Everyone Has a Story

Everybody has a story. Some are just more interesting than others.

I recently spoke with an elderly woman who ordered a book from us but also wanted advice on how to finish her own memoirs. “My son keeps asking about what it was like growing up on the farm, so I thought I’d write it down for him.”

These were my answers to some of her questions:

 -        Yes, Microsoft Word is a good program to use to write your memoirs.

 -        Saving your document/manuscript on your computer and backing it up on a memory stick every time you make changes is a very wise move. To make sure that I always work on the latest version, I add today’s date to the end of my document's name when I save it. You might end up with a lot of versions but at least you’ll quickly see which one is the most recent.

-        Yes, we advise anyone who is interested in publishing a book to utilize the services of a professional editor and layout designer. A do-it-yourself project rarely ends up being or looking professional. If you want people to buy your story, a professional look is essential.

-        It is expensive to print only a handful of copies, so think through your options. Decide early on what you want to accomplish by writing your book. Let that goal guide you throughout the process.

Everyone has a story. Even if you never publish your book, take the time to write down your stories. You will be pleased that you did and the next generation will be grateful to you.

So there you go – some of my thoughts on how to publish your story.

We love documenting memories and history. Thanks for asking.

Here are some great books of memoirs that we have published and are available on our web site: