Not every life needs a book.
Every consequential one deserves one.

01 · Authorised Biography

A disciplined reconstruction
of a consequential life

For public figures, founders, leaders, professionals and families who wish to preserve a life in serious, researched and book-length form.

An authorised biography is a professionally written life record developed with the cooperation of the subject, family, estate, institution or appointed representatives. It is not a tribute publication or a publicity exercise. It is a disciplined reconstruction of a life through interviews, documents, witnesses, archives, photographs and historical context.

This service is designed for consequential lives: founders, public servants, entrepreneurs, military leaders, scholars, professionals, philanthropists, traditional leaders, family patriarchs and matriarchs, and individuals whose work has shaped institutions, communities or public memory.

A typical authorised biography may cover family origins, childhood, education, early formation, professional ascent, enterprise, public service, relationships, crises, decisions, values, achievements, contradictions, institutional contributions and legacy. Where appropriate, the work also places the subject within the wider history of family, business, region, nation, profession or institution.

The engagement may involve interviews with the subject, family members, colleagues, associates, witnesses, professional advisers, staff, institutional representatives and other relevant voices. It may also include review of speeches, photographs, correspondence, press materials, documents, awards, company records, archival materials and prior publications.

The outcome is a serious manuscript suitable for private family use, institutional preservation, public publication, milestone presentation, legacy documentation or premium book production.

The process normally begins with a confidential consultation and, where necessary, a Confidential Project Architecture Brief to determine scope, structure, witnesses, materials, timeline and budget.

Request a confidential authorised biography consultation

02 · Private Autobiography

Your own story, told with
dignity and permanence

For individuals who want to tell their own life story with dignity, structure and permanence.

A private autobiography allows a person to preserve his or her life in a voice that remains personal, but in a form that is coherent, carefully edited and worthy of transmission. Many people have lived significant lives but leave their stories scattered across memory, conversations, photographs, family anecdotes, speeches, old documents and occasional interviews. This service gives order to that record.

The work may be designed for public release, limited circulation, private family use, milestone birthday presentation, retirement, thanksgiving, succession planning or intergenerational inheritance. It may take the form of a full autobiography, legacy memoir, founder's memoir, private family book or reflective life story.

The subject remains central. The process is built around structured conversations, memory recovery, documentary review, archival research, clarification of dates and events, preservation of voice, and careful editorial development. The aim is not to manufacture a voice for the client, but to help the client speak clearly across time.

A private autobiography may cover family background, childhood, education, marriage, career, enterprise, migration, public service, faith, adversity, friendships, values, achievements, mistakes, lessons, philanthropy and reflections on the future.

This service is especially useful for founders, executives, retired leaders, professionals, public servants, family elders, religious leaders, community figures and individuals who wish to preserve their story before memory fades or before others define the record for them.

The final work may be delivered as a polished manuscript, privately printed book, limited-edition family volume, or publication-ready autobiography, depending on the client's intention.

The process begins with a confidential conversation, followed where necessary by a Confidential Project Architecture Brief.

Request a private autobiography consultation

03 · Corporate History

The record behind
the institution

For companies, founders, families and institutions that wish to preserve their institutional memory.

A corporate history is the serious record of a company's formation, growth, trials, leadership, culture and contribution. It goes beyond anniversary brochures, public-relations profiles and commemorative publications. It explains how an institution was conceived, built, tested, expanded, defended, transformed and sustained.

Every serious company carries more than its public brand. Behind the name are founders, capital risks, early employees, first offices, difficult decisions, markets entered, crises survived, regulatory battles, boardroom choices, succession moments, loyal clients, institutional values and generations of work. If these are not documented, a company loses part of its own intelligence.

This service is designed for founder-led businesses, family enterprises, banks, professional firms, manufacturing companies, schools, hospitals, foundations, associations, alumni bodies, investment groups, public institutions and organisations approaching anniversaries, transitions, succession, restructuring, founder retirement or major legacy moments.

The work may include founder history, industry background, company formation, board and management evolution, early struggles, product development, expansion, regulatory context, corporate culture, staff contribution, philanthropy, leadership transitions, major crises, photographs, archival records and future-facing reflections.

A corporate history may be produced as a public book, internal institutional record, anniversary volume, founder-and-company biography, board legacy document, family-enterprise history or premium presentation publication.

The process may involve interviews with founders, directors, executives, retired staff, advisers, clients, regulators, family members and institutional witnesses. It also requires careful review of company documents, speeches, minutes, reports, photographs, press cuttings, commemorative materials and relevant public records.

The outcome is a durable institutional record: a book that helps the organisation understand itself, honour its founders, preserve its memory and communicate its contribution across generations.

The process begins with a confidential consultation with the founder, board, chief executive, family office, corporate affairs team or appointed representative.

Request a corporate history consultation

04 · Confidential Project Architecture Brief

Clarity before
the full commitment

For clients who want clarity before committing to a full biography, autobiography, family legacy book or corporate history.

Serious life story and institutional history projects should not begin with guesswork. Before a full biography, autobiography or corporate history is commissioned, the project must be properly understood. The subject, purpose, readership, materials, witnesses, sensitivities, scope, timeline and budget must be clarified.

The Confidential Project Architecture Brief is the structured preliminary stage through which Dr Udu Yakubu and the May Publishing / May Biographies team assess a proposed project and define the best way to proceed.

This service is especially useful where the proposed work is large, sensitive, public-facing, family-based, institutionally complex, multi-generational, or still unclear in form. It protects both the client and the project from vague assumptions.

The brief may involve two to four structured conversations, review of available documents and photographs, preliminary assessment of the subject's life or institution, identification of possible witnesses, consideration of sensitive issues, and development of a proposed narrative architecture.

At the end of the process, the client receives a confidential project document setting out the likely nature of the work, possible title direction, central narrative premise, proposed chapter structure, interview list, document and archive requirements, photographs needed, sensitive areas, estimated timeline, production options and indicative budget for the full project.

The client may then decide whether to proceed to the full work. Where a full project is commissioned, part of the brief fee may, depending on the agreement, be credited towards the larger engagement.

This is not a generic quotation stage. It is an early act of professional judgement. It helps the client understand what the proposed book truly requires before serious work begins.

Request a confidential project architecture brief