Author Alex Haley once famously wrote, “Every time an old person dies, it’s like a library burning down.”
For many, writing a memoir is a way to document our personal histories, to reflect on our lives, and leave something of ourselves behind. But why should older people—or anyone--write their memoirs? By which do we mean regular, everyday people, rather than Mick Jagger, a politician or a renowned scientist, or the like?
As we age, we become increasingly aware of the value of our life stories. Whether we have lived through significant historical events, or experienced great personal triumphs and challenges, our stories are an opportunity to leave a legacy for our children, grandchildren, and other family members. Crafting a memoir can provide an invaluable record of our lives that can be passed down for generations to come.
Writing a memoir can also help us to make sense of our lives, to better understand our experiences, and to make peace with our past. It can help us to appreciate our own resilience and courage, and to celebrate our successes. Looking back on our lives can also give us a sense of closure and a renewed appreciation of the here and now.
In addition to the value of our life stories, crafting a memoir can also provide a creative outlet. Writing can be an immensely satisfying experience and it can help us to explore our lives in a different way. Writing about our experiences can also be a great source of comfort, enabling us to find strength and solace in our memories.
Finally, writing a memoir can be a wonderful way to bridge the generational gap. Through our stories, we can share our life experiences with our children, grandchildren, and other family members, enabling them to gain a better understanding of our lives and the world in which we lived.
In short, writing a memoir is one of the most meaningful and rewarding experiences we can have. So, if you’re an older person, why not consider writing your memoirs while you still can? Through our stories, we can pass down our wisdom, courage, and resilience to our children, grandchildren, and other family members, ensuring that our legacy will live on for many years to come.
If you have a memoir sitting in that closet, that desk drawer, hidden underneath the desk—isn’t it time that you bit the bullet and brought it out into the daylight? We’ve done many memoirs and we can help!
Meowy Christmas!
Yup, it's Christmas 2024!
See you again on January 3rd! Admin is closed until then!
Seriously--we "mostly" close from December 24th-ish until the middle of the week, first week of January. Production is still steaming along, but admin takes a desperately-needed break for ~10 days. We'll answer any emails that seem in dire straights, but generally speaking, we're mostly gone for that period of time. See ya when we return!--Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Meowy Christmas
Yup, it's Christmas 2024!
See you again on January 3rd! Admin is closed until then!
Seriously--we "mostly" close from December 24th-ish until the middle of the week, first week of January. Production is still steaming along, but admin takes a desperately-needed break for ~10 days. We'll answer any emails that seem in dire straights, but generally speaking, we're mostly gone for that period of time. See ya when we return!--Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
T'was the Night Before Christmas...
...and all through the shop,
all we minions were working,
until ready to drop.
The ebooks were flying,
the covers were spare,
The edits were crazy,
with "one more thing I must share!"
We waited for Santa,
'Cuz we love old Saint Nick,
But Hitch made us work,
Waving 'round an old stick!
So slave we all did,
And made all your books,
So that Hitch would say now,
that we're off the hook.
Come today we're off,
to rest up our fingers,
Our hats we will doff,
No books they do linger.
But we'll all be back,
Don't give it a thought,
for like all wage slaves,
we're easily bought.
We'll be back on the fifth,
all eager and fresh,
All ready for you,
after a well-deserved rest.
So Hitch wants to say,
very strongly and loud,
THANKS ALL YOU GUYS,
you're the best type of crowd.
Indy and Len and Hitch and the gang,
will be back on the 5th,
to do books with a BANG!
In the meantime don't worry,
if you're in a hurry,
'cuz some poor guy got stuck
sitting here like a duck.
Your emails we'll receive,
so no need to grieve.
We'll be a bit slow,
but we're raring to go.
Your books will be worked on,
your edits still made,
we're just resting a bit,
before we all fade.
So please excuse the delays;
It won't be for days;
we'll jump on your queries,
for your wondrous new series.
We waited for Santa,
'Cuz we love old St. Nick,
And sure 'nuff he came,
It wasn't a trick.
And as he rode off,
into the night,
I could swear I heard Hitch yell,
"That Edit's Not Right!"
~~~~~~~~~~
We'll be back on the morning of January 5th; we'll be here parttime between now and then, thanks.
Hey, guys!
You may be thinking that my title for this article seems a bit...well, harsh. At the KDP forums, (where I've been donating time for the last 11-12 years, to help DIYers), I have in fact been called harsh, lately. Why? Because I'm losing my mind with the endless parade of would-be kids' book authors, that just can't seem to find anything better to do than to screw up their books, particularly in print. If you want to write a successful book for old Albert, over there, with his ice cream cone, let's talk about it, right?
"But, but...what do you mean, that it will cost THAT MUCH?!"
Thus begins a discussion that I get to have, repeatedly, with new-to-it self-publishers that have come to us, with a manuscript that they've tended lovingly, worked on, slaved over for months--and have chosen just the perfect image--in color--for some element or the other. A frontispiece, let's say, or just a small graphic detail for the title page. (You remember the icon-ish graphics for The Hunger Games books, right?)
One of the topics that drives me a bit nuts is the utter lack of preparedness of the typical self-publisher. Not all, of course--but many.
