Give the Gift of a Memoir
The most meaningful thing you'll give them this year.
You already know you should capture their stories. This is how you actually do it.
You've thought about it — at Thanksgiving, on the phone, in the car ride home. Someone should write these down. But the recorder never comes out, the memory book stays empty, and the questions don't get asked.
Coravio is how it actually happens. You give the gift. They call Frank — an interviewer who listens, follows the thread, and draws out the stories no list of questions ever could. Those conversations become a finished memoir. A real book, in their voice, printed and bound.
They don't write anything. They just talk.
What you're giving them
A memoir — their memoir — written like a real book. Not a transcript, not a printout, not a fill-in-the-blank journal. Real chapters, real prose, their voice on every page. The kind of book that gets read aloud at the dinner table, kept on the shelf, and passed down.
A planning call with Kelly
Before the conversations begin, Kelly — their planning interviewer — helps them map out the chapters. What the book should cover, where to start, which moments matter most. It's a warm, guided conversation, not a form to fill out.
Conversations with Frank
Frank is the heart of the experience. When they're ready, they reach out to him — and they talk. About childhood, about family, about the turning points and the ordinary days. Frank listens, follows the thread, and asks the kind of follow-up questions that draw out the details a list of prompts never could.
A finished, written memoir
Their conversations are transformed into a structured, polished memoir — written in their voice, with their photos woven throughout. Every chapter appears in their private portal for them to review and refine before the final book is assembled.
A printed book
Depending on the plan you choose, their memoir is printed as a hardcover edition — premium binding, beautiful design, made to last. One copy, or three. Something to hold, to gift, to pass on.
Why it works — even for the person who says they have nothing to say
The most common thing gift-buyers tell us: “My dad says he doesn't have any stories.” He does. He just doesn't know it yet — because no one has ever asked the right questions.
Frank is built for exactly this. He doesn't hand your father a list of prompts and wait. He has a conversation. And when your father mentions his first car — a rusted-out pickup he bought for $200 — Frank doesn't move on. He asks what it smelled like. Where he drove it. The night it broke down and what happened next. That's where the real memoir lives. And that's what every other service misses.
They don't have to write
Not a word. Not a sentence. They talk, and the book is written for them. This is the difference between a Coravio memoir and a memory book that sits in a drawer, empty.
They don't need to be good with technology
No app to install. No software to learn. They open a link in a browser — on a phone, a tablet, a computer — and click a button to call Frank. If they can make a phone call, they can use Coravio.
They go at their own pace
No deadline. No schedule. Some people finish in a few weeks. Others take months, calling Frank whenever the mood strikes. The memoir is ready when they are.
You stay informed, they stay private
You'll know when they start and when the memoir is finished. But what they tell Frank belongs to them — you'll read the book when they choose to share it. That privacy is what makes the conversations honest.
How to give a Coravio memoir
Choose a plan
Pick the plan that fits — Chapter ($129) for a focused memoir, Memoir ($329) for a full life story with a printed book, or Heirloom ($599) for the deepest version with three printed copies.
Not sure which one? Memoir is the most popular gift. It includes the complete experience — unlimited chapters, a hardcover edition, and enough time with Frank for a full life story.
See all plansPersonalize your gift
Add the name of the person you're giving it to, and write a personal message. We'll create a beautifully designed gift card — a PDF you can print at home and give in person, or send digitally on the date you choose.
“Dad — I've been meaning to do this for years. Your stories are too good to live only in our memories. This is your chance to tell them properly. No writing required. Just talk.”
Choose when to deliver
You decide the timing:
Send now — they receive a digital notification immediately
Schedule for a specific date — perfect for birthdays, holidays, or retirement
I'll give it myself — download the PDF and hand it to them
They begin
They open their portal, call Kelly to map out the chapters, and then call Frank whenever they're ready. You'll receive an email when they start — and another when the memoir is finished.
A gift card worth keeping
When you purchase a Coravio memoir as a gift, we create a personalized gift card — your message, their name, the plan you chose — designed to feel like the beginning of something meaningful, not a receipt.
Print it at home and slip it into a card, wrap it, or hand it over with a hug
Send it by email with a single click, on the date you choose
Show it on your phone if the moment comes and you didn't plan ahead
A gift for you
“Dad — I've been meaning to do this for years. Your stories are too good to live only in our memories. This is your chance to tell them properly. No writing required. Just talk.”
— With love, [Your name]
For any moment when you realize their stories matter
People give Coravio memoirs for all kinds of reasons. Some plan it for months. Some buy it on a Tuesday because something their mother said on the phone made them realize they shouldn't wait. There's no wrong occasion. But here are the ones that come up most:
The things gift-buyers worry about
(and why you don't need to)
What if they don't start?
Most people need a little time to warm up to the idea. Some start the same day. Others wait weeks or months. There's no deadline — the account never expires. And if they genuinely don't want to do it, you're covered: full refund before their first conversation with Frank, no questions asked.
What if they're not good with technology?
They don't need to be. No app, no software, no download. A browser and a microphone. If they can answer a phone call, they can use Coravio.
What if they think they don't have stories?
This is the most common worry, and it's almost never true. Frank is built to draw out the stories people don't know they have. Most people who say "I don't have anything interesting to talk about" are calling Frank for the third time by the end of the week.
Will I get to read it?
When they choose to share it with you — and most do. The memoir belongs to them, and they control who sees it. That privacy is part of what makes the conversations honest. But in our experience, the moment the book is done, it gets passed around the family.
What if I pick the wrong plan?
They can always upgrade. If you choose Chapter and they realize they have more to say, they move up to Memoir by paying the difference. Nothing is lost.
“I gave it to my father for his 70th birthday. He cried reading his own story. Best gift I've ever given.”
— Thomas R., 42
“My mom said she had nothing to say. Four weeks later she'd done eight hours with Frank and was upset she didn't have more time. We upgraded to Heirloom.”
— Sarah K., 39
“The writing surprised me. It's literary without being pretentious. It sounds exactly like my mother.”
— Claire D., 38
From our beta program. Names changed for privacy.
The stories your family carries are not backed up anywhere.
Today is a good day to change that.
Give the gift of a memoirOne-time purchase No subscriptionFull refund if they haven't started