner, UBS
Alchemy: The Writing
- Over the next several months, an hour-long conversation for every chapter in the outline. Then a human writer drafts it, and you read each chapter while the writing is still warm.
- Experience becomes art. Not just what happened, but what it means, shaped into a unified narrative in your own voice.
- Several rounds of editing weigh every line for truth, clarity, and the sound of you, until the manuscript is finished.
Consecration: The Finished Book
- A final editorial review, then cover design and interior typesetting. You see the cover and an interior sample, and nothing is finalized without your approval.
- A final proofread of the typeset pages, your final sign-off, and then printing: the books and dust jackets made with the care the story deserves.
- The first copies arrive in your hands. A family book goes to the people it was written for. A book meant for the public releases in print and ebook. Either way, not a launch. A handoff.
What began as fragments becomes something you can hold and pass on.
What You'll Hold Along the Way
An outline you can see the whole book in. Before a single chapter is drafted, you hold the architecture of your story: where it begins, where it turns, and where it leaves the reader.
Chapters as they come to life. The manuscript arrives in movements, so you can read, respond, and recognize yourself on the page while the writing is still warm.
A finished manuscript, edited with care. Every line is weighed for truth, clarity, and the sound of your own voice, through several rounds of editing.
The first copies, in hand. Designed, printed, and ready to be placed with the readers it was written for. Then the conversations begin.
Begin With Discernment
Every journey begins the same way: a conversation about whether this story must exist, and whether now is the time. No pitch. No pressure. If it's a fit, we'll know together, and if it isn't, we'll tell you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of books do you make?
Four kinds, each a different way of carrying a life forward. A Personal Narrative tells your own story as story. A Heritage Narrative carries a family's story to the generations that follow. A Founder's Legacy tells the story behind what you built and why it matters. A Storied Truth carries a conviction you've lived through the stories that taught it to you. On a discernment call, we'll help you see which one your story wants to be.
How much of my time will it take?
About an hour a week through the Excavation and the chapter conversations. After that, about an hour every other week reading chapters as they arrive and responding at the milestones that matter. Most of our authors find it fits inside a full life.
What if I'm not a writer?
You don't need to be. You bring the life and the honesty; we bring the craft. Most of our authors had never written a book, and many never intended to.
What happens when the book is finished?
Consecration begins: a final editorial review, cover design, interior typesetting, and a final proofread, with your review and approval at each step before anything is printed. Family books are printed and delivered to you. Books meant for the public also release as print and ebook editions. Then the first copies go to the readers it was written for, and the conversations that follow are where the book begins its real work.
What's the investment?
The Renown Experience is a six-figure engagement, reflecting the depth and 18-month duration of the work. An accelerated path is also available. We're happy to discuss specifics on a discernment call.
Who owns the book?
You do. Completely. All intellectual property is assigned to you, including derivative works, adaptations, and future uses. We're here to steward the process, not claim the outcome.
What will be asked of me?
Your presence and honesty. The first six months involve fifteen deep dialogue sessions where we uncover the stories beneath the stories. We guide the process. You stay close to it.
Can I write the book myself?
You can. Some authors speak their story and have us shape it into prose. Others hold the pen themselves, and we coach them chapter by chapter with the same excavation and editorial care. We'll be honest along the way: the Renown standard is high, and not every author's writing reaches it. When that happens, our writers take the pen so the book becomes what it should be.