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Writing a book

Looking for ideas on writing a book about family history.

How to get started.

Software to use (or not).

I have lots and lots of scanned images of documents and photos I have taken that I would like to include.

etc.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Drake on July 17, 2009 at 4:50am

There are several well-written, widely accepted guidebooks available. One that we like is "You Ought To Write All That Down". See it at www.HeritageBooks.com. Also see "www.eogn newsletter"

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Permalink Reply by Candy Hulbert Ditkowski on July 17, 2009 at 6:14am

I was inspired after seeing the 3 volumes a cousin had written on her own family line. At 91 years old, she has yet to publish the volume on our common ancestor - and I fear that job may be left to me! Looking forward to learning more about what's available out there to help us out, as well as what people like to see included in their family voumes.

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Permalink Reply by M D on July 17, 2009 at 6:23am

You could also search archive.org and look at some of the previously scanned family genealogy books for inspiration! I plan on using InDesign when I get to that point.

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Permalink Reply by Jim E Myers on July 17, 2009 at 6:35am

In the fall of 2005, at a family reunion, some of my 3rd, 4th, and 5th cousins, said they would like an update to a book published in 1954, by my uncle and several other people from a tri-state (IN, MI, OH) Bollinger reunion. The book "History and record of the clan of Rudolph Bollinger from Switzerland" was about 250 pages, starting with a short history of the Bollinger name and where the family originated.
I volunteered to put together an update. I started wtih the brief history, then added a picture of my Bollinger grand parents, along with a Pedigree Chart. I then started with Rudolph Bollinger of 1700 and just copied the information from the 1954 book, up to where my grand parents, John Bollinger and Nora Melisssa Cripe, came in. I then just added the new information from each children of this marriage and extended them out as far as I had names to add. I ended up with a 74 page book with 423 family entries. The hard part was referencing names as a child, as parents and then back to the child. I believe we sold about 500 copies and over-all it was well received.