We can produce everything from a short booklet containing a brief life history or character study, or chronicling a major event, such as a wedding anniversary, to a picture book, mid-size trade paperback, or large hardcover “coffee table” book telling a more in-depth version of your story. For a clearer understanding of the major steps in producing a biographical book, see Creating Your Biography.
> One client chose to create a book that included 25 photos from his marriage and 25 pages of text about the history of his relationship with his wife. Another client did the same with fewer photos but 50 pages of text. Both gave them to their wives as anniversary presents. Clients have also done similar projects to celebrate weddings. Also, small books have been created that focus on one aspect of a person’s life, such as their love of aviation, their stamp collection, or the places they have traveled. Including illustrations, these small books generally range from 40 to 100 pages.
> A ranching family created a 90-page paperback book relating the history of their family ranch/lemon grove. This book included 50 photos, a few in color and several in black and white.
> Several members of another family created a book for their grandfather, recording his childhood in Pittsburgh, exploits in World War II, his courtship of their grandmother, his career as a telephone technician and his life as patriarch of their family for the past 60 years. The resulting biography was given to family and friends at his eighty-fifth birthday.
> Still another family, who had immigrated to America before the revolution, commissioned a researched biography that chronicled their family history from their ancestors’ arrival in colonial Virginia to the present-day family in California. It included several dozen photos, old letters and about 160 pages of text. This was a high-end, heirloom quality book, cloth bound with an embossed leather cover. It was given out as a gift at a family reunion.
> Some clients choose to create a short ethical portrait. These booklets are usually about 15 pages long and focus on the important moral lessons and attitude toward life that the subject has developed over time. Such booklets are a great way to preserve the character of a person in a short, pointed interview.
