Sometimes It Takes Years
In 1992, Pete and Linda Chadwick, and their two young children, Sam and Alex, began a two-year adventure in the medieval village of Tourrettes-sur-Loup, France. Knowing that life undoubtedly would be different than if they had remained in the U.S., Linda kept a journal detailing their experience on international assignment, using it as the basis for letters written to friends and family back home. She amassed more than 150 pages, typed edge to edge, of observations and insights and promptly filed them away in a drawer, where they remained for the better part of twenty years.
More than ten years ago, completely by chance, Linda became interested in book publishing—beginning with a family tree she designed for an early TidePool Press title—and slowly began scanning her journal to bring the text into an editable form. Off and on, Linda pecked away at her book project, while gaining experience in book design and indexing. Finally, in 2023, with encouragement from TidePool Press colleague, Ingrid Mach, Linda made the final push to publish Eat, Drink & Be Messy: Living In France With Kids, with nearly 100 photographs, an index and even French poetry, used with permission.
What’s Your Story?
Whether newly written or in a drawer for twenty years or more, your story can be worth telling. In fact, some stories need decades to develop, for example, a memoir, family experience or corporate history. Decide who your primary audience will be and write for them. TidePool Press has experience in all phases of book production.
Manuscript
Write, Edit & Edit Again
You may choose to write the manuscript yourself or work with a professional. In either case, plan to read it many times over. Choose a few trusted friends and colleagues to read the text—maybe more than once—to provide positive critique and suggestions, from small details, like typos, to eliminating text that might not move the story forward. Be prepared to remove large sections you may have spent hours writing.
Images
Bring Your Story to Life
A picture is worth 1,000 words, they say, and the right images, including diagrams and news clippings, set the time and place, evoke emotion and humor, and highlight important milestones and discoveries. Image collection, scanning and selection can often be the most time-consuming task, even taking as much as writing. It’s not unusual to collect dozens of images from which the final number—even just one—will be selected.
Layout
A Year Is Not Too Long
Once the manuscript and image selection is “complete” (they both will be tweaked right up to printing), the design, look and feel is created—the layout. This phase typically includes placement of text, images and captions, as well as other sections of the book, for example, an introduction by an expert, table of contents, family trees or corporate structure, appendices and endnotes, if any, and acknowledgments.
Index
Where Did I Read That?
Not every book needs one, but if yours has an historic or educational aspect, an index can assist the reader to find people and places, interesting anecdotes, and even technical references quickly. Once done on paper file cards when the layout was complete, indexing can now begin when the layout is still in process. It is best accomplished by a professional, but you can assist by compiling a list of concepts and important take-aways.
Copyright
Do I Have Permission?
Plagiarism is always a concern and should be avoided. Quoted texts must be accurately and completely footnoted, of course, but if they are extensive, permission may be required from authors and/or publishers as well. Diagrams, music and other similar material not created by you cannot be reprinted without permission. Time must be allocated to research each source, and in some cases, a fee paid, for the material to be used.
Cost
Talk to TidePool Press
Producing a private book, such as a memoir or corporate history, includes costs beyond printing. Writing, editing, layout and cover design, indexing and copyrights can add up. We can assist you with all aspects of book production, creating a cost-effective, professional, long-lasting version of your story—something you’ll be proud of for years to come. We invite you to contact TidePool Press for more information.
PUBLICATION DATE: DECEMBER 2023
Eat, Drink & Be Messy: Living in France With Kids
Memoir, Softcover$21.95
