Tales of our times

From the The Oxford Times, first published Friday 16th Feb 2007.

We all have at least one story within us to tell and for most of us, it is our own life and times, as Michael Oke discovered when he set up his own company, Bound Biographies.

Since he put an advertisement in a local weekly newspaper offering to help people to write about themselves, Mr Oke has himself published around 150 biographies.

His formula proved to be so successful that he has appointed seven franchisees in different parts of the country.

Together they have assisted close on 300 people to put their lives between leather or paper covers.

Mr Oke said: "What we are doing is celebrating people's lives. We are not vanity publishers and our authors have the number of copies of their book they need.

"At the end of the exercise they are not left with hundreds of copies they cannot get rid of, with unwanted books stashed away under the bed or in a cupboard."

Mr Oke, who is based at an office in Heyford Park House on Heyford Park, the former NATO/USAF base at Upper Heyford, near Bicester, considers it a privilege to work with people from all walks of life from a chimney sweep to a banking chief, from a seamstress to a woman RAF air commodore.

"For example, one day I was in an expensive house overlooking Epsom racecourse and later the same day I was in a flat in a high rise block in a London suburb," added Mr Oke, who lives in Bicester.

Most people, he found, begin to write their biography for their grandchildren and to remember the times of their parents, or the generation just gone.

The majority of would-be authors simply sit down with pen or pencil with a school-type exercise book and write in longhand.

Mr Oke, 44, said: "It is better they start off in this way, as longhand helps the flow of memories and it is an advantage when they use their own words and expressions, as that is when their character comes through."

He and his colleagues offer what is essentially a hand-holding exercise, and undertake a fair amount of tidying up and editing of an author's script.

One aspect they have to look out for is the repetition of incidents and episodes.

Mr Oke's route to establishing the business came after an unsuccessful spell in banking and later being made redundant from a computer company.

When working for a church charity shop, which he founded, he realised there was a gap in the growing family history market.

He explained: "There were plenty of books on researching family history and genealogy, but not about writing memoirs or life stories."

After a response to his advertisement and the firm taking off, he has written two books on the subject, Write Your Life Story and Times of our Lives - a companion guide.

Both were published by How to Books of Oxford and were later taken up and promoted by The Daily Telegraph.

One of them has also been endorsed by Marks & Spencer, for sale through its stores.

Mr Oke has also conducted seminars for Yours magazine weekends for readers and he has been asked to write a monthly column for the Best of British magazine.

His earlier experience in computing has been a big assistance to the development of the company, which has a turnover of £160,000.

He said: "Information technology is now very much on our side. At one time we could only handle black and white photographs but now we can take colour.

"We can also place photographs more easily and make last minute amendments or additions. Computer publishing gives us the flexibility to run off as few, or as many, copies as an author needs."

However, while extra copies can be produced at will, Mr Oke emphasised that authors are encouraged not to envisage themselves becoming best sellers.

He said: "Very, very few do that as most of these biographies are for family and friends. Only a few can be sold through bookshops.

"I think one I have just published, The Long Straw, by a retired farmer, Michael Nicholson, of Bucknell, near Bicester, could find some sales in bookshops because he has been well-known in the area for a long time."

So, finally, has Michael, 44, written his own story yet?

"No," he replied. "But I am helping my father to write his."

n Contact: 01869 232911, or e-mail mike@boundbiographies.com

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