Preserve Your Family History - Photo Books and Family History

Preserve Your Family History - Photo Books and Family History Books By Esther Yu Sumner When Grandma Doris died, her children had a dilemma. What should they do with all the historical family photographs that she had inherited or taken herself, then saved over the years? Several members of the family wanted the photographs, but nobody had any real plans for them except to tuck them away in another box “for posterity.” While they had good intentions, the problem with tucking the photos in another box is that after Grandma Doris died, some of her children did not know the significance of some of the photographs left behind. Doris’s grandchildren knew even less. At some point, the family members featured in these valuable photographs would become meaningless strangers. What Grandma Doris’s family didn’t know, is that there are a lot of options out there to help make it easy and fun to preserve photographs, and the stories behind them, for posterity. The options available run a wide spectrum, from simple, template-based family books to detailed custom-designed books that can be several hundred pages long. What you choose depends on how much control you want over your book, how comfortable you feel using online book-design programs, how much money you are willing to spend, and how quickly you need the published book to be sent to you. Basic photo booksIf you want to create a simple photo book, several sites use book templates that let you pick what size book you want, then upload your photos into the template to create a professionally bound book complete with captions. You can typically also select fonts, drag and drop photos into template layouts, and more. For books like this, consider a company like MyPublisher.com (www.mypublisher.com), which offers a 20-page, 11.25” x 8.75” hardcover for $29.80 – more for a leather cover or additional pages. PhotoWorks, from American Greetings (http://www.photoworks.com/photo-books/category.jsp?occasion=genealogy ), has a special option with its “everyday standard sized book” that includes a five-generation ascendant tree for $39.95 for up to 20 pages. You can add up to 80 additional pages for $0.99 per page. There are no fees to use these programs, so feel free to try them out. You’ll find that the sites stay simple and instruct you on what to do next so you don’t get overwhelmed. Custom-designed books If you have collected a lot of information for a photo book but don’t have the time or the desire to actually put everything together, consider a company like Good Stock (http://good-stock.com/custom.php). They are a custom-design service, and, as such, claim they will “concept, design, manage, print, and bind your book.” You’ll be able to proof the completed book in PDF format before approving your order. You are responsible to have the photos you want to use scanned, edited, and sent on a CD along with other material you want used in your book. Prices for the completed book average around $1750 for a 50-page book. Books typically take 10-12 weeks from start to finish, including reviewing the final design, then waiting for the book to be bound and shipped to you. Do-it-yourself books If you simply want a way to make it easier to record your own memories, you can purchase a template cd from Mended Memories (http://www.mendedmemories.net/) for $79. This program allows you to arrange pictures, stories, and events into an attractive page using templates designed to work on Microsoft Word. You’ll be responsible for printing the pages and figuring out a way to display them nicely. Blurb (http://www.blurb.com/) offers a free software program you load on your computer that guides you through the layout and design of your book. Once the layout is done, you order the printed version through the Blurb website. If you have custom-designed a book using your own program, U Build A Book (http://www.ubuildabook.com/genealogy-book.html) will print it for you. They claim that the size of the book and the program you use doesn’t matter – they’ll print it. Listed prices start at $13.95 for a 6 x 9, soft cover, 20-page book. If the book you want to publish is so genealogy-intensive that you plan to fill it with detailed family charts and timelines, you might want to consider AncestryPress (http://ancestrypress.ancestry.com/index.aspx). This program is ideal for Ancestry.com members who have created an Ancestry.com family tree because it pulls in the research you have been saving on the website. The service also allows you to share your project with family members and have them add stories and photos. AncestryPress starts at $34.95 for an 11 x 8 ½,  24-page book with a leatherette cover. You’ll pay $0.79 for each additional page for up to 250 pages. Expect a book within one to two weeks of submitting your completed work. Self-publishing companies If you have a longer, more in-depth family history book that you want to publish, there are options that give you a freer-form template and allow more pages per book. Memory Press  (http://memorypress.familylearn.com/family_history?source=search) helps you to complete each page, including room for photographs, stories, and a family tree. As part of the Memory Press service, you can customize the cover with 3D items like charms, your book will be permanently backed up on the company’s servers, and you can use a special collaboration tool to invite families to contribute stories and photos. The book is $50 for up to 35 color pages OR up to 175 black and white pages, and varies from 8.5 x 6.5 to 10 x 8. Once you complete and order your books, you can expect it in 10 days. Creative Continuum (http://www.creativecontinuum.com/fhpub.asp) will help you put together your genealogy book, whether it means looking at original documents and finished manuscripts, scanning and digitally cleaning your photographs and documents, or assisting with interviewing and transcription. You will receive a bound proof before the book is finalized for publication. Since these books are so individual, by length, size, and how much work Creative Continuum needs to provide, prices vary quite a bit. Contact them to get a price quote. Genealogy plays an important role in our families but it’s our jobs as family historians to preserve our histories in an interesting manner that will capture our descendants’ interests and help create future family historians. Family history books give family memories an easy reference point that they can each individually own. Esther Yu Sumner is a freelance writer and usability specialist. You can reach her at esumnertime@gmail.com. Back » This article appeared in the World Vital Records.com Family History Bulletin on 6 May 2008, and is stored in their online archives.