publishing research

[jettejjane]

Thanks California dreamin,
just looked at site it looks promising and more what I was looking for, thanks. I like the book form but maybe a little pricey for more than one,  but the binders look good as well. Maybe one book would be nice will give it some thought.

[california dreamin]

Glad the link may be helpful.  I thought the book form a bit pricey also. But I need to sort out what I have written etc. and see how many pages it will be etc..  I might consider it for a special present.
CD

[Elizajb]

Hi jettejjane and california dreamin,

Sorry about the slow reply, for some reason I didn't get the email to say there were more posts to the topic.

I've had a look at the site you gave the link for and I think that will be really useful from what I can tell. It's pretty much what I'm looking for, where I can buy one book (or more) without strings attached. I had not came across that site in my google searches so thankyou very much.

Because I don't need to have any book I self publish available online for others to view or buy, this would better fit my needs. BookSmart was a good programme, except for the fact that I could not print off anything I had decided not to have published. One can kind of understand it from their point of view I suppose, they probably weren't planning on supplying a word processing/book layout programme which would then allow customers to use it, but either not order any books, or, even take the completed manuscript elsewhere for printing.

Pity in a way that you can't just purchase a version of the same programme for one's home computer for preparing manuscripts in a way which makes them print-ready, which would then be able to be sent anywhere for publishing, should you so decide at some future point, or, be able to be printed off as per normal using the home printer. There might be one of course, maybe I just haven't found it.

I'm far more interested in the social history and stories of my ancestors than just the names and dates (which of course I have in detail as well) and like to write them into stories with pictures most of the time.

Anyway, many thanks again for that link, I'll spend a bit more time having a thorough look at it but a cursory look shows it might well suit.

Regards Eliza.

[jettejjane]

Hi Eliza,

I agree it would be nice to find a programme we could purchase to allow us to prepare our manuscripts perhaps there is one out there. If you come across one would love to hear from you. If I find anything will let you know.

The link was good and I am seriously considering maybe one proper book, the family would just have to share it

We seem on the same wavelength regarding social history and stories. I have learnt so much through my research and it is more interesting than history lessons at school. Perhaps that would be a good way to get children at school to learn, it may be more fun. If it were centred on their families they could be learning without realising it!

Good luck with your book.

Jane.

[Elizajb]

Hi Jane,

I haven't found one yet but will certainly let you know if I do.

I'm thinking the same, that I might order one book from the website (link) and noticed that in the section on ordering bound books, they had a pdf download of tips on setting up your document for printing, which is really handy as I do write everything up just using a word processor at the moment.

I do have, and use,  genealogy software but am more interested in a narrative for the book than a set of reports. I haven't finished writing it yet though so could be a wee while yet.

Regards Eliza.

P.S.  I agree with you about school - I remember history  as being terribly dry and boring, which is the complete opposite of how I feel about it now.

[jettejjane]

Hi Eliza,

I will go into the site in more depth tomorrow. I did find some software that would suit but it was in .USA also no prices.

A fellow researcher who shares one of my lines sent me his findings, possibly he used  geneology software and it was very impersonal. Just pages and pages of names and dates. Very boring to read.
Mine is also on computer in Word with pics etc. I have  even even designed the cover in paint s hop pro. Quite an achievement coz I not brilliant on computer all self taught and very trial and error and frustration.  Hubby is I.T.Manager he helps a bit but is not interested in research. His idea is to give me the WOrd Manual and Paint Shop Pro Manual. I can see where he is coming from coz I have learnt easier than when he actually shows me. He has zero tolerance with me  when I keep asking same question over nd over again. Glad I learnt to drive before I met him.

Anyway enough rambling will leave you in peace.

Jane

I think our way will make interesting reading. But , I hasten to add in case I step on any toes in here, that is only my humble opinion.

Nice talking to you.

[Elizajb]

Hi Jane,

Have you, or other Roots chatters, had a look at the Ancestry programme MyCanvas which is on their website?

I did a while ago and thought it very good when I had a play with it. However, at the time, I was not ready to start writing up as I was still in the middle of my research so had put the idea aside for future reference.

Unfortunately, Ancestry have now decided not to continue with MyCanvas, opting to concentrate on other core parts of their business so the MyCanvas programme will be cancelled in 3 months, although one can use it and order books up until that time.

This is part of the reason that I have been looking around for something else. I had never worried about it before as I had always intended to use MyCanvas for my projects, but have very recently heard that it is being cancelled.

I have written to them to enquire about the possibility of their making it a stand alone piece of software for purchase, in the same way that one might buy Family Tree Maker etc but I don't hold out much hope of that happening. I for one, would be very happy to purchase software which is so ideally suited to writing/ self-publishing family history.

Surely someone out there (IT developers) must have realised what a big market family history is now.

Regards Eliza.

[Beth42]

I have written a few narrative books on some family lines. I have used a program called Ancestral Author and like it because I have it linked to NOTES for people in my family history program. However it would be possible to do a similar book using Word or Publisher using something like the following -
Make a Master Style Sheet specifying paper size, margins, page numbering, font for body text and font for headings 1 and 2, text size for photo captions etc.
- Front cover - I like to use a Title that includes the family surname and place or origin
- Introduction - include acknowledgments and thanks, bibliography, sources (list of books and internet sites)
- Family Tree (a diagram from Family History Program)
(The first chapter is about the earliest known ancestor and his wife)
- Gidney Phillips (1700-1780) and Eleanor Goodwin (____ - 1753)  all details and children
- John Phillips (1736-1793) and Catherine Bowles (1733-1803)
- William Gidney Phillips(1) (1769-1851) and Susanna Feaver (1770-1845)
- Uriah Phillips (1798-1872) and Ann Tucker (1813-1875)
   Children of Uriah and Ann Phillips .   from now on I know a bit about the family from certificates, census and newspapers
   Elizabeth Jane Phillips (1834-1889)
   Robert Phillips (1837-1879)
   Susanna Phillips (1840 - 1869)
   Catherine Phillips (1842-1912)
   William Gidney Phillips(3) (1845-1861)
   John Phillips (1847-1849)
   Charles Phillips (1849-1918)
   Henry Herbert Phillips (1851-1913)
   Francis Lester Phillips (1858-1911)
- Henry Herbert Phillips (1851-1913) and Charlotte Ellen Greenwood (1852-1899)
   Children of Henry Herbert and Charlotte Ellen Phillips
   Ernest Phillips (1876-1880)
   Lottie Phillips (1877-1880)
   Amy Phillips (1877- 1963)
   Arthur Phillips (1879-1880)
   Sidney Phillips (1880-1965)
....................and so on...........................
and then in the second section of the book I include a basic descendant chart just with birth marriage and death dates, sources and an index from my family history program.
I have ended up with a book of 100 pages which is saved as a PDF file and this can be copied to a disk and sent to family. If they want to they can get a copy printed at one of the big office supply stores that have a printing section, for about $15 each.

It takes a while to prepare but can be broken down in smaller steps.

[Elizajb]

Thanks Beth,

Another one I haven't heard of, so this topic is proving very useful. I've just had a look at the Ancestral Author website and it is a very efficient programme isn't it.

Do you add your own text or just let it do everything from your gedcom file? Do you add pictures?

I see there are ways of doing both of those - in a way it's a pity it converts to pdf before you have added all the extra bits you want. But, I might have misinterpreted that.

I do think that it would be particularly good if you were wanting to document a large family tree as it's a massive job to do many families in one book.

I see another programme for narrative type family stories is Rootsmagic's Personal Historian, but  I'm not sure if that imports directly from a gedcom or from the associated genealogy programme, or whether it's purely narrative.

Very interesting looking at what is on the market, I like to have a good browse before I get anything.

Regards Eliza.