Memoirs and Autobiographies
Would you like help producing your memoirs?
If you have a story worth telling it is worth telling it right, that means you will need to put effort into the writing, photographs, editing, and lastly design and production which are the two steps we help with. I would encourage you to aim for ‘bookshop quality’ for the writing and then when combined with our professional design and production you will end up with a book that is read and enjoyed for generations. Click on these links to find out more about cover design or type setting.
Click through to our $979 packages for a special memoir package.
We can produce your memoirs in a variety of styles the two most common would be:
Perfect Bound
Perfect binding is a glued softcover binding like a typical paperback book. Suggested stocks would be uncoated text paper around 80-100gsm matched with a coated cover stock in matte or gloss around 300gsm. This is much more cost-effective than going down the hardcover route and will produce a fantastic book.
Hardcover
If you have the budget, a hardcover book is hard to beat. They carry additional presence and durability, which is often an important consideration for family histories that should be passed on over the years. They can be sewn traditionally so they open flat, or glued on the inside to save money. You have the choice of binding it in a cloth such as buckram, Wibalin, or hide leather – alternatively we can print and laminate a full colour cover. Some people ask for dust jackets but we don’t personally recommend it as they generally just get scuffed, ripped or lost over time and then you are left looking at a rather plain cover.
Book Sizes
Typically family histories are small if they are more biographical in nature around:
Standard NZ A5 (148 x 210mm)
US Trade 6 x 9 inches (152.5 x 228.5mm)
Yes. We can produce 6×9″ books cost efficiently. This was a common request and like many printers in New Zealand we had to charge a premium for them to cover inefficiencies in the typical NZ process. However, we really wanted to be able to offer 6×9″ books so have created a special workflow which allows you to have your novel printed at 6×9″ locally, cost effectively and without waiting for around the world shipping.
Whereas if they include family trees, large images and genealogies you will often enlarge the book so they are not crammed:
Standard NZ A4 (210 x 297mm)
Custom we can produce books any size from around A6 (72x105mm). Our favourite for family histories that feature a lot of images, and/or family trees is 190x260mm. It is still a manageable size to read but has a larger page size to fit more content and means graphics and family trees are not too small.
I have a manuscript, what should I do next?
If you have a file that is ready to be typeset we can get help take it to the next step with our design service. If your book is already in a print ready PDF then just let us know what options will work best for you and your family or your budget and we can make suggestions as to the best way to produce it – if you are not quite sure what you need next just flick through an email or give us a call we are always happy to help.
