Vanishing Gwinnett author gives
ideas about how to publish a book
By W. Dorsey Stancil
Special to GwinnettForum.com

(Editor's Note: Dorsey Stancil of Buford is the author of the text and compiler of photographs of the second edition of Vanishing Gwinnett II, just off the press.)

BUFORD, Oct. 19, 2001 - - So you are thinking about writing a book about your family, your church, or an organization to which you belong? It can be a very rewarding experience especially if you later find that your work is widely accepted or even used for reference. It can even be lots of fun!

Here's a few suggestions for you to consider.

Limit your associates to as few as possible. Be glad for all the assistance offered to you, but remember the adage: "Too many cooks can spoil the broth." If there are too many of you working together, you may be unable to agree on important areas, and the work may move in a different direction from the one you expected. If the committee can't agree, the work may suffer.

Do the research. Your work should be composed of facts and particulars important to those who will read it. A work filled with opinion, supposition and conjecture will have little value. Be a thorough detective in obtaining facts to document the history of your organization or family. Whenever possible, ferret out photographs of memorable persons and events to supplement the facts in your text.

Select your photographs carefully. A sharp, clear photograph is generally preferable over a faded or damaged one, but not always. A dog-eared old photograph of a family patriarch or the founder of your organization should be a preferred choice over an excellent photograph containing mostly unknown individuals.

Whenever you have two or more photographs of the same event, group them together with an overall text that once stated is sufficient; don't repeat the same information underneath each of several picture on the same pages (Don't do this: "Here is a photograph of the house that burned up in 1949. Here is anther picture of the house that burned down in 1949. Here is another view of the house that burned in 1949.")

Get a good proofreader to assist you. Remember, you can't see your own mistakes. So get someone to help you. Your proofreader does not have to have any connection to your organization nor any particular interest in what you are trying to accomplish. The individual's disinterest may be an asset as he or she examines your work for punctuation, grammatical content, and your using the wrong word that spell check won't find.

Copyright your work. The copyright you obtain will cover the material you have written for your lifetime and for 75 years thereafter. This is especially important if you are doing a work for a church or an organization whose membership may drastically change in the upcoming years. Copyrighting will prevent future individuals from tampering with your work and rewriting history to suit their future selves while ignoring your wishes in the matter.

Be careful in the selection of a printer. It is disheartening to think that all of your efforts to make a perfect work are seriously marred when put into print. When considering a printer or publisher ask to see similar works produced by those to whom you will entrust the product of your labors. Are the photographs reproduced sharply or are they gray and undecipherable as to content? Are the margins true and the words printed crisply on the page? Is the paper of good quality and acid-free? Is the sample properly bound?

Now, sit down and tackle that book!

-- 30 --