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Beverley's Books

The Complete Guide to Writing Your Family History or Memoir: From Memories and Photographs to a Finished, Published Book

The Complete Guide to Writing Your Family History or Memoir: From Memories and Photographs to a Finished, Published Book

$7.99 USD
$7.99 USD
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Turn your scattered memories, old photographs, and shoeboxes of family papers into a beautifully published book you can hold in your hands.

 

Have you gathered family letters, photos, and research, only to feel completely overwhelmed by where to start? Or perhaps you have started and stalled more than once?

 

The Complete Guide to Writing Your Family History or Memoir (Second Edition, Revised 2026) by Beverley Eikli provides a clear, down-to-earth roadmap taking you from initial inspiration to a finished ebook, paperback, or hardcover edition.

 

Whether you want to write a personal life story or preserve generations of heritage, this practical guide helps you bring your project to completion—with or without technical skills.

 

Inside this step-by-step handbook, you’ll discover:

  • The Mini Memoir Method: Learn how to focus on a single season, journey, or relationship so you can complete a manageable, satisfying project without feeling overwhelmed by "doing it all".
  • Planning & Worksheets: Access practical worksheets, interview question banks, and ethical guidance for handling sensitive family topics with fairness and care.
  • Storytelling Techniques: Master family tree layouts, turn memories into engaging scenes using sensory details, and tap into modern genealogy societies for support.
  • Easy Tech Solutions: Follow simple steps for scanning old photos and converting handwritten letters into editable text using tools like Google Lens and Photomyne.
  • Smart AI Guidance: Discover how to use tools like NotebookLM and ChatGPT as virtual assistants to find hidden themes and clean up transcripts—without losing your unique voice.
  • Formatting & Publishing Made Simple: Learn how to build a master document, format for ebook or print using tools like Draft2Digital or Vellum, and self-publish globally via Amazon KDP or IngramSpark.

You don't need advanced technology skills or endless free time—just the desire to preserve your legacy.

 

Order your copy today and take the first step toward turning your shoebox of memories into a lasting family treasure!

FAQS: HOW WILL I GET MY EBOOK?

Ebooks are delivered instantly by link in your confirmation email (and as a backup, also by email from our delivery partner, Bookfunnel).

FAQS: HOW WILL I READ MY EBOOK?

You can read the ebooks on any ereader (Amazon, Kobo, Nook), your tablet, phone, computer, and/or in the free Bookfunnel app.

READ A SAMPLE

Introduction
Getting Everyone on Board
Use Technology to Fast-track your Family History
Family History Questions
Genealogy Tools and Services
Different Family Tree Layouts
30 Prompts for Memoir and Family History
Memoir: Narrative Arc and Flow
Different Approaches to Writing a Memoir
Considerations for Writing A Memoir
Using the Senses
Writing as Therapy
Tips for Polishing and Editing your work
Steps to Self-publish
Outsourcing the Components of your Project
From Ring-binder to Published Book – Example
Useful Resources and Software


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beverley Eikli teaches family history and memoir, writing, and self-publishing.

She also writes historical fiction and historical romance as Beverley Oakley, and Africa-set romantic suspense as B. G. Nettelton.
After the rights to her first five traditionally published novels reverted to her, she began her self-publishing journey.

She has now published 40 titles.

The second half of this book outlines her process.

Find out more at www.beverleysbooks.com

Contact her at: beverley@beverleysbooks.com



What is the difference between a Memoir and a Family History?

Why could this Guide be Useful to me?

Family History

A family history is a record of a family and of the lives of family members.

Throughout the following chapters, I offer ideas for organising and recording a family history. I also provide useful technology tips to streamline the process.

Memoir

A memoir is an entirely personal account. It’s authored from the perspective of an individual, recounting a significant part of their life with a firm grounding in factual events. Unlike an autobiography that encompasses the writer's entire life journey up to the present, a memoir concentrates on a specific period or theme.
In the following chapters, I’ll suggest options to frame and structure your memoir, starting with useful prompts, and then outlining different popular approaches.
Self-publishing in ebook and print-on-demand
The final part of this book outlines the step-by-step process I use—with photographs—to turn a written Word or text document into a format suitable for e-readers or print books.

I also show you how you can make your book accessible world-wide (at local shipping costs) for little more than the cost of a couple of tickets to the movies!

I hope you discover invaluable tools within these pages to make your work-in-progress or "book of the heart" a more manageable and satisfying experience.



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