Family Memoirs

Dreams From My Father, Barack Obama‘s memoir first published by Times Book in 1995 is proof that publishing family history is not a bad idea.

The current president of the United States wrote it when Bill and Hilary Clinton were tenants of the White House. 

No publisher will touch your book I‘m afraid. You will have to publish your family history yourself because you are not Justin Trudeau, a member of Canada‘s semi-royal family.

Forget about approaching family members for a $200 contribution.  That is definitely a kill-joy.  You don’t want to lose your brother or cousins over something trifling like money.

Self-publishing comes in different shapes and forms.  Nothing ostentatious you understand.  A typed manuscript, old photographs and a visit to print shop at the mall.  The boys and girls there will advise you about binding the pages into a book form.

Alternatively go online and see if there are print houses that can bind the book for you.  Remember though, they have a print limit.  They can‘t start their machines for only 20 books.  I don’t know if there are printing houses with the minimum of 50.

Anyway, you are going to have fun thinking about the cover of the book.  Your grandfather is still alive and well in Sioux Falls.  He could be on the cover. 

Better still, you could have a photo of him wearing his best clothes and one of the grandkids wearing 2014 street clothes including baseball caps turned around.

The family summer picnic is around the corner.  Take a break from the barbecue.  Stand under a tree and look at the crazy folks you call family.  What a fascinating book!