Self-Publishing for the Family Historian, Is It For You?

I am no expert when it comes to the topic of self-publishing, but I know people who are.  It’s been a hot topic lately, both in the genealogical community and in general.  I’ve come across several articles that may help you decide whether self-publishing is something you want to pursue.

Biff Barnes, historian and writer behind the Stories to Tell Blog, kicked off the new year with a series of posts about self-publishing.  If you are considering publishing a book in the near future, these are must-read posts. 

• Publishing a Book in 2013? Self-Publish It!
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Traditional Publishing
• The Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing Your Book
• Self-Publishing a Book: New Roles for a Writer
• Self-Publishing a Book: Choosing an Editor
• Self-Publishing a Book: What Does It Cost?
• Two Questions Authors Should Ask Before Self-Publishing a Book
• Self-Publish a Book: How We Choose a Printer
• Self-Publish a Book: Thoughts on Marketing Considerations

I’ve also run across several posts on the subject of self-publishing from various writers.  All of these posts offer general advice about self-publishing and do not relate to genealogy specifically.  Nonetheless, they are still worth the read.

• 5 Things I’ve Learned From Self-Publishing, James Calbraith
• The Top Ten Mistakes Writers Make When Self-Publishing a Book, Guy Kawasaki
• 10 Things I’ve Learned About Self-Publishing, Joel Friedlander
• Legal Issues in Self-Publishing: What Authors Need to Know, Bernard Starr
• 17 Things Self-Publishers Need to Know About Book Design, Joel Friedlander
• Great Reasons to Self-Publish: 7 Case Histories, Alan Rinzler
• 4 Obstacles to Self-Publishing Success, Joel Friedlander

The remainder of these posts come from the genealogy world and offer advice on making the most of self-publishing, as well as some insight on various tools.

• Publishing Your Genealogy—Traditional vs. eBook, James Tanner
• Self-Publishing For Genealogists, Kimberly Powell
• A Personal Publishing Primer, Denise Barrett Olson
• Self-Publishing with Blurb, Lynn Palermo
• Make Your Book Page a Cousin Magnet, Denise Barrett Olson
• Self-Publishing Tips (Part 1) – Preparing the Manuscript, Marion Woodfork Simmons
• Self-Publishing Tips (Part 2) – Preparing to Hire an Editor and Designer, Marion Woodfork Simmons
• Give Your Book a Page on Your Blog, Denise Barrett Olson

After reading some of these posts, do you think self-publishing is something you want to pursue?  Or do you think you’ll stick to the traditional route?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject, so be sure to leave me a comment and voice your opinion.

Self-Publishing? Hire an Editor…Your Credibility Depends on It!

When you go the traditional route in publishing a book, editing is one of the services performed by the publisher during the production phase of the book.  However, more often than not, when you publish a book yourself, editing is a service that you have to seek on your own.  After reading several self-published books lately, I have a bad feeling that many authors either skip this step or “edit” the manuscript themselves.  I’ll be straight with you—not having your book professionally edited can damage your credibility and possibly impede traditional publishing opportunities in the future. 

Many people think that because they are writers, they can also edit.  While this is generally true, it’s only applicable to editing the work of others.  Self-editing, while it is exist, is usually where authors fail.  You can’t effectively edit your own work simply because you know what the text is supposed to say and you know the book’s composition.

For example, you know that the sentence is supposed to say “Bob took a moment to assess the situation.”  So naturally you’ll probably read the following and think it’s correct and exactly what you want it to say, but look really close…it’s wrong:  “Bob took a moment to access the situation.”  Now you might have caught the error simply because you weren’t the one that wrote it.  But had you been the self-editing author who wrote the latter version, I’m willing to bet you would have read right over the error and it would have gone to print as such.  A good editor would not let this error make it to print.

Another problem I see with all types of self-published books, whether fiction or non-fiction, is grammar and style issues as well as organizational issues.  Editors don’t just watch out for typos.  An editor performs a variety of editing services including proofreading, copyediting, substantive, and developmental (you can read my post, Did You Know?  Different Types of Editing for more information on each one).  This is why an editor can be a huge asset to your book.  They can look for grammar and style issues, such as voice (changing from first-person to third-person or vice versa), word usage, consistency with terminology, punctuation, and they can even do some fact checking.  And you’ll certainly want an editor who can analyze the entire manuscript and help you rewrite or rework sentences, paragraphs, chapters, or the entire book to make sure it flows in a logic manner.  As an author, it’s hard to see that the book that you’ve poured your heart and soul into doesn’t really flow organizationally.  A professional outsider will identify that immediately and help you fix it.

The bottom line?  If you’re choosing the self-publishing route, be smart and hire an editor, particularly one that offers various levels of edit.  This is very important in the world of genealogy and family history—you don’t want the credibility of all your hard work and research to be questioned simply because your book has typos, word usage issues, and is difficult to follow.  Don’t damage your credibility by trying to save a few bucks or a little bit of time.  Believe me, it’s worth the time and money to present a polished book!

4 Reasons to Convert Your Genealogy Research Into Writing

Putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) is a daunting task for some people.  But taking the time to turn your genealogy research into something more than facts in a database can be very rewarding and beneficial to your research endeavor.

Here are four reasons you should convert your genealogy research into writing:

1. Organize & Analyze – Writing out your genealogy research provides a means to organize your research in order to perform a thorough analysis.  In doing so, you are able to find gaps in your research (from missing records or events, to having used only secondary sources) and recognize when something doesn’t fit (a child born after a mother died, or a melding of two people into one, for example).
2. Prove It – Once you’re satisfied with your analysis and conclusions, you can document them as proof arguments/summaries to defend your research.  Proof arguments also help you keep track of your conclusions and why you reached them in the first place.
3. Solve Another Problem – Sometimes when you write about the research process or records you used for one person, you may realize the same strategies can be applied to solve other mysteries in your family tree.
4. Tell a Story – Let’s face it, our non-genealogy family and friends won’t get much from a database file, family group sheet, or pedigree chart.  But putting your research in written form, with some narrative and social context…now that they can sink their teeth into.  Plus, it helps you as the researcher see your family as more than just names and dates.

Start Writing Your Life Stories – A Free Webinar from FTU

Family Tree University is offering a free webinar entitled Start Writing Your Life Stories, “where Sunny Jane Morton, author of My Life & Times: A Guided Journal For Collecting Your Stories, shares tips and ideas for capturing the stories of a lifetime—whether they’re your own or those of a loved one.”

The one-hour on-demand webinar can be accessed here.

Excuses, Excuses

It’s time to stop whining and start writing!  Head over to Sharon DeBartolo Carmack’s article “Write You Family History:  Get Motivated” to see the top five excuses we use to put off writing our family stories and advice on how to defeat those excuses. 

Yes, I said “we” since I whine about #5 (not “finished” researching) all the time!  But Sharon reminds us that the best way to find the gaps in your research and ultimately those pesky to-do items is by writing out what you’ve already researched.

Read her article to learn about the other four excuses and how you can overcome the whining and start writing!

Write Now!

Kimberly Powell of About Genealogy wrote an excellent post last week entitled “10 Steps to Writing Your Family History.” 

This is a must-read article with solid tips to get the juices flowing and start writing NOW!

4 Resources for Writing Your Family History

Following are four great resources that can assist you in writing your family history.

You Can Write Your Family History

A great book to set you on your course is You Can Write Your Family History, by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack.  One of the questions I struggle with the most is answered in this book:  How much research is enough?  Sharon also defines the various types of family histories and provides creative strategies for the writing process.  This book can be purchased on Amazon for under $20.

Producing a Quality Family History

Patricia Law Hatcher gets into the nitty-gritty of writing and publishing a book in Producing a Quality Family History.  While Patricia does discuss the writing aspect, the most valuable piece of her book is the several chapter dedicated to putting the book together in terms of what elements to include, the layout and design of the book, and publishing considerations.  I’m glad I got this book awhile ago since it appears to be out of print; it’s certainly worth checking to see if your local library or genealogical society has a copy.

Ready, Set, Write! Share Your Family’s Story

Lisa Alzo did a great webinar in June called Ready, Set, Write! Share Your Family’s Story.  The webinar was done through Legacy Family Tree.  Lisa’s presentation was very informative and extremely inspirational.  A 13 minute preview is available here.  You can also purchase the CD from this link as well; it’s worth the $9.95 price tag!

For All Time:  A Complete Guide to Writing Your Family History

For All Time:  A Complete Guide to Writing Your Family History, by Charley Kempthorne takes a different approach than the previously mentioned books.  Charley really focuses on the writing and shows you how to make the story interesting.  He gives a lot of examples and even has small challenges throughout the book to put what you’ve learned into practice.  There are also chapters on the types of family histories and publishing.  This book can be purchased on Amazon for under $15.

Find Your Research Mojo

There are so many factors that take us away from our passion for genealogy:  lack of time and money, limited access to records, and other obligations.  All of these suck the motivation right out of us and when we do find time or some extra cash, we don’t have the desire to do any research.  So how can we find that motivation?

The following is a list of activities that serve as motivators.  I almost always walk away feeling renewed with a sense of purpose.  My perspective shifts and I’m ready to tackle some research.

• Read how-to materials, informational articles, or case studies.  This can be in the form of journals, magazines, newsletters, books, blogs, or websites.  Some good online materials are:
• FamilySearch Wiki
• Ancestry’s Family History Wiki
• Ancestry Articles
• Archives.com Articles
• Listen to webinars, podcasts, and radio shows.  Following is a list of popular shows along with places to find webinars.
• Legacy Family Tree Webinars
• NEHGS Webinars
• Ancestry Webinars
• GeneaWebinars
• Genealogy Guys Podcast
• Genealogy Gems Podcast
• GeneaBloggers Radio Show
• Attend a local genealogical or historical society meeting.  Not only a inspirational tactic, but a great networking opportunity.
• Sign up for a class or complete a certificate program.  Consider the following options:
• Many community colleges offer “community education” courses and you may find that they offer classes related to genealogy or history.
• NGS Online Courses
• NGS Home Study Course
• FamilySearch Research Courses
• National Institute for Genealogical Studies
• Boston University Genealogical Programs
• Family Tree University
• Join a study group.  Two that I know of are ProGen Study Group and NGS Quarterly Study Group.
• Attend a conference or workshop.  Also a great networking opportunity.
• Tap the virtual world.  Peruse message boards, Twitter (#genealogy), or GenealogyWise.

Heck, just writing this post has inspired me.  Even thought I have a zillion other things to do, I’m going to carve out some time today and work on my own research for a bit…I found my mojo!

What are some other activities that help motivate you to dive into your research?  Post a comment and share!

Did You Know? Different Types of Editing

When you ask someone to “edit” your work, what exactly does that mean?  There are various schools of thought on types or “levels of edit” so it is important to ask a potential editor what type of editorial services they offer and what to expect.  Doing this will set the expectations of the project and ensure that both author and editor are on the same page.

For my own professional editorial services, I use the following levels of edit:

• Developmental
• Substantive
• Copyediting
• Proofreading

Each level has its own parameters.  Note:  The parameters may vary from editor to editor.  Be sure to find out what is included at what level with any editor you consider.

Developmental

• Assists the author during manuscript development (sometimes before, perhaps during the concept or outline stage) in terms of content and organization.
• May be involved in the writing and/or editing of the manuscript, depending on the scope and terms of the project agreement.
• A developmental editor may sometimes be regarded as a ghostwriter or co-author.

Substantive

• Concerned with the overall integrity of the manuscript.
• Rewrites/revises and reorganizes content for clarity, logic, and presentation.

Copyediting

• Adheres to specified style guide.
• Corrects errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax, and word usage.
• Checks for consistency in voice, terms, abbreviations/acronyms, style, and format.
• Verifies facts, calculations, cross-references, and website addresses.
• Queries author when questions of clarity, logic, or inconsistencies arise.

Proofreading

• Examines a proof (a.k.a. galley proof or galley) against the edited manuscript for typographical errors or omissions.
• May query copyeditor or author with other errors such as word usage, grammar, and punctuation. 

Most of the work I do falls under substantive and copyediting, and more often than not, due to time constraints, those types of edits end up combined.  This is always determined ahead of time and is provided for in the written service agreement.

Remember, when working with any editor it is important to clearly understand what editorial services will be provided.  And of course, make sure to get it in writing to ensure the project’s expectations are agreed upon by both author and editor.