Self-Publish a Family Photo Album

By Bobbi Ann Johnson Holmes

          Once you convert your family photographs into digital format, you have a number of ways to use those digital images (again and again) in scrapbook projects, photo albums, greeting cards, and even in self-publishing.
          For many novice self-publishers, the obvious choice for creating a photo book is by using services such as Shutterfly or Snapfish. Our own daughter has created some wonderful hardback books for us, using Shutterfly.

Create Mini-Wedding Albums

          One was a book she gave my husband and me during her wedding rehearsal dinner, and she made one for her new in-laws, with photos specific to their family. The books made everyone cry, in a good way. The next book she made was a mini-wedding album, also created through Shuttersfly.
          Yet, if you want to turn the photo album into a book with more text, and traditional book formatting (with title pages and such), then consider using your word processor to format a photo book, insert the images, and upload the file to Lulu after converting it to a PDF.
          While photo sites like Shutterfly, Snapfish and Kodak offer some excellent options for creating quality photo albums, I enjoy the freedom of formatting my own book, and inserting digital images, along with the text. A few years ago, I made one for my mother-in-law, Doris, which she keeps on her coffee table to share with friends. I included photos of her family, children and grandchildren. Instead of a traditional photo book, Doris’ book told her story, and included a family tree.

Freedom of Format when Self-Publishing

          If you are on a limited budget, and want to print off a number of books (such as a holiday gift for family members), the affordable option might be a paperback book printed through Lulu.  At our last reunion, I prepared a compressed version of my 300+ page Talbot Family History and Reunion book, deleting the reunion pictures. This allowed me to affordably order about 20 copies of the book, to share with family members. You can do the same with a self-published photo book.
          When you do create a photo book, consider copying the images onto a CD, and giving it with the book. This will allow the recipient to reuse the digital photographs in his or her own family photo projects. This is especially appreciated when the images are old family photos, taken of grandparents and other ancestors.

Why you should Self-Publish a Book