When Jennifer Campbell's father died nine years ago, she realized that she knew very little about his past.

What was his childhood like? What experiences shaped him as a man?

Sadly, these questions would never be answered.

Campbell immediately began capturing her mother's life story on audio tape. After only three interviews, Campbell's mother was stricken with dementia. Her memories were lost forever.

Photo courtesy of Echo Memoirs
Echo Memoirs owner Samantha Reynolds was inspired by a personal experience to get into the life history business.

Campbell was grateful that at least she was able to capture six hours of her mother's story.

"It's just delightful to hear her voice," says Campbell, whose mother has since passed away.

Although Campbell can never go back and retrieve what was lost, she is helping others preserve their life histories and the life histories of their parents before it's too late.

Campbell is a personal historian. Her Uxbridge, Ont., business, Twin Willows, which she started in 2002 specializes in capturing people's life stories in book form.

"When people realize they can hire someone to help them write their personal memoirs, it's a revelation ... They are only too happy to have someone help them," she says.

The process of writing a memoir is labour intensive. Aside from conducting an average of six to 10 hours of interviews, transcribing the interviews and gathering photos, Campbell says a great deal of work goes into crafting and editing the story to make it a good read.

"There are 15 hours of editing and writing for each hour of interviews," she says. Because of the time involved, she charges upward of $5,000 for a bound book with 100 photos. Other companies charge tens of thousands.

But many feel this is a worthwhile investment.

"I really believe that we are at the tipping point. There is such a surge of interest in preserving the past and making these connections that we are not getting through our busy lives," she says. "People have a lot more mobility now.

"They are moving around and those family connections just aren't there. People are craving them."

Jeanne Archer, owner of Life Journeys and the president of The Association of Personal Historians (APH), a not-for-profit international trade association with 600 members (30 are Canadian), says there has been a great surge of interest in memoir writing.

According to Archer, there are 79 million people in the U.S. approaching retirement and 37 million are 67 years of age or older.

Many feel compelled to capture the stories of their aging parents before it is too late. For those who have already lost parents, there is a feeling of regret and a desire to record their own stories, she says. She attributes part of this sense of urgency to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"There is a sense of our own mortality," she says.

As more and more Baby Boomers feel compelled to get their parents' stories down, an increasing number of businesses that specialize in personal history are showing up to meet the demand.

The National Post recently listed personal historian as No. 9 on its list of the top 10 hottest careers.

"The APH is growing by leaps and bounds," says Archer.

Archer says APH members don't only preserve life stories in book form, but also use audio and broadcast quality video.

"Technology has driven a lot of the ability to do these things," she says.

Samantha Reynolds, owner of Echo Memoirs in Vancouver, has created a thriving business in memoir writing.

Her company has completed more than 200 memoirs since its inception six years ago.

Like Campbell, it was a personal experience that inspired Reynolds to get into the memoir business.

"My grandmother went in for a hip operation and never really recovered from the anesthetic. She came out with a new hip and no memory. It was like a delete button had been pushed," she says. "That was devastating for me because she was my only living grandparent. I realized then just how tragic it is when a whole generation of stories is lost."

That's when Reynolds, a former freelance journalist, started capturing the life histories of family members and friends. Before long she had a growing list of clients and realized her career was headed in a new direction.

Now, she has three to five full-time staff, depending on the workload, as well as a team of 30 freelancers to help her keep up with the demand. "We don't do any advertising and we've never been busier," she says.

Her company has carved out a niche in the memoir business by creating books that resemble coffee-table books.

"Each book is a visual feast. Each page is a unique experience," she says, pointing out that a book can take up to a year and a half to complete.

The books are also hand- bound at the company's in-house bindery. Prices for a personal memoir start at $30,000 and up.

"Very few spend $30,000. Most spend more," she says.

Echo Memoirs also specializes in corporate histories, which comprise about half of her business. According to Reynolds, there are numerous reasons for creating a corporate memoir. She says a company reaching a milestone is a common incentive.

Other reasons could be the merging of two companies or the retirement of an executive. Another common motive is to attract or retain employees.

For instance, a company that is losing staff to competitors might create a corporate memoir that celebrates the company's legends and recognizes the hard work of employees.

"That way they will be able to inspire employees to attach emotionally to the company and find their place in it," she says.

"Most clients are sensitive about not wanting a book that says 'look at the amazing things we've done,' but rather they want a book that honours and celebrates the talented people who work there," she adds, noting that it's not uncommon for a company to spend $200,000 for a book of this nature.

Reynolds says corporate memoir writing has been so successful for her business, her company will be launching a new division that specializes in corporate storytelling.

"It's corporate storytelling that goes beyond book form," she says, adding her business will help companies breathe fresh air into "stale internal corporate communications."

According to Reynolds, many companies are still unaware of the power of storytelling. She hopes to change that.

"Companies are sitting on these dormant gems. They have no idea of the power of these stories," she says.

(Christina Friedrichsen can be reached at friedrichsen@businessedge.ca)