I frequently meet people who are working on their family history and
preparing to publish their work. They are not always sure they are
ready to publish, especially if they believe there is more
information to gather. In addition, they wonder how they should
publish: printed genealogy vs. online publishing. In "Along Those
Lines . . ." this week, let's discuss some of these questions.
Perhaps they will get you thinking about the pros and cons of
publishing your own family genealogy.
Why Publish Your Family Genealogy?
Genealogists are driven to gather evidence, organize it, document it,
and finally to make it available for others. The data we research and
collect is certainly of interest to us, and most of us feel it is
important to create a written family history for the edification of
other family members and other researchers. Certainly there are many
individual motivations for publishing the family genealogy, but the
fundamental one is the desire to perpetuate the story of the family
and its accomplishments.
You need to ask yourself why you want to publish your family history.
If your reason or goal is to document the family, that is one issue.
If it is to extend your research range and encourage collaboration
with other researchers and family members, that is another issue
altogether. Your answer to the why question will help determine the
when and how of publishing.
Self-evaluating Your Research
Determining when to publish your family history can be a real
conundrum. Waiting "until it is done" is laudable, especially when
the details are sketchy or when corroborating evidence is
nonexistent. One reader of this column sent me an e-mail that
reflected this point exactly. He said, "Genealogy without
documentation is mythology." How true! But don't wait too long.
You should ask yourself, "How good is my material?" This question
encompasses several topics, and your answers will help you determine
whether you are ready to publish your material.
First, how thorough has your research been? Are you satisfied with
the accuracy of the information you have acquired, and have you
documented your sources? If your research contains hypotheses or
conclusions that are based only on conjecture, are you willing to
state them as such? This will help other researchers put your work in
context and, hopefully, encourage additional research.
Second, does the information you have compiled present a cohesive
picture of the family? Are there large chronological gaps in your
research, missing individuals, and/or missing vital dates? Do the
family stories relating to historical events fit with documented
historical facts? Can you prove them?
Third, are you a good writer? You may want to enlist the writing
and/or editorial assistance of someone who is good with words,
sentence construction, and punctuation, and who can also write
engaging text.
Finally, are you sure you want to share your research to others? If
you plan to publish material on the Internet (see below), are you
ready to extend your research range and invite other researchers and
family members to contribute more material or challenge what you are
publishing? You are always certain to receive feedback in some form
or another. If you receive corrections to your data and/or additional
data, are you prepared to publish a revised edition of your work?
All of these issues influence your decision about when to publish.
However, none is more important than the quality and thoroughness of
the material you plan to publish. If there are gaps or if there is
questionable data, you should probably conduct additional research so
as to make your publication the best it can be.
Publishing Options
There are a number of methods for publishing your family history
today. They range from the traditional printed book to photocopies,
and now there are electronic publishing options as well.
If your goal is to make your research available for others to review
and to begin collaborating with others, you may want to publish the
data in the form of a GEDCOM file. These files can be uploaded to one
of the Web-based genealogical databases, such as the Ancestry World
Tree, RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project, or The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints' FamilySearch site.
When you do this, people can then view the material online and/or
download it to their own computers. This often sparks communications
with other researchers and the collaborative exchange of data.
If your goal is to produce a written history in book form, with a
table of contents, chronological chapters, biographical sketches of
ancestors, photographs, charts and tables, and an index, there are
genealogy database programs that contain software to help you format
and generate a family history of this sort. You could also use a
standard word processor to create a manuscript. Advanced functions
can help generate a table of contents and an index, and can embed
photographs within the text. In the case of a printed genealogy, you
will need to either contract with a publishing house or pay to have
the book published privately. Private publishing might simply involve
having a local business printer make photocopied books and bind them
with soft covers.
You might also consider whether you want to publish your material on
the Web. There are a number of options available. First, you could
create your material as Web pages and produce your own Web site.
Second, you could place your material in its current file format on a
private Web site (such as the family sites you can build at
MyFamily.com) and invite only members of your family to access the
site. Family members could access and download the material, or you
could purchase the Adobe AcrobatTM publishing software and format
your material into .pdf document format; then family members could
obtain the free Acrobat ReaderTM software (at
Adobe.com) to read the documents you have produced.
Finally, you could contact one of the online "on-demand" publishing
sites that allow you to publish your materials on their Web sites and
then charge persons who read or download all or portions of the
manuscript. Companies like Allen Press Online Publishing, Upublish.com, and others provide free or low-cost space
to persons wishing to publish online in this manner. (Please refer to
Marcia Yudkin's article "Publishing On Demand Changes the Equation of
Self-publishing" for more
information on this topic.)
It's Not Open and Shut
Certainly, no one is more qualified to answer the questions I've
posed than you. The content and quality of the material is what
determines the ultimate value of the publication to others. Seldom do
family histories or genealogies produce a profit for the author. More
often than not, it is a labor of love to write and publish the
material. Determining the time and method of publication is a
personal decision. Getting the opinion of one or more friends,
colleagues, or family members can help you decide.
I am always grateful for the time and loving effort invested by the
people who have written and published family histories for the lines
I am researching. Your decision to author a family history can be a
boon to other researchers too. If you're ready, go for it!
Happy Hunting!
George
Editor's Note: For more information on publishing on demand, see:
"Short-order Books: Publishing On Demand,"
by Sherry Irvine, CGRS, FSA (Scot)
(Genealogical Computing, Fall 1997, Vol. 17, No. 2)
And for a comprehensive guide to publishing your family history, The
Shops @ Ancestry.com have the highly acclaimed Producing a Quality
Family History by Patricia Law Hatcher, CG, FASG.
George G. Morgan is a proud member of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors, Inc. He would like to hear from you at atl@ahaseminars.com, but due to the volume of e-mail received, he is unable to answer every message. Please note that he cannot assist you with your individual research. Visit George's Web site for information about speaking engagements. George is also the author of The Genealogy Forum on America Online.
© Copyright 2001, MyFamily.com. All rights reserved.
"Along Those Lines"
