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Are you ready to publish your family history, but you're unsure whether to self-publish or go with a traditional publisher? Let's explore both options to help you make the best decisions based on your budget, skill set, and time availability.
The Changing Landscape of Family History Publishing
In the past, publishing your genealogy book often meant relying on a traditional publisher. Traditional family history publishing incurred expensive costs because a project often required a minimum order of 20 or more books. For many, the dream of publishing their genealogy research remained out of reach.
Today, the digital publishing world has plenty of options for the writer. Self-publishing platforms have opened up exciting options for genealogists with more control, flexibility, and budget-friendly choices than ever before.
Yet, these new options have different challenges that could halt the dream of a printed book from becoming a reality.
So, which path is right for you?
What Self-Publishing Offers to Genealogists
Self-publishing brings smiles to budget-conscious genealogists. If you have the technical skills to format a book—or are willing to learn—you'll find a range of tools in LibreOffice or Microsoft Word to help you format your book pages. If you have a bigger budget, Atticus or Adobe InDesign can help format it.
Even with the higher cost of the book formatting tools, you'll still save on the expense of professional publishing services. Plus, the more books you create, the more the cost spreads over each project, increasing your savings.
However, all of these platforms have a few key benefits:
Budget-Friendly: Your costs involve writing and formatting tools and the final printing. You don't have to pay additional for a person to compile and design your book.
Creative Control: The design layout, font choices, and cover design can reflect your preferences and your family's unique story.
Short-runs: Self-publishing genealogists use "on-demand" (or short-run) services which allow you to order only as many copies as you need (including only one), reducing upfront costs. Additionally, self-publishing platforms enable your family members to easily order copies without you holding inventory.
While self-publishing doesn't decrease the size of your bank account as much as hiring a professional, you do pay with your time. Editing, formatting, and cover design may be skills you need time to develop before you can finish your book. And, if you don't make multiple books, your labor costs aren't spread across multiple creations.
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Grab your copy of this FREE Writing Guide.
The Value of Professional Publishing a Family History Book
If you lack the time or skills to create a polished book, a family history-focused publisher can handle much of the heavy lifting for you.
Key benefits include:
One-Stop Shop: From cover design to printing, professional publishers can handle all of the technical aspects of creating a book so you can focus on research and storytelling.
Professional Quality: Many publishers have experience in editing, designing, and formatting numerous books that they can leverage to make your book shine. Their experience and talent are often worth your money as your book will stand out from self-published creations.
Unfortunately, some professional publishers may still require minimum orders, which might mean paying for more copies than you need. With some services, you may have less creative control over the final product, so be sure to review sample projects to ensure you like the styles these service providers create.
Deciding What's Best for Publishing Your Family History Book
When choosing between self-publishing and professional publishing, ask yourself these questions:
What's Your Budget? Can you afford professional services, or would you prefer to keep costs low by doing it yourself?
How Much Time Do You Have? Are you willing to invest hours learning formatting tools and managing the process? Or do you need someone to take on your project and turn it around in a reasonable time frame? Remember, the amount of time you have is different than your deadline for publishing.
What's Your Skill Set? Do you feel confident designing a book, or would you benefit from expert assistance? Are you able to leverage design and book formatting tools? Or is your skill set just as a writer and researcher?
How Many Copies Do You Need? If you only need a few books, self-publishing might be the more economical choice. However, if you need 20 or more, perhaps the added cost of the professional publisher might distribute their higher cost across more books.
The decision to use either self-publish or use professional publishers ultimately ties back to two principles:
If family history isn't fun, you're doing it wrong.
Genealogy should be shared so you capture and preserve your family legacy so future generations will know it.
Which publishing option will ensure you're having fun sharing your genealogy research and that it captures your legacy? Combine that with your budget constraints and skill set, and the answer will become clear.
Share Your Thoughts
The floor is now yours. This post should begin a discussion about publishing family histories. What questions can I answer about your desire to write and publish your family histories? What questions would you like me to ask a few of my professional publishing friends to help you understand design and format choices?
I can't wait to read what questions and concerns you have. If you have some success stories, let me know them as well.
