Biographies

Character-Driven & Action-Packed Stories

At Braun Ink, we write and produce memoirs and biographies that are character-driven, action-packed, and insight-rich. We interview clients, conduct research, write, and then produce the book in various formats including print, electronic, and audio.

While our clients typically prefer memoirs and biographies that are 125-250 pages, we write books of all lengths.

Braun Ink book clients range from company executives and entrepreneurs to individuals who want to share their story with family and friends. Our clients have several options for publishing their biographies and memoirs:

  • Limited print editions for business colleagues, friends, and family.
  • Broadly distributed books where Braun Ink creates and manages Amazon and other online seller accounts.
  • The Braun Collection—our business-focused publishing imprint. The Braun Collection is a suite of executive biographies and memoirs that intimately acquaint global business people with executives and entrepreneurs across industries and geographies. These skillfully written, action-packed books go deep fast to uncover the lives, backgrounds, obstacles, opportunities, and best and worst ideas of the decision-makers who have changed the business landscape. The biographies and memoirs include companion pieces for classrooms such as Teaching Notes, Video Shorts, Quick Notes, Live Video Visits, and more.

“I cannot begin to properly convey to you how excited and honored I felt receiving this outstanding book (One Thing Led to Another)! This book should be in every American home… every public library… it should be incorporated into every university business ethics class and made as required reading. It is the quintessential map on how to attain the American dream.”

G.R., Memoir Enthusiast, 2016

Available to Customers

Braun Ink has helped many people tell their stories over the years, and we have a few “limited edition” memoirs you might like to buy. These are stories produced with great care by partnerships between Braun Ink and our wonderful clients; they are publicized minimally or not at all.

See More

“My family is grateful for all you have done for us. The memoir, of course, is priceless and such a gift to us, to the grandchildren and to so many of my dad’s friends. His memory, legacy and stories live on through the book in a way we couldn’t have imagined.”

L.G., San Francisco, Memoir Enthusiast, 2015

Dad’s Wisdom, Mary’s Strength, My Good Fortune
by: Bill Conway

Bill Conway, the son of an almost-saintly mother and a highly respected (in business and society) father, grew up with twelve brothers and sisters. He never thought he could improve on his idyllic family situation until—he met and married Mary French. Conway, an entrepreneur who grew a very successful earth minerals business, Fairmount Minerals (aka, COVIA), reflects on life, love, family, colleagues, and career.

On My Honor, I Will Do My Best
by: Scott Oki

After dropping out of college, Scott Oki got a second chance at education and ultimately became a top-five executive at Microsoft in its 1980s heyday and one of the top Japanese-American business people in U.S. corporate history. After Microsoft, he dedicated his life to philanthropy and civic responsibility and never looked back.

Planes, Trains, Automobiles, & More!
by Becca Braun

In this book, Becca Braun writes (not ghostwrote) about brilliant, 20th-century, Ohio inventor and Wright-Brothers protégé, Frederick J. Hooven. He invented the SHORAN bombsight, the radio direction finder, electronic printing equipment, and a digital synthesizer; he also led advanced engineering for the famed Ford Falcon. The foreword is written by Hooven’s grandson, a top Midwestern innovator, and Becca dedicates the book to the engineers, inventors, and innovators of Ohio.

LuvFromLily
by Lily Derwin with Bill Derwin

When Lily Derwin is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she undergoes a shift experience where she decides to live entirely in love. In this incredible book, Lily writes about her four point plan for living in love, not fear. Her beautiful plan includes Love & Positivity; Faith & Spirituality; Owning Her Journey of Health and Wellness; and Giving and Gratitude. She shares specific actions she takes every day to live in accordance with the plan and passages from books she loves.

Leader and Entrepreneur
by Norman Harbert

A Shaker Heights, Ohio, native, Norman Harbert loved leading divisions of major operating companies like Reliance Electric and others. Eventually, he co-founded Hawk Industries and co-led its IPO. He tells of his love for business, operations, and—of course—family in this classic memoir.

Life With Ham
by Terry Biggar

Friends and family pay humorous (and serious) tribute to Ham Biggar by recalling his years of playing squash, hunting, and building restaurants and night clubs. Each vignette beats with love for the man and his passion for life.

Using Comic Books in the Classroom

When using a comic book, business educators have the opportunity to develop these business competencies in students. Such competencies are in high demand in the business workplace.

Ask students to:

  • SUMMARIZE and SYNTHESIZE the actions, images, people, and topics.
  • DEVELOP ARGUMENTS about and CRITICALLY APPRAISE key actions and decisions made by executives.
  • OFFER SUPPORT for their arguments using text and facts.
  • REFLECT ON how the comic book characters’ views and actions compare and contrast to their own.
  • SHOW CURIOSITY about business leaders through asking questions of the main subject/CEO, if the LIVE VIDEO VISIT option is chosen by educators.

Using CEO Memoirs & Biographies in the Classroom

Memoirs and biographies combine the case method with more immersive and experiential learning because readers are immersed in the story and narrative. Narratives are arguably the most effective way to teach and learn in general. Studies have shown that students consistently recall information tied to storytelling better than material presented without storytelling. Organizational psychologists have found that learning from a well-told story is remembered “far longer” than learning derived from facts and figures and that facts are 20 times more likely to be remembered if they’re part of a story.

Braun Collection books and comic books enable business educators to use narrative to enhance the learning experience of their students. Further, it seems that people who read narratives that “oscillate” (i.e., the narratives do not offer a story of clear ascent or descent but rather a story of oscillating successes and failures) have better resilience later in their own lives and careers when making their own decisions. This is because they have reference points (the prior narratives) that consist of patterns of oscillation as opposed to clear-cut ascent or descent2. As we know in real life, decisions rarely involve clear-cut ascent or descent situations. Braun Collection materials do  show neither deeply flawed heroes nor perfect decision makers, rather people who deal with the ups and downs of the issues and
opportunities in their lives and careers.

When using a True Business Adventure Tale (CEO memoir or biography), business educators have the opportunity to develop these business competencies in students. Such competencies are in high demand in the business workplace.

Ask students to:

  • SUMMARIZE the actions, people, and topics and SYNTHESIZE all the information into the theme of the book. Synthesizing key topics and themes is important in business.
  • DEVELOP ARGUMENTS about and CRITICALLY APPRAISE key actions and decisions made by executives. Being able to develop and appraise various actions is important in business.
  • OFFER SUPPORT for their arguments using text and facts as opposed to pure opinion and conjecture. Knowing how to offer factual, even if not scientific, evidence is important in business.
  • REFLECT ON how the subjects and authors views and actions compare and contrast to their own. A level of appropriate reflection is shown to build a level of warmth and relationships that matter for business.
  • SHOW CURIOSITY about business leaders through asking questions of the authors, if the LIVE VIDEO VISIT option is chosen by educators. Asking good questions is a vital business skill.