How it works

What actually happens when you start Recollective.

Many voices reveal more of someone you love than any one person could alone. Here is the whole journey, start to finished Book.

Start for free

Remembering together costs nothing. The Book is $795 when you're ready.

  1. 01

    Start their story

    Live today

    Create a project for the person whose story you want to keep, and share the first memory yourself.

    • You choose who the story is about — a parent, a grandparent, a partner, a friend.
    • One memory is enough to begin. There is nothing to prepare beforehand.
  2. 02

    Bring together the people who know them

    Live today

    Invite family and friends by email. Anyone who joins can invite someone else they think belongs in the story.

    • Each person says how they know the subject, so their memories carry their perspective.
    • Everyone contributes on their own time. Nobody has to be in the same room, or the same time zone.
  3. 03

    Remember more, together

    Live today

    Answer prompts, write freely, add photographs, or simply speak and let Recollective transcribe what you said.

    • Prompts are suggestions, never homework — you can save one for later or ignore it.
    • The subject can take part as much or as little as they like. Families often carry most of the work.
    • Photos and voice recordings live alongside the writing they belong to.
  4. 04

    Watch the story take shape

    Live today

    Your project dashboard shows what has come together, which stories are still untold, and whose voice is missing.

    • The Story Map groups memories into the threads of a life rather than a list of entries.
    • Family Discoveries surface things more than one person remembered — details no single contributor could see alone.
    • Guidance is always a suggestion. Your family decides what the story includes.
  5. 05

    When you're ready, turn it into the Book

    Available now

    Gathering, inviting and remembering are free for as long as you need. When your family is ready, you create the finished Book for $795.

    • There is no trial, no subscription and no deadline to work against.
    • You can keep adding memories while you decide.
  6. 06

    Recollective creates the finished artifact

    In production

    Recollective identifies the final stories worth gathering, assembles the manuscript from your family's own words, and gives you an editorial review before anything is finished.

    • The written manuscript is composed from the memories your family contributed — not invented.
    • You read and approve the content before the Book is produced.
    • Book production and manuscript generation are being rolled out with our founding families; we will confirm timing with you directly rather than promise it here.

Questions families ask.

Does the person the story is about have to do the work?
No. Most families gather the story around someone, and the subject adds what they want to add. Some subjects write a great deal; some add nothing at all.
What if we're spread across the country?
Recollective is asynchronous by design. Each person contributes whenever they have a few minutes, and everything gathers into the same project.
Can I speak instead of writing?
Yes. You can record your voice and Recollective will transcribe it, so you can tell a story the way you'd tell it out loud.
Can we add photographs?
Yes — photos attach to the memory they belong to, and they are kept whole rather than cropped to fit a layout.
What does Recollective do with our memories?
They stay inside your family's project, visible to the people you invited. They are used to help your family remember more and, when you choose to create it, to compose your Book.
Is this an AI product?
No. Your family's words are the product. Recollective uses technology to notice what's missing and to assemble the manuscript your family wrote — it does not invent memories.
When do we pay?
Only when your family decides to create the finished Book, for $795. Everything before that costs nothing.
Is there a time limit?
No. You can keep gathering for as long as your family wants, and you can keep contributing after you've started the Book.

Start their story today.

Start with one memory. Invite the people who know them. See what your family remembers together.

Start for free See what the Book becomes →