Self Publish Your Family History Book

To answer these questions fully, we have summarized the process into simple steps, complete with how to submit your file for publishing.

For authors who sign up to take advantage of our Family History Book services full support is available by dialling 07 3803 3424 or 0434 762 761 from 7am to 9pm during the process of formatting your manuscript to the end.

If you dont want to format your book yourself then talk to us about our complete family history book formatting services.

Any questions regarding any step in the process, please call us toll free at 1300 556 529. If you are currently researching family history, there are a number of free genealogy sites available online.

Whether you are a first time author wanting to publish your memoir or organizations history; a book for your grandchildren, complete with your own illustrations; or you are an experienced writer looking to launch your novel into the world, Love of Books can help you turn your ideas into reality.

Love of Books is a team of experienced publishing professionals, designers and editors. Not only can help you with all aspects of publishing your book, from editing, typesetting, cover design and internal layout to printing, marketing and promotion design we offer true value for money services.

You have done all the hard work – we know how much discipline, focus, motivation and time it takes to write, rewrite and write again. Its time to unleash and send your baby on its journey – We will help you to create your perfect book.

Whether you want to publish your book for your family, your organization, your own satisfaction, or test its market appeal, call a consultant today on 1300 556 529.

All of us have a unique story to tell. We have invaluable life experiences. We have treasured memories – the building blocks that give us substance and make us alive. We have experienced change – the birth of child, the death of a loved one, or the founding of our town, the rise of our organizations and the development or destruction of our communities.

We delve into our past to recall episodes and occasions; our emotions are stirred at the sight of old photographs, copies of birth, death and marriage certificates, piles of old love letters tied tightly with ribbon, postcards from overseas, mementos and souvenirs, locked diaries and hidden keepsakes.

We have achieved many great things; We may have been an inspiration in having touched the lives of others. We may have caused lasting social change. Our memories bring us happiness and joy. Some memories may cause us suffering and pain. We all have a past. We all want to have a great future.

We can help you to preserve your important history for your family, friends or society.

We can help you to record and document the development, change and achievements of your company or organisation.

We can help you write the biography of a distinguished community member. In fact, we can help you with all aspects of self-publishing.

We can help you transform your manuscript (or your memories) into a high-quality book that your friends, families and colleagues will want to read.

So why not publish your family history? Why not publish a book of that poetry that has been in your bottom draw for years?

Writing A Family History Book

Those who have undertaken the task of writing a family history book will often say that computer software posed a significant challenge. We recommend using software that is user friendly and designed to work with the larger files that are common with many family history book projects. Below, we have provided a list of common software used for creating family history books.

Do not use 2 or more versions of software to produce your manuscript. Choose one type of software. If the software you have chosen is causing problems, copy the files to a Microsoft Word document. While Microsoft Word is not a perfect software, we have found it to be among the most stable.

Use a single computer. Using 2 or more computers or a variety of software can cause a number of problems with your file, the most serious being text-re-flow. Using a single software on a single computer will minimize the risk of developing problems.

Second Step – Editing Your Manuscript

Edit or have your manuscript professionally edited correctly to avoid delays with the printing process

Third Step - Choose A Binding Style For Your Family History Book

The most common page size for a Family History book is the 8 ½” x 11” format. or A4. This is the easiest format for placing a combination of text and photographs on a page. It also allows a choice of a single or double column page layout. The two most common binding styles for a Family History book are hardcover and paperback binding with hardcover binding being the most popular.

Fourth Step – Page Layout

The information found in this step is designed for those who wish to produce their own page layout. Page layout is a term which refers to the way in which text and images are situated on a page. The layout of your manuscript should be adjusted to look exactly the way you want to see it in print. Look at previously bound books for ideas. Sample family history or reunion memory book layouts are very helpful for showing how to set headers, position page numbers, set margin width, or choose a font style.

Setup your page to the correct size of your book and place the correct margins and binding edge on the file. This is like a foundation. This first step in the setup process is the most common step not taken first. Everything else follows ths step. Ask us for a free Microsoft Word Template. Tell us the approx amount of pages and the size you want the book to be and we will provide you with a template setup the correct size with a binding edge and margins in place.

In order for your page layout to be visually appealing and to keep the readers interest, you should have contrast on your pages. Use a contrasting type for headings, keeping the headings very different from the body type. Use one type for the body copy and a different one for the headings. Consider a newspaper and how the headings are larger and bolder.

Choose one justification and stick to it. Centre justification will give the page layout a formal look. It is commonly used for wedding invitations, formal announcements, etc. Left justification will give a more conservative professional look. Full justification within the layout will give your pages a clean orderly look. With full justification, your headings could be either left, right, or centered on the page.

Repetition

Create a sense of unity to your book by adding a few visual elements that you like, and then repeating them throughout. Look through some of your favorite books to see what they have used on their pages, you may get some inspiration. Perhaps a decorative ornament under the heading of each chapter, or a decorative drop cap to start each chapter might give your book a special look.

Proximity

Organize your type properly by grouping things together that relate to each other.

Here are some basic tips:

·   Indent paragraphs one em space. This is equal to approximately two spaces.

·   Choose either a double space between paragraphs, or an indent. Do not use both.

·   If you are choosing to indent your paragraphs, you need not indent the first one of
    each chapter.

·   Watch for hyphenated words at the end of each line. If there are too many, you may
     want to adjust your kerning.

Choosing font styles for your book is very important for both the appearance and for transferring files for printing. The most common fonts used for books are the Oldstyle fonts, as they are easily readable for large body copy. Among the most common are Times Roman, Goudy, Garamond, and Baskerville. Remember to choose a contrasting font for your headings. A sans serif font such as Arial is a common choice. A sans serif font is one without the "hooks" at the ends of each letter. These "hooks" help to guide the eye from one letter to another making the text easily readable. This is why sans serif fonts such as Arial should never be used for the main body of the text. Children's books are commonly set in a slab serif font, because of their clean straight lines. Some common Slab serif fonts are New Century Schoolbook, Classic SSK, and Clarendon.

In regard to printing, it is important to ensure that all fonts being used are resident in your Windows font folder. This includes both bold and italicized versions of each font. Simply using the bold or italicize commands on the toolbar may not necessarily ensure the font is available. For example, Microsoft Word will manufacture its own version of a font if it is not already installed on your computer. If this is done, the bold font will appear to be two images side by side when printed on a high quality digital press. The italicized versions may not print at all. The simple solution to font problems is to avoid unusual fonts such as Wing Dings and Symbol, and stay with more common book fonts such as Times New Roman and Garamond.

The title page and chapter headings should always be placed on a right hand page. It may be necessary to leave a left hand page blank in order to start a chapter as a right hand page. Inserting a section break at the end of each chapter will automatically force the following chapter to begin in the proper right hand position.

If you are planning to add photographs to your family history book, they must first be scanned. For those who prefer not to scan their own photographs, we offer a complete scanning service which includes photo touch-up and adjustment for overexposed or underexposed images.
There are many brands of scanners available on the market. Even the most inexpensive scanner will be able to produce the high quality images needed for printing.

Some scanners automatically default to 72 DPI between uses so be careful. Photos scanned and printed at 72 DPI would not be considered acceptable for printing.

Higher than 300 dpi resolution is not necessarily better. A resolution over 300 DPI will only increase your file size (sometimes dramatically) and cause your computer to run more slowly.

In step 3, we touched on the fact that most family history books are produced in the hardcover format. If you have selected the paperback format for your family history book, our designers will incorporate any images you provide into the cover design. For complete information on our cover design process, click here.

If you have selected the hardcover format for your family history book, there are several options available when it comes time to decide on what style to choose for your book cover. The most common styles are:

Manuscript Typing                   $2.00 per page for standard A5 books
Page Layout (Typesetting)        From $1.00 per page. Family History Books are quite involved. As a genaeral rule allow $4.00 per page.
Photograph Scanning of images to make CMYK ready for printing. $1.00 ea.

Submitting Files For Printing

One difficulty in producing a family history book is that photos will dramatically increase the amount of memory needed to store your manuscript.

Files which exceed 5 megabytes in size could either be burned onto a CD and sent by regular mail or sent through our ftp site . Our ftp site is an excellent way to send large files quickly and easily.

Although our local office is based in Brisbane, we can provide all book publishing, book printing and self publishing assistance in all states within Australia. Major areas covered include: Adelaide, Albany, Alice Springs, Armidale, Balladonia, Brisbane, Carnarvon, Broome, Bundaberg, Byron Bay, Cairns, Canberra, Carnarvon, Coffs Harbour, Cooktown, Darwin, Derby, Geraldton, Georgetown, Gladstone, Gold Coast, Broken Hill, Hobart, Kalgoorlie, Karumba, Katherine, Larrimah, Launceston, Lismore, Mackay, Melbourne, Minilya, Moree, Newcastle, Noosa, Northam, Perth, Portland, Port Lincoln, Port Macquarie, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Southern Cross, Sydney, Townsville, Wollongong, Tweed Heads - Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, Horsham, Moe, Bairnsdale, Orbost, Traralgon, Healsville, Swan Hill, Warrnambool, Mount Gambier, Echuca, Morwell, Shepparton, Wodonga, Mildura, Wagga Wagga, Bega, Narooma, Moruya, Nowra, Junee, Cootamundra, Batlow, Dubbo, Byron Bay, Tamworth, Moree, Glen Innes, Grafton, Toowoomba, Logan, Hervey Bay, Mount Isa, Julia Creek, Longreach, Cape York, Hamilton Island, Alice Springs, Renmark, Port Augusta, Woomera, Coober Pedy, Ceduna, Murray Bridge, Kangaroo Island, Devonport, Flinders Island, Stradbroke, Maroochydore, Gympie, Broken Hill, Simpson Desert, Tennant Creek, Groote Eylandt, Mt Isa, Ayers Rock, Kakadu, Rabbit Flat, Gove Peninsula, Mount Barker, Bunbury, Rockingham, Margaret River, Mandura, Pilbara, Frankston, Parramatta, Kings Cross, Karratha, Port Hedland, Surfers Paradise, Magnetic Island, Derby, Newman, Meekathrra, Leonora, Esperance, Wilcannia, Bourke, Walgett, Tamworth, Central Coast, Gosford, Roma, Caboolture, Ipswich, Casino, Charleville, Charters Towers, Mission Beach, Cardwell, Atherton, Victor Harbor North South East and West. Come and visit us at our Brisbane office or work with us via internet and phone to assist you to self publish your book!

For a no obligation FREE personal assessment to determine which services you will need to self publish your book, contact Love of Books Self Publishing Success on 1300 556 529 (from anywhere in Australia for the price of a local call). Or contact: 07 3803 3424 and 07 3803 4559 Brisbane office or email us at info@loveofbooks.com.au. Brisbane and Australia wide!

Love of books self publishing success! Self publishing and book printing services- Australia wide!

The information on this page is designed for those who are writing a family history book (also known as a Family Tree or Memory Book). The questions we are most often asked are "how do I publish my family history book" and "how much will it cost to publish my family history book?"

Writing A Family History Book

Third Step - Choose A Binding Style For Your Family History Book

Fourth Step – Page Layout