Scottish Elises

Anyone on here ever done any self publishing or know what's involved?

Found out at the weekend my Papa has written his autobiography from the age of 3 to 80. Most of it won't be of any interest to those outside the family but it covers his time in charge of a factory when it shut resulting in a notable industrial dispute coming up on a major anniversary soon (I only found out last week, prompting the discussion) so would be nice to have his version of events on paper.

It's all hand written as he's not PC literate so would need typed up and edited but my Dad can probably oversee the editing as that's his trade. Can't imagine the print run would need to be particularly huge.

woody wrote:Anyone on here ever done any self publishing or know what's involved?

Found out at the weekend my Papa has written his autobiography from the age of 3 to 80. Most of it won't be of any interest to those outside the family but it covers his time in charge of a factory when it shut resulting in a notable industrial dispute coming up on a major anniversary soon (I only found out last week, prompting the discussion) so would be nice to have his version of events on paper.

It's all hand written as he's not PC literate so would need typed up and edited but my Dad can probably oversee the editing as that's his trade. Can't imagine the print run would need to be particularly huge.

Yes.

You can do it for a couple of hundred quid and you'll end up with a dozen copies or so - different people do it differently, so total costs and minimum print runs vary.

That assumes you want a paperback.

If you want an electronic version, I would imagine it is a lot less as all you need is an ISBN and publisher in order to get it on Amazon.

That said, the company I used appear to have left the internet (possibly gone bust also). But there are plenty more - google print on demand.

Cheers,
Robin

Thanks Robin. Pretty much as I'd thought, will have another chat with him this week. Found this as well which I appear to have on my laptop: http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/oneno ... 12560.aspx

That would appear to be a microsoft product - unfortunately it doesn't run on my computer I am sure it's great, though!

Cherers,
Robin

robin wrote:That would appear to be a microsoft product - unfortunately it doesn't run on my computer I am sure it's great, though!

Cherers,
Robin

That's funny, I'm pretty sure it'll be rubbish

I, or the family, really need to do something with my gran's memoirs too. She passed away about 4 years ago in her mid '90s and from her late 80's had started writing down chapters about her life. Like Woody, probably of most interest to the family but a couple of real gems in there. A double Hess connection - it was one of her brother's (my great uncle's) field in Eaglesham that Hess landed in. Hess was taken to hospital to be checked where my gran was a Sister on a ward. She didn't see or treat him but can recall the commotion of him arriving.
Then another chapter, still during the war, about her posting overseas to Nagpur, India, to run a British military hospital ward as her husband who was in the Army was posted out there. Husband left her whilst pregnant ; she give birth to twins - one my mum - and raised them out there on her own after turning to the church for help, during last few years of the war, before returning to Scotland.
Another about how after officially retiring from nursing in the late 70's she took a boat to New Zealand on her own (in her 60's by now) and worked in hospitals out there for a while in her capacity as a church missionary using her nursing skills. I can vaguely recall seeing her off at the dock. Fascinating stuff. One ballsy lady to do all that on her own.

DJ wrote:I, or the family, really need to do something with my gran's memoirs too. She passed away about 4 years ago in her mid '90s and from her late 80's had started writing down chapters about her life. Like Woody, probably of most interest to the family but a couple of real gems in there. A double Hess connection - it was one of her brother's (my great uncle's) field in Eaglesham that Hess landed in. Hess was taken to hospital to be checked where my gran was a Sister on a ward. She didn't see or treat him but can recall the commotion of him arriving.
Then another chapter, still during the war, about her posting overseas to Nagpur, India, to run a British military hospital ward as her husband who was in the Army was posted out there. Husband left her whilst pregnant ; she give birth to twins - one my mum - and raised them out there on her own after turning to the church for help, during last few years of the war, before returning to Scotland.
Another about how after officially retiring from nursing in the late 70's she took a boat to New Zealand on her own (in her 60's by now) and worked in hospitals out there for a while in her capacity as a church missionary using her nursing skills. I can vaguely recall seeing her off at the dock. Fascinating stuff. One ballsy lady to do all that on her own.

Someone else told me parts of that story a few years ago...

Lulu.com may be worth a look

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Mate of mine has published some (utterly terrible) books using Amazon, amazingly some people have bought it and he had to do an American tax return. I think they print them to order. Look up Ross Bodies, Battle Cocks. About three fighting cockrels to descended from Greek gods who get employed by the government as advisors.