March Ruminations

I haven't ruminated all month... why would I start now?

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March Accomplishments

• I've almost completed three books, thus maxing out my mental capacities. Deadline: April 3.

And in the other column . . .

• Um . . . so where is that Phillips driver, anyway? No, don't tell me. I don't want to know.

Exemplar: A Colorful Family History Book

The Family Strube - HARDCOVER by Norma Strube Rue | Make Your Own Book

Color can be tricky in a book of family pictures. Too many color pictures on a page can make for a wearying experience for the reader. Norma Strube Rue reined it in quite nicely in The Family Strube. She used two techniques to make color work successfully in her book. They are today's Ideas:

• When using more than one color photo on a page or a spread, choose photos whose colors are similar and harmonious together. Clashing colors don't look any better together on a page than they do in the mirror when you dress yourself badly. There's not much chance that an orange polka-dotted shirt will look good with your red plaid pants, is there? Well, they don't want to spend eternity on the same page with each other either, even in separate pictures!
• Norma carried a color theme through her book even on pages which had only neutral photos. She did so by using a two-tone scheme for her text, keeping the main body of text black, but using a dark reddish color for titles, captions and such. This creates a strong unity throughout her book no matter what kind of pictures are on any particular page-spread. And it looks terrific!

Having said that, I should hasten to point out that I love the cover art as well, despite the flurry of activity therein. Norma brought a great sense of balance and harmony to it, along with a sense of fun, and that restful white spot in the middle where the title sits quietly, hinting that it's about to bring order to the flurry. Nice!

Reader, what ideas do you get from this book?

Blurb Software Upgrade Available Now

I currently have several books in progress and, as you probably know, my POD publisher of choice is Blurb. (And in case you're wondering, I am not affiliated with Blurb in any way except as a customer, and I do not benefit in any way by writing about my Blurb experiences, positive or negative.) This week I received notice that they've released a new software upgrade, Booksmart 3.0. There are some interesting new features that customers have requested, and I'm looking forward to checking them out.

You'll find more information about the upgrade here, including some advice about any works you may have in progress.

Exemplar: Memoir of a Special Place

Grandma's House | The Fond and Familiar by Photographs by Benjamin & Trey Hoyumpa, Book design by Trey Hoyumpa | Make Your Own Book

What makes a house your home? If you home could say, "This is what I want you to remember about me," what things would it point to? When your grandchildren come to visit, what do they see that's different from their own home?

My father remembers a candy jar up on a shelf at his grandmother's house. My mother remembered the dark at the top of the stairs in her childhood home. I remember the carved lions that were the feet of my grandma's sofa. If I could go back in time, I'd photograph them all.

Will a time machine ever be invented? Maybe, but I don't think we can count on it, and a photographic house memoir might be the next best thing.

My house, I fear, will not be saying, "Look what a good housekeeper T.K. was."

Ideas:

• Charge up the camera and plan a photo shoot to motivate spring cleaning efforts.
• The absence of text allows the viewer to fill in his own memories associated with the photos. Even though this was not my grandma's house, the images brought up memories for me.

Reader, what ideas do you get from this book?

The Mysterious "J" -- Who Was It?

My grandmother celebrated her 20th birthday on April 1, 1914. She was single and working at the Palace Roller Rink in Detroit when she received these four postcards signed only "J."

I haven't a clue who "J" was!

Exemplar: A Sketchbook of Childhood Memories

Stuff I Remember by Willard Scolnik | Make Your Own Book

"Stuff I Remember" is truly delightful. Blurbarian Stuart Scolnik describes it thus:

Our Dad sketched his childhood memories on a sketch pad. The images were sorted, printed and presented on his 80th birthday, with love from his family. The illustrations artistically tell the story of a simpler time and a boy's intimate relationship with a world around him called the Bronx. Dad's attention to detail helps us revisit the objects, experiences and emotions of his happy youth. We hope you enjoy his journey.

I did! I enjoyed Willard's sense of humor too. You don't have to know Willard to enjoy this book, but by the time you finish it, you'll probably wish you did.

Ideas:

• Learn to sketch! I'll never be an artist, but art doesn't have to be fine to be fun. 
• When there's no photo to illustrate a story you want to tell, creating a simple drawing could really personalize a page of text. Consider whether such a drawing would fit with the mood of your book--is your book formal/scholarly/research-oriented or informal/warm & fuzzy/personal?

Reader, what ideas do you get from this book?

Exemplar: A Family History and Genealogy Book

From New York to Indiana by James P. Barber | Make Your Own Book

If you're thinking of putting all your research, or just all your research for one particular surname, into a big, comprehensive genealogy/family history book, you've probably spent some time considering how to lay out your book. There are plenty of ways to do it, and you can refine your own ideas by studying the approaches others have taken. If you visit the Blurb Bookstore and type in the search term genealogy, you'll find lots of examples to look at. Browse several. See what you like and what you don't like.

In From New York to Indiana, author James P. Barber chose to include charts in a separate section, after a textual family history. If your readers are not consumed by genealogy (like us!), the odds are pretty good that they won't be inclined to sit around reading charts. An interesting text will have more appeal to that audience, as will pictures.

Ideas:

• If you're creating a book for family members who are, for the most part, not genealogically inclined, you might want to keep charts in a separate section toward the back of the book, where the hard-core genealogist among your readers will find them more easily anyway.
• If you're using Blurb as your POD publisher, you may find yourself with extra pages available due to Blurb's pricing structure. Consider using them to add some blank family group sheets at the end of your book, as Barber has done here, so generations can be added as the book is handed down.

Reader, what ideas do you get from this book?