Finally, after more than two months of on-and-off work on my latest family history project, I pressed the "buy" button for a single copy. This is a professional photo book telling the story of my husband's maternal grandparents, Floyda Mabel Steiner (1878-1948) and Brice Larimer McClure (1878-1970).
Of course, I previewed the book many times on my screen, zooming in on every page to read carefully and look at how the images are positioned. I made countless changes during the project and had my husband preview the book at least 5 times in the last few days. So many small adjustments might even introduce tiny errors or omissions, right? Not to mention typos, missing words, inconsistent dates or spellings, and other mistakes that can creep in and get overlooked at the finish line. Also, the color of the background on each page might appear slightly different on the screen compared with how it appears in print.
That's why I'm ordering a single copy at first. I want to be sure the book looks as it should, as I envisioned it. If I like the first copy, I can reorder multiple copies for relatives. If not, I'll make any necessary corrections and then buy multiple copies. The first copy will stay in my collection, with any changes noted by hand. This is only my personal approach, of course, and it might not work for you, but it's working out well for me.
Above, a sample page from this book, showing an ancestor's marriage cert and a handwritten listing of Floyda and her siblings. The story begins with Floyda's grandparents, briefly telling the highlights and low points of their lives. In the sample, Floyda's father was embroiled in legal trouble when his brother was arrested for burglarizing a storehouse. (Spoiler alert: Floyda's father wasn't actually a culprit but his brother was convicted and went to jail--story here.)
On the sample page, you can see a yellow exclamation point on the handwritten note illustration. This is an indication that the image might not print well, another reason to order a single copy before committing to multiple copies. Usually, I've found that even with the yellow warning exclamation, images tend to print well if I've prepared them carefully, including adjusting contrast. Only very low-resolution images will look terrible, in my experience, but who needs surprises?
Given how many hours I put into this kind of project, and how enthusiastic I am about sharing ancestral stories/photos with future generations, I'm willing to invest in a single book to do a preview in print, hold the book in my hands, and check carefully before investing more heavily in multiple copies. I've done this in the past, and made tiny corrections that improved later books. I want one copy in my own collection anyway, even if there are a few notes or changes here and there.
PS I only buy with a discount code or coupon!
I'm sure you have shared this before, but what service do you use to create your books?
ReplyDeleteI like both Shutterfly and Snapfish--and of course I always buy with some kind of discount coupon!
DeletePlus the page never looks the same in person as on the screen. I just got back from Shutterfly the photobook of our fall vacation. On the screen the text looked just right, but on the page it was so big! I'll have to make a note to remind myself which font I used and which pt size for future books.
ReplyDeleteThose typos will get us every time. They hide among the text, then, when all is considered ready to go, they jump out and laugh at us. Great post. Thank you for this idea worth considering.
ReplyDeleteI would totally do the same the same and do one copy first. That just makes so much sense to me. And I like that you got your husband involved as another set of eyes. Sometimes when you look at something over and over again, you miss stuff, for sure!
ReplyDeleteHow fun! Nice layout! Yes, a learn as you go process! I learned years ago, when I published my books, that photos in PDF previews/on the computer screen are NOT the same as in a printed book, and it's all about the DPI. It's always good to order a proof copy first. Wish I had it in me to do projects such as this again. ;)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on completion! You may want to try Mixbook for photo book projects. I find they have more options than Shutterfly. I use both, depending on what I want to make.
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