How-to-do-it Yourself
What was the best thing your parents ever did for you?
(We have an excellent assortment of books to help get you started.)
So you've written your story or stories, and would like to put them together in book form.

Here are the Memory Catchers' professional suggestions for completing your project:

1. Prepare the Manuscript
If your manuscript is handwritten, or if your story is on tape, the first step is to get a master copy typed. You can do that on a typewriter or on a word processor.

Decide what page size you want. Usually we create either a 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch book, a 6 x 9 inch book, or an 8 1/2 x 11 inch book. Use a margin of at least 3/4 inch on all sides.

Choose a readable font and size (A serif style in at least a 12 point font is suggested.)
2. Choose Photos to Include
Choose photos for your book.

Use originals or photos scanned at 300 - 600 dpi. Avoid using copy photos made on a copy machine. Quality is lost each time a photocopy is replicated.

Photos printed in black and white by a high resolution printer will retain the quality of the original. High quality black and white or color copies may be produced on a color laser printer.

Crop, cut, and paste photos, either originals or scanned photos, on appropriate pages. Include captions - who, when, and where - with each photo.
3. Proofread Your Text
After spending hours typing your manuscript, it becomes difficult for you to recognize errors - typos, wording, or spelling. Now you need someone to proofread.

You can do this work yourself, but you'll also need at least one other person to read.

Remember your grammar school teacher who was such a stickler for perfect papers? Give her a call.
4. Prepare Book Title and Title Pages
After selecting a title for your book, choose, as a guide, a published book you admire. Look at the special pages it includes before and after the actual story.

Which special pages will you include in your book?
  • Title Page
  • Copyright Page:
  • Copyrightã followed by the year, and then the name of the author (Apply at Library of Congress copyright office.)
  • All rights reserved statement.
  • ISBN number or Library of Congress Number and CIP number. (If you want to include these numbers, you must file for them.)
  • Name and address of printer and publisher.
  • Include barcode listing ISBN and price.
  • Table of Contents
  • Acknowledgements
  • Dedication
  • Preface
  • Family Tree
  • Maps
  • Bibliography
  • Footnotes
  • Mail Order Page for Purchasers
  • Index
Print these special pages with your manuscript.
5. Choose Book Paper
Opaque, 28# acid free paper in white or light ivory is desirable. The opacity of this paper allows photos to be printed within the text without showing through the other side of the page. Because of the archival quality of acid-free paper, your books should endure for many generations.
6. Choose a Print Shop
Call local printers to determine the best price. Ask for samples of their work, particularly of their copies of photos. You can do the printing yourself if you have a high quality printer.
7. Bindings for Your Book
Local printers can suggest options and costs. Memory Catchers can provide all of the following:
  • Perfect Binding (like the usual paperback book)
  • Hardback Cover applied to laser-copied printed pages
  • Loose leaf notebook using archival-safe, clear plastic sleeves
  • Tape and Thermal Binding
  • Comb Binding
  • Spiral Binding (more durable than combs)
8. Distribute Your Books and ...
CELEBRATE!
Email us with all your questions
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