There are numerous ways of commemorating an important event: throwing a party, giving a special gift, or just taking some pictures. Did you know that you can also self-publish a book that people can treasure for years to come?
In fact, you don’t even need a special occasion to create your own gift book, just like the loving sister who wrote an entire cookbook for her culinarily-challenged brother (note: as this was written by one sibling for another, the link inevitably contains swearing).
Another example relates to the popular pastime of researching your family’s history: putting this down on paper is unlikely to ever get you a spot on a bestsellers list, but a couple of dozen people you know will certainly enjoy reading it.
Whatever kind of project you have in mind, you’ll be glad to learn that you actually have a variety of options right at your fingertips. The people at Blurb can help you bring your vision to life as a coffee table, hardcover, or softcover book. Even professional authors and companies use their services, so the printing and binding quality are pretty much what you’ll find in a bookstore.
They offer some free design tools on their website, or you can use a publishing program you’re already familiar with. If you really get stuck, you can even hire one of their consultants for advice or have them do some of the work for you. Best of all, it’s a lot cheaper than you probably expect. It will, of course, cost more than a mass-produced book, and printing photos on glossy paper is clearly more expensive than plain black-and-white text. Once you order more than 20 books, though, the price drops dramatically, so consider printing a couple more than you need, just in case.
Now the question becomes: how do you actually get from an idea to a full-fledged book that you won’t tear into shreds once it’s ready? This is actually much easier than most people suppose. While there are numerous professional writing services available online, the best thing to do if you’re creating a gift is probably just to open your heart and express your true feelings. Photos collected over the years are always an excellent idea, whether for a child’s graduation or a colleague’s retirement. If you have the skill, you can even include your own drawings or cartoons.
Whichever road you follow, though, only a little effort will be needed to create something that not only looks immensely considerate, but will be appreciated for a long time to come.
