Determining the scope
The process for creating a personal or family history starts like any other project. We begin with a free consulting interview, either in person or by telephone to determine what kind of personal history you want to create or have us create for you. Milestone and Celebration books can be focused on a limited phase of your subject’s life. A Tribute book can look at your loved ones life in all of its phases and use your best, most accessible photographs to enhance the stories about the subject. Or, you might want to create a legacy family history that covers the entire life and accomplishments of your subject, including their parents and children.
Gathering information and material
We often begin with one or two interviews with the person at the heart of the story: your grandparent, parent, or even yourself. If you have journals, newspaper articles, or letters that enhance the stories you want preserved and shared, we can use those as well. If that individual is no longer available, we use whatever material is available to create the story. We can use journals, letters, photographs, newspaper articles, and, especially, recollections of those who remember the family member. We would also gather your photographs and memorabilia to enhance the story.
Create a manuscript
Depending on the type of personal or family history we are constructing, a transcript may be produced from the recordings to anchor the manuscript. If we are not using recordings, the personal historian creates a manuscript that presents the personal stories or family history in a logical order. We would also begin collecting the photographs and other memorabilia for inclusion in the manuscript. After editing, a draft is provided to you for approval.
Design and Publish
After you review and approve the draft, the personal historian moves to finalize the layout and design of the book according to the agreements made during the initial discussions. Decisions would be finalized about where and how to have your book printed, according to the agreements made during the initial discussions. If you decide you want to include video or professional photographs, we can arrange for our associates to do that. You would, again, have final approval before printing.