Publishing Family Stories

Lee Goleby, our librarian, has provided the following notes from her workshop - From Writing to Book.

Have you done your family history, or written your stories, and now you want to share what you have done?

Lee Goleby has worked on several books for herself and others. She is no expert, but would like to share some of the things she wishes people had told her before she started the process of creating a book.

This workshop will show you some options for your own creations. Pick and choose what suits you. (Some instructions are based on using Microsoft Word.)

Before starting, here are some things to ask, and a few possible answers.

What do you envisage?

•        Family history

•        Collection of stories

•        Compilation of stories from several authors

•        Autobiography

•        Biography

•        Transcription (e.g., of a handwritten book, such as a diary or register)

•        Local history

•        Other history (e.g., of a ship, house, time period, etc)

Why?

•        Sharing research

•        Sharing memories

•        Entertaining others

•        Educating others

•        Answering questions

What format?

•        Electronic

•        Print

•        Audio

What elements will you include in the main text?

•        Written text

•        Pictures (photos, drawings, etc.)

•        Maps, plans

•        Diagrams

•        Charts

•        Family Trees

Who will be your audience/reader

•        You

•        Your immediate family

•        Your extended family

•        Selected repositories (libraries)

•        General public

So, how many copies will you need?

Some things you might be wondering about.

What is publishing?

•        The activity of making information, literature, music, software, and other content available to the public for sale or free of charge

Publishers might be:

•        Reputable publishers

•        “Vanity” publishers

•        Oneself (self-publishing)

Before agreeing to publish your work, publishers would:

•        Assess whether your work fits into their usual type

•        Assess whether it would sell profitably to their usual market

•        Some publishers will do both commercial trade (they pay you) and self-publishing (you pay them)

What is an ISBN?

•        International Standard Book Number

•        Information about the book will be stored in the Books in Print database which is consulted by publishers, retailers and libraries around the world

•        Used by libraries and booksellers to show a unique work, even if the title is similar to another

•        Useful for indicating revised versions (but a different ISBN is not needed for simple reprints with a few typographical corrections)

Acquiring an ISBN:

•        Thorpe-Bowker is the official ISBN Agency for publishers physically located in Australia.

•        https://www.myidentifiers.com.au/identify-protect-your-book/isbn/buy-isbn

•        1 ISBN currently costs $44

•        10 ISBNs currently cost $88

•        You can acquire just the number or the barcode (for the back cover) as well

•        Current cost of one number and one barcode is $89

Getting the book ready

Step 1

Decide where and how you will get it printed or published.

•        Will you print and bind it yourself?

•        Will you have it printed and bound elsewhere?

ISBNs for self-publishing:

•        Decide how many ISBN numbers/barcodes you want (how many different titles you will self-publish)

•        Order them

If you go through a publisher:

•        Printers and publishers often have specific requirements or limitations, so it’s best to know this first, rather than after you have gone through all the preparation

•        A publisher may organise such things as fonts, proofreading, covers, printing, ISBN and legal deposits

•        Look at books you admire

•        Decide on the number of pages of text, B&W pictures, colour pictures

•        Contact different printers or publishers

•        Find out what is expected from you

•        Compare prices and quality

One example – Genealogy Sunshine Coast book production:

•        Quality printing and paper (100 gsm)

•        Coil binding and clear covers

•        Advice on front cover design, etc

•        Help with compiling and pdf format

•        Payment covers the cost of materials

•        Limited range of options

Advantages of coil binding:

•        Books open flat

•        Pages can be replaced quickly if necessary

Disadvantages of coil binding

•        No writing on the spine

•        May not be as easy to shelve, because of its flexibility

Step 2

Appearance of the Text

Layout:

•        In Layout, choose your Margins, Orientation and Columns

•        Mirror margins are often required for books – both inner margins are wider than the outer

•        Click the small arrow at the bottom of the ribbon under Layout – this shows Page Setup

•        At Multiple Pages, choose Mirror Margins

•        3 cm is a good inner margin

Fonts:

•        Choose font (typefaces) and font size for main text

•        A font with small lines at the top and bottom of letters is called a serif typeface

•        Some examples of simple (sans-serif) typefaces: Calibri, Tahoma, Arial, Verdana

•        Some examples of serif typefaces: Cambria, Garamond, Times New Roman, Goudy Old Style

•        Discuss typeface preferences with your printer or publisher

•        Choose font and font size for headings, sub-headings and captions

Notes:

•        These can be very useful for the reader

•        Decide whether to include footnotes (at the bottom of the page) or endnotes (at the end of the main text) – these can be added using References

Step 3

Compiling the Text

•        Set the font and margins for the main text

•        Set the position of page numbers

•        Complete the whole main text, adding headings, sub-headings, footnotes or endnotes as you go

•        Temporarily add notes in a red font, where photos, maps, etc. will be inserted later

•        Change the font and font size for headings and sub-headings

•        Insert photos, maps, etc, with captions

•        Quotes from original documents or other works should be cited within the text, or in footnotes, endnotes, or a Sources list

•        Two ways of quoting another author:

-  Daniel O’Dea (1986) said that an infants’ wing was added to the convent in 1929.

-  Daniel O’Dea (1986) said, “In July 1929, an infants’ wing was added to the old convent…”

•        Be consistent with the citation form you have chosen to use

•        Photographs in Australia up to 1954 are usually considered copyright-free, but the source/repository should still be cited in the caption

•        Examples of captions:

-  James Goleby, c 1872. Photo courtesy of Alison Goleby.

-  Frederick Goleby, Mayor of Ipswich in 1906, N.D. Picture Ipswich.

Epilogue

•        Make your final chapter or final page of the main text a good rounding-up or conclusion of all that has gone before

Step 4

Proofreading

•        Read it aloud

•        Ask: “How does it sound?”

•        Ask: “How does it look?”

•        Look for spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting errors

•        Use Spelling & Grammar Check

•        Check for consistency in all of these

•        Read backwards to find spelling errors (out of context)

•        Check also regarding ethical, legal (libel and defamation) and privacy issues (What have I said about others, or about myself?)

•        Libel: A false written statement

•        Defamation: A statement that harms a person’s reputation

•        Will information about living people be left out?

•        Make corrections

•        Ask for help to fix problems

•        Ask three literate and trusted people to proofread the text (a separate copy for each person)

•        Ask: How does it sound?

•        Ask: How does it look?

•        Ask: “Please mark any spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting errors, ethical, legal or privacy issues.”

•        Change the filename slightly for each proofreader

•        There are proofreading tools in Word, but these can be complex. An easier option is for the proofreader to show corrections or suggestions in red in the Word document.

•        You can change these to black as corrections are made

•        Make the corrections that you think are valid

•        Proofread again

•        Give the text to one of those three people, or someone else to proofread again

•        Make corrections

•        Leave it for a week/month, then look at it afresh

•        Proofread again…

•        … and again…

Step 5

What comes after the main text? You might consider adding some of these:

•        Appendices?

•        Table of abbreviations, etc?

•        Sometimes a table is more useful at the beginning of the book

•        Add tables

•        Appendices for statistics, transcriptions of documents, lists, family trees, time lines, etc

•        Add appendices at the end of the main text

Glossary

•        Do uncommon words require explanation?

•        Check through the text

•        List the words in alphabetical order

•        Write a simple, brief explanation for each word

•        Check in a dictionary if necessary

References

•        References are specific sources that have been referred to in the main text

•        Do you wish to include an alphabetical list of references, even if you have given sources in your endnotes?

•        A reference usually includes: Surname, Personal names, Title, Year, Place of publication, Publisher, Repository

•        Choose a citation style, e.g. APA, Harvard

•        Be consistent with references

•        Primary sources (original documents)

•        Secondary sources (later writings)

•        Some people list primary and secondary sources separately – most list them together

Bibliography:

•        Sources used and other useful sources

•        Structure as for References, but page numbers may not be necessary

Index:

•        Will you have an index? (page numbers essential)

•        Family members often turn to an index first

•        Will it be just for surnames and place names, or for more?

•        Start a new page for the index after all the other text

•        An index can be generated using References

•        Insert a heading where the index will be

•        Work through all the pages and mark the words that will go into the index

•        Insert index

Author Profile:

•        A profile can be used in the front or back of the book, on a bookmark or a brochure

•        Choose a good photo of yourself, or have one taken

•        Write a paragraph about yourself, including (but not limited to) information about yourself as an author

•        Don’t include information that may be used in identity theft, or that you use as answers to security questions or passwords

Step 6

Compiling the First Few Pages of the book:

•        Create a new document separate from the main text document

•        No page numbers or using a, b, c, d… or i, ii, iii, iv…

•        Decide on a title (and sub-title?)

•        Preferably, this should give a clear indication of what the book is about

•        Create a title page (with picture?)

ISBN:

•        Assign an ISBN number to the book in My Accounts > Manage ISBNs on the Thorpe-Bowker web site

The verso (back of the title page) may include many elements:

•        Publisher and contact details

•        Copyright disclaimer (Alt + 0169 = ©)

•        Year / reprint or revision dates

•        Printer and contact details

•        ISBN

•        Grant funding acknowledgements

•        Captions for cover/title page photos

Other pages you might consider adding:

•        Dedication (to one or more people)

•        Acknowledgements (of assistance)

•        Preface: how and why the book was written (written by the author/compiler)

•        Foreword: why the book is good to read (written by someone else)

•        Introduction: the main topics covered in the book

•        Autograph page (for reunions)

Contents Page:

•        List chapter headings, Appendices, References, Index, etc, and the pages at which they begin

Repeat the proofreading steps in the sections before and after the main text

•        Convert the two Word documents to PDF

•        Merge the two PDF documents

•        (Some GSC personnel can help with these stages)

Step 7

The printing process:

•        Discuss cover options with the printer

•        Create a separate document for the cover if necessary

•        The book is ready for printing

•        Have one draft copy (galley proof) printed for final check and approval

Step 8

Legal Deposits in Australia

•        One copy of everything that is published in Australia is to be given to the National Library under the legal deposit provisions of the Copyright Act (1968).

•        ISBNs are not mandatory, but are preferred

•        You should deposit your work within one month of the publication’s release date.

•        If the work has been published and available in both electronic and print format, the electronic format is preferred.

•        Address:

Legal Deposit

National Library of Australia

Canberra

ACT 2600

•        (Include your name and address on or in the package.)

•        You can deposit an electronic copy of your publication through the National edeposit service (NED) ned.gov.au.

•        You can set access conditions at the time of deposit.

Legal Deposits in Queensland

•        If you publish in Queensland, then legal deposit applies to you.  This means that you are required by law to deposit a copy of your publication with the State Library of Queensland.

•        Address:

-  Legal Deposit

Metadata Services

Level 4

State Library of Queensland

PO Box 3488

South Brisbane  QLD  4101

or

-  e: legaldeposit@slq.qld.gov.au

or deliver in person to:

-      Infozone Information desk, Level 1, or John Oxley Library Information Desk, Level 4

The Queensland Parliamentary Library is also a legal deposit library for all Queensland publications (hard copy and digital) under Part 8 of the Libraries Act 1988 (Qld).

•        Address:

-  Legal Deposit

Queensland Parliamentary Library

Parliament House

George Street

Brisbane 4000

Step 9

Getting your book out there

A book description is useful for:

•        Newspaper articles

•        Book Launches

•        Sending to libraries and bookshops

•        Posting online

•        Bookmarks

Launching your book

•        Venue, organisation or shop

•        Advertise with brochures, newspapers, social networks

•        Invite a special guest and a journalist

•        Provide food

•        Talk about the book

•        Have a system for receipting purchases