The short answer is: around 5 minutes.
As a general guide, aim for around five minutes per chapter. If your book has five chapters: early life, relationships, big turning points, values, and reflections; that's roughly 25 to 35 minutes of recording in total. That's what typically produces a beautiful, finished book of 30 to 40 pages.
But that's a guide, not a rule.
What a "story" actually looks like
Within each chapter there are often several smaller stories sitting naturally together. Your early life chapter, for example, might include a memory about your first home, something about your parents, and a story about the street you grew up on. These don't need to be separate recordings, they can all flow together in one.
Some of those individual memories might only be a minute or two. Others might run longer. That's completely fine. What matters is that the story feels complete, not that it hits a specific time.
What about shorter recordings?
Shorter recordings have their own place in the book too. Some of the most meaningful moments end up as Q&A pages: a single question as the heading, your answer in a paragraph beneath, often paired with a photo or a small illustration.
These work beautifully for reflective questions that don't need a long answer. Something like "What does a good day look like for you now?" might only be a few sentences and that's exactly right for a Q&A page.
Sometimes I'll suggest one of these if I feel there's a natural gap in a chapter, or if a recording is shorter and suits that format. So if you submit something brief, it won't go to waste, it might just find a different home in the book.
A little over or under is fine
There are no restrictions on recording length in the portal, that's intentional. If a story runs long because there was a lot to say, let it run. If a chapter feels complete in three minutes, that's enough.
When in doubt, just record naturally and let the story find its own length. I'll work with whatever you give me.