memoir book editions

I LOVE WORKING ON THESE PROJECTS—creating beautiful book editions of memoirs/autobiographies/family histories; and working directly with authors (or their relatives) in a collaborative manner. It is incredibly satisfying to show there is a more fun and rewarding route than the Lulu and impersonal online "shove everything into a template" approach which don’t offer much in choice of materials and results in uninspired, mediocre books and a cold, detached working process for the author.

The most important thing with manuscripts written with this much care and love, is to create a beautiful, engaging design. Additionally, the image restoration and editing skills I provide ensure that even lower quality photographs and images reproduce beautifully. 

A wide range of printing and binding options, as well as assistance in editing manuscripts, are available for memoir books editions, so that we find the sweet spot in balancing special production touches with economic realities and tailor each project to its unique situation. It is entirely possible to create high quality small editions through the use of digital printing, and I know which vendors to go to for projects of different scales.

Projects like these are important, as people share their life stories—often experiences they haven’t shared otherwise—and I help turn manuscripts (or oral interviews) into physical, cultural artifacts to share with family, friends, and colleagues. This act of preservation helps families understand where they came from, and more intimately understand the experiences and accomplishments of previous generations. Books are still the best and longest lasting way to do this, and through their creation, they help ensure the stories will get passed down to future generations who may not get to know their ancestors. They are far better archival tools than websites.

I work for a slightly discounted rate on these type of projects because I believe they are important and should be unearthed from shoeboxes and drawers and put forth into the world to be engaged with.

Gathering Memories: The Life and Legacy of Dr. J. Lee Greene     
Tributes to the first African American professor at UNC-Chapel Hill who was a mentor to many students and colleagues in a long and storied career.

1966: My Vietnam Year       
Bill Price’s memoir of his year abroad serving in the Navy. I worked to restore old snapshots that Bill had been storing in a shoebox for decades. 

A Small Circle: Will, Elizabeth, Reynolds, Bill
A family memoir with a principal focus on Reynolds Price, who became an a prolific writer and teacher with a long-lasting influence on hundreds of students. William offers the longest section of memoir through interviews conducted by James Clark. Some of the revelations include information never revealed by Reynolds Price in his own four memoirs about his family and himself. Also included are essays by Memsy Price (William’s elder daughter) and William’s portion of a project that Reynolds wanted them to pursue jointly. Numerous photographs augment the text.

A Country Boy Goes to Sea      
Louis Ford’s autobiography covers the events of his life—from his small-town upbringing, to traveling the world in the Merchant Marines and becoming a college professor and world-renowned expert in diesel engineering.