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Your Life — an Introductory Guide to Writing Life Stories
Hi and welcome to my online guide to life-story writing and publishing.
Are you about to start writing your book?
Have you finished your manuscript and want to get it printed?
Are you planning a book to raise funds for charity?
I hope my guide will help answer your questions.
Just click on section headings on the Contents page below. Please print out any that you find useful. It’s easy to dip in and out of sections by clicking on the links.
This online guide is an expanded version of Your Life, An Introductory Guide to Writing Life Stories (YouByYou Books, 2005).
Included are case histories of life stories and collective memoirs produced by YouByYou and others.
You can find out about ebooks for the Kindle and other ereaders.
I hope you enjoy reading the guide and good luck with your project. Please email me if you would like to discuss your ideas.
Anna Foster
Founder, YouByYou Books
Contents
Note: all the headings below are clickable. Use them to go directly to the chapter you are interested in.
- Why Write Your Life Story?
- Leaving a Legacy
- Family History
- As Catharsis or Therapy
- As a Present
- Collective Memoir
- Pictorial Record
- Contemporary Memoir
- Who Are You Writing For?
- For Family and Friends
- Sensitive Areas
- For Your Local Community
- For the General Public
- Vanity Publishing and Self-Publishing
- Getting Started
- Structure
- Chronological
- Big Bang
- Working Life/Special Interests
- Thematic
- Letters and Diaries
- Getting The Most From Your Structure
- Starting to Write
- Writing Style
- Writing Tools
- Are You Sitting Comfortably?
- How to Start
- A Few Do's and Don'ts
- Ghost Writers
- Writing Techniques
- Writing as a Routine
- How Long Will I Take?
- Book Length
- Appearance
- Setbacks
- Losing Motivation
- The Experiences of Famous Authors
- Difficult Subjects
- Final Writing Jobs
- Chapter Headings
- Introduction
- Contents Page
- Dedication
- Copyrights and Acknowledgements
- Family Tree
- Appendices
- Bibliography and Addresses
- Index
- Checklist
- Collective Memoirs, Corporate Histories and Fund-Raising Books
- Editing Your Life Story
- Pictures
- Book Finishes, Formats and Style
- Ebook Formats
- Publishing and Printing Options
- Let's Recap
- Do-It-Yourself
- Typesetting and Layouts
- Printing and Binding
- Self-Publishers
- What Will It Cost?
- Number of Copies
- Publication
- Should I Sell My Book?
- Conclusion
