Do not write a family history book!

Question

I know that is the goal for many of you, so that you can use all that research you have done. It takes a lot of time and hard work to write a book. I have written many - and there is no market for them – and NO ONE WILL READ IT. A genealogist may read a chapter or two and the others will flip through the photos then check for their name in the index. They won’t find their name, as we don’t include living people in our genealogies. So they lose interest. A family history is like a book with too many characters that are hard to keep track of.

This book topic has been previously discussed here: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/191022/do-you-want-to-make-a-book-on-your-ancestors?show=191068#c191068 and here https://www.wikitree.com /wiki/Space:Creating_Your_Book_of_Ancestors

A better use of your time would be to write expanded profiles, send copies to family and also attach them to Wikitree. Call them biographies, sketches, portraits, memoirs, whatever you like, I just call them "my stories." Since I started writing about individuals, my family loves them and asks for more. I try to limit them to 5 pages, including photos and clippings, but some are much longer.

The most important story, and the first one to write is the one about you. That’s the easy one and the one your family really wants to know about.

One of my favorite ancestors, Capt. Dominique Lissabe [Lissabe-2] was a mariner and privateer. His story is longer than most of my stories, as I included additional information found in the Admiralty records in the British Archives. His story in the attached pdf file is also an example of the many details that can be found through extensive research.

When writing you need to know your audience. Make it brief, graphic and interesting.

Answer 1

I agree that the audience is limited. You may not meet the later researchers who actually read the book. And one shouldn’t write a book with the hope of remuneration. That’s why I don’t understand those who charge lots of money and make their family history research otherwise inaccessible.

  I am a mathematician, and the same is true of my mathematical papers. I did not become a mathematician for money, or for fame. I could make far more money doing something else, and very few people have heard of my research, not to mention read it. The same is true for most artists.

I do both genealogical and mathematical research because I am compelled to. If I someday feel compelled to write a family history book, then I will do so, but with my eyes wide open about expectations. Still, I can always hope that the few people who take a look will be the few people who really would care about what’s inside.

Comments

Barry - I'm not saying that the books are not valuable, only that time is so valuable. I am sharing my years of research in as many places as I can. It just takes too much time to write those books.

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Understood. I’ve put lots of stuff in WikiTree that I think is really interesting, that probably no one has seen. The most interesting stuff has gone into journal articles. I know I’ve had eyeballs on those articles because I’ve received feedback. Probably that is truer for a published journal than a family history book, and it takes much less time to write an article.

Answer 2

I understand you message and I agree to a point. We need to figure out our goals and our audience. I have not been researching my ancestors for 50 years to make money but I have wanted to share some of the history. I have written/compiled two books - one for one of my maternal lines and one for multiple of my paternal lines. They were basic, with photos, marriage records, some census records and family members down to the present at that time. These were just for my family and I only printed enough for those who wanted one and charged exactly what it cost to print it. My aunts, uncles and cousins were thrilled. I will never advise people to not share their knowledge in a family history book - just be careful of the goal and expectations. Do it for the love of family.

Comments

Virginia - I'm happy to know that you had some family that were interested in your books. I am sharing all of my research on all the genealogy web sites. And sending flash drives containing all of my research and manuscripts -  to family and libraries. My many books only reach a very small audience.

Answer 3

I disagree.

The last thing I would do is point someone to a website.

I have done a number of projects for people, and when I am done I give them a printed and bound report. For close cousins some of theses projects run a couple of hundred pages or more. Admittedly these are small “press runs,” maybe a copy or two, and they do include living people, so the recipient gets something relevant out of it.

A number of years ago a well respected genealogist published a several volume genealogy of a family I am interested in. I bought a volume I considered key, and a couple of years later I wanted to get the others, and they were out of print. You could get them in the used book market, but they are now a few hundred dollars a volume, if you can find them.

Comments

George - There are many problems with broken web sites. I wrote about them some time ago. Its called "link rot."  We have no way of knowing what systems will be used in the future and need to save our data in as many formats as possible.

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I have posted about link rot a number of times. In fact there are numerous complaints about it here. Studies have been done about how surprisingly short the lifetime of a link is.

Answer 4

Good advice! Thanks for sharing.

Comments

Peggy - I give a lot of thought on how to preserve my research. There is no easy solution.

Answer 5

Thank you Eloine,

Your advice has somewhat validated the early vetting I've done with my own family regarding their interest in OUR own family history. Even when revealing discoveries I feel are both interesting and historically relevant, the response has been far from what I would've expected. It has actually been somewhat discouraging in seeing how little value most of them place in our ancestral roots. Your post at least makes me feel less of an outlier! 

Much like Barry expressed in his response, I will likely still undertake an attempt to publish a somewhat thorough family history, but mostly for my own creative and intellectual interests, and perhaps for a few descendants, likely which haven't even been born yet. I would have loved to have a copy of some sort of family biography from any of my great grandparents and beyond.

I'll still enrich their WikiTree Biographies though, as this is equally important and should be perpetual.

Thanks again,

Brian Quesnell

Comments

Brian - Your comment "mostly for my own creative and intellectual interests" is exactly why I write. All of my books contain extensive historical information for the time periods. I would rather be researching than writing though.

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I'm not surprised at all by that Eloine. Anyone who puts in as much work as you have over the years must get enormous personal satisfaction from developing something significant that will persevere over time, read or not!

I am always looking  for real world examples of published family genealogies, but I wasn't able to find a way to purchase yours anywhere online. Is there some site that offers it?

Thanks,

Brian

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Brian - Thank you for your interest - but none have been published. Only a few professionally printed for family. $$. I'm working on uploading them to the Archive Wayback machine with links to WT. Will make free space page for my stories. Lots of work yet to do.

Answer 6

You may have a point. But, I wouldn’t discourage people from writing. While it may be a niche market, you never know who might read the book. You could sell a story and not have it be overtly genealogical with facts. You could write what you know as a story and leave it at that. Let the people decide if it’s worth their time.

It worked for several authors like Nathan Dylan Goodwin who is highly regarded in the genealogy field and as an author. There’s also “Blood Washes Blood” by Frank Vivano. That book details his family history in Sicily and it feels like a detective story.

Several author authors have made books and it had a genealogical side. It doesn’t have to be facts and figures. You just need to spin a yarn worthy of telling.

Granted you could also use it to polish the pages on Wikitree. Why not do both?

Comments

Cris - I do not discourage writing. The more you write the better you get. I was suggesting a different method for todays and probably future readers. You do not see many long detailed articles published now. [The kind I prefer.]

I'm always thinking about the value of time. There used to be a job called "time keeper" who timed workers so that they could make a job more efficient. I have always tried to do thing efficiently. I'm at at age now that I am counting the minutes and don't want to waste any of them.

And I love those genealogy based mysteries.

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I gotcha. It just seemed to come across that way in the post. =D I'm a writer myself. I think if you mix genealogy with a good narrative, it will prevent it from being "boring" or whatever. A story can be whatever you make of it. So, make it a good one!

Answer 7

I did purchase a book written on my family and DID read it from front to back and still use it as a reference on some of my managed profiles.

However I do agree that I would prefer people spend the time and effort on profiles at WikiTree.   Seeing I would benefit more (selfish me).

Yet books are timeless, we hope WikiTree will be as well. I know that is the aim.

Comments

NG - I have a large library containing many genealogies. I have read some of them cover to cover - but few do.

Answer 8

I have 3 New Zealand produced family histories and use them regularly, I know of another but only produced and distributed in one family branch and I'd love to have a copy of the work I saw at a meeting with 6th cousins, There's a Rosevear family history I want but the cost of postage from the USA is prohibitive.

 I had to wait for the 2nd edition of one of the family histories to get a copy, my father had to photocopy the first edition as it sold out.

 Sweeping statements that no-one will want a copy may be your experience, but some of us do want copies but generally these are produced by people who want to pass on their knowledge and don't expect a profit.

The danger of such a negative sweeping statement is it may put people off producing family histories, and while Wikitree profiles are great, they don't pull the threads together or provide historical context.

Comments

Gary - Sweeping statements that "no-one will want a copy" got your attention. I want more people to write. Keep those stories coming - only shorter.

Answer 9

When I think about appreciation of my work my mind always returns to something I read a few years ago.

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.” — Greek Proverb.

Comments

Robert - I'm always thinking about how my research will be used in the future. Love the quote. Thanks.

Answer 10

As I started collecting family stories, I mused about writing a book. There are those companies that will publish a small number of books.  Touchstone Storytelling 

_{But I decided not to for it is a lot of time, a lot of expense and would just collect dust on a shelf (just like all the papers of my family genealogists)}

_{So I created a Free Space page on WikiTree where I have all the stories of my family collected.  Its a book!  Each chapter is about a different family member. Songs and poetry included.   It is there for the family to enjoy if they ever desire,  I can keep adding to it and edit with new discoveries,  I never have to worry that I left something out!  Interested ones can view the stories and then link to the profile and discover out more about the family.}

_{WikiTree is the perfect "Publishing Company" for a family book!  That is why it is important to set up an advance directive (WikiTree Last Will and Testament) so your work is not deleted at some future time.}

_{Draper Stories By the Draper Family  234 views (so about 100 copies "sold", as the rest of the views are my edits.}

I promote this "book" on my profile page like this:

As far as "link rot", I think WikiTree will be here for a long long time, and my family after me can keep an eye on negative developments.  The entire "book" can be copied and moved somewhere. 

My collection of Song Parodies "book" viewed 205 times. 

Song Parodies by Dave Draper

My "Book: on Draper burial Locations:   6,112 views

Draper Tour Guide: Tour de Farnham

All the above are WikiTree "Books" 

Comments

David - I like your use of the Free Space page for your stories and songs. Good stuff there, I'll have to do that for my stories.