Frequently Asked Questions

We call your Storyteller once a week with one life-story question. They answer out loud, and we record, transcribe, and translate their response. After 52 guided questions, those stories become a linen-bound hardcover memoir with cleaned audio linked from the pages.

Memory Gold can build the 52-question sequence automatically from our question bank and the preferences you share during setup. You can also choose questions yourself, reorder them, or let us fill any remaining spots for you.

Not yet. You can choose and reorder questions from the Memory Gold question bank, but buyer-written custom questions are planned for a future update. Your Storyteller can still add an extra “Freestyle story” from their dashboard whenever they are caught up.

Calls happen once a week on the day and time your Storyteller chooses during setup. Each call asks one question, and a standard memoir includes 52 questions.

Most answers are only a few minutes, but your Storyteller can talk for up to 60 minutes on each call.

Yes. Each call can last up to 60 minutes. There is no need to fill the time—your Storyteller can answer as briefly or fully as feels natural.

We process the recording, create a written transcript, and translate non-English answers into English. The memoir includes the written story and cleaned audio so your family can both read and hear it.

We text your Storyteller to let them know we tried. They can call the same Memory Gold number back, record from their dashboard, or type their answer online. The question stays open until they answer it.

An unanswered question is not dropped. The memoir waits on that question rather than moving ahead, so missed weeks may extend the finish date but do not remove stories from the sequence.

No. The weekly experience works by phone: your loved one answers the call and speaks naturally. A separate Storyteller dashboard is available for recording or typing online, but it is optional.

No. The interviews are ordinary phone calls, so there is no app to download and no screen to navigate. If they choose to use the optional online dashboard, they can open it from a phone or computer.

A voice greets your Storyteller by name, reads that week’s question in their chosen language, and waits while they answer. There are no menus and no buttons to press—just a question and time to talk.

Yes. The call is conducted in the language your Storyteller selected, so they can tell their story in the words that feel most natural to them.

Yes. Your Storyteller does not have to answer a question that feels uncomfortable. During setup, you can also exclude sensitive themes such as politics, religion, loss and grief, financial hardship, heartbreak, or deep struggles from the questions Memory Gold selects automatically.

That is exactly why the core experience is a phone call. There is no app, typing, or menu to learn. They simply answer the phone and speak.

If a phone conversation is difficult, your Storyteller can use the online dashboard to record with their device’s microphone or type the answer instead. The finished memoir processes those answers the same way.

We support more than 20 languages, including English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu, Arabic, Farsi, Tamil, Armenian, Russian, Haitian Creole, Amharic, and Somali.

Yes. Questions are asked in the Storyteller’s selected language whenever a translated version is available, and they can answer in that language too.

Yes. Non-English answers are transcribed in the original language and translated into English so the wider family can understand the story.

Yes. The finished memoir is dual-language, with the Storyteller’s original words presented alongside the English translation. Their cleaned voice recording is preserved too.

Every answer is translated and then reviewed by a human translator before the book is printed. That review is included with every memoir plan.

Yes. Memory Gold memoirs are designed as dual-language books, pairing the Storyteller’s original-language words with an English translation.

Every plan includes 52 guided calls, transcription, English translation, human translation review, cleaned audio, and a linen-bound dual-language hardcover with a dust jacket. QR-linked audio on the pages lets your family hear the Storyteller’s voice.

Yes. Every plan includes a linen-bound hardcover with a dust jacket. The binding, paper, and finish are the same quality across all three plans.

Yes. Memoir includes up to 40 photos, Legacy up to 60, and Heirloom up to 80 photos per book.

Yes. The memoir includes cleaned audio linked from the pages by QR code. Family members hear the processed recording; the raw call file is not shared separately.

The length depends on the stories your loved one tells. Memoir allows up to 300 pages, Legacy up to 375, and Heirloom up to 500 pages per book. Those are maximums, not targets—the book is complete when their stories are complete.

Yes. Extra Memoir copies are $119 each, extra Legacy copies are $139 each, and an extra two-volume Heirloom set is $338. Shipping is charged separately on extra copies, and each can be sent to a different address.

Yes. Recording the answer is how Memory Gold preserves the story. No one listens live; after the call, the recording is processed into a transcript, an English translation when needed, and cleaned audio for the memoir.

The buyer can invite family members as viewers. Invited viewers receive a private, single-use link and can read the memoir content already recorded; they do not need a Memory Gold account.

Memoir is $349, Legacy is $499, and Heirloom is $999. Every plan includes the calls, transcription, translation, human review, hardcover book, QR-linked audio, and free shipping on the book included with the plan.

It is a one-time purchase, not a recurring subscription. The plan price covers the full memoir experience and the included book.

Yes. Before buying, you can schedule one free sample call with no credit card required. Your Storyteller answers one question in their preferred language, and you receive the cleaned recording, transcript, and English translation when needed.

We text and email you a link to the recording and transcript, usually within a few minutes. There is no deadline to purchase. If you continue with a memoir, you can choose whether to include the trial answer as question four or start fresh.

A standard Memoir or Legacy plan asks one question per week for 52 weeks, so it takes about a year. Heirloom runs for two years and includes one book at the end of each year. Pauses or unanswered weeks extend the timeline rather than skipping questions.

The book included with your plan ships free. Additional copies can be shipped to different addresses, with shipping charged separately at checkout.

We’re so sorry. If your Storyteller passes away during the memoir, we will print a finished book using the answers already recorded, at no extra charge and in the same quality and copy count you purchased. There is no refund for unrecorded weeks, but your family will still receive the stories they shared.

Yes. The buyer can invite family members as viewers. They receive a private invitation link and can read the memoir without creating an account.