Self Publishing Your Family History

Noeline Kyle

Stay Local

Stay as local as you can for the publishing/printing process. Using a local printer/publisher provides for easy access to obtain quotes and to talk to the printer. If you have extra questions or there is a problem it is easy to contact a local person. The same rule applies to online printer/publishers. A local website in your county/country/town/locality is a good first option. It is the case that with online/internet access it is also possible to contact overseas printers/publishers and many of these are an excellent choice also.

Gather Information via 3 Quotes

Obtain printing quotes from at least 3 printers. Learn from them. Ask additional questions as you become more familiar with the process. Here is a preliminary list of questions/ideas for the printers:

·
200 copies (you can ask for a quote for 20, 50, 100 or 200 copies), in most cases the printer will be offering print-on-demand and the unit cost will not differ (you can check this with the printer when you contact them)

(Print-on-demand is a fixed cost per copy of your book regardless of the size of the order. In the past typesetter printers would charge less per unit if you ordered 200 copies compared to say 100)

· 26,000 words ( let your printer know the number of words as well as page number)

· Page size: A4 is an easy size to work with if you are new to formatting and decide to do it yourself. A4 allows you to arrange images and text easily. However, if you decide on a different size, say C5, 230 x 155 mm you may have to pay someone to do it for you, (more of this later in this blog post).

· Paper: something like Satin Art paper, 95 gsm. Each printer will have suggestions for your publication. Fuji Xerox have Colotech paper which is 100gsm white, and excellent for producing clear and vivid text and images, (can be purchased from Officeworks).

· Colour: no colour, all black and white, including all images, and the cover. Or you might have some colour, and you will be required to detail these.

· Cover: You will need to do your own cover and supply a PDF file, more on this later in this blog.

· Binding: Perfect binding.

· ISBN: It is not necessary to have an ISBN, however including it will identify your book and simplify the ordering process for bookshops and libraries, for Australia, see ISBN Australia http://www.thorpe.com.au

The Software

For most self publishers the manuscripts will be completed in WORD. If you are inserting images as you go it is best to work on each chapter individually as large WORD files can become unstable. Each chapter can be converted to a PDF (if this is how your chosen printer specifies) and then combined into one PDF file with a program like PDF Combine https://combinepdf.com/or CutePDF http://www.cutepdf.com/

Your chosen printer can also combine your files for you. However, be aware that if you ask another party to combine your PDF or WORD files the result may shift your images/text in ways that you then have to edit again. A good strategy is to ask your printer to combine your files and then return the final file to you for checking. You can take the file to Officeworks or some other printing company and have a draft of your book printed (back to back pages) in a simple print edition that can serve as a draft for you to work from.

Be Realistic

If you are not confident to do your own editing and/or formatting then you can employ individuals to do this for you. For some straightforward advice on editing see my chapter 4, p.42 of my ebook Writing Family History Book 5: Publishing your family history, a practical guide obtainable from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JPA1MM for $2.79 AU.

For formatting your text you can ask a family member who is confident and experienced with this task to do it for you. If you do not have a friend or family member to help and you would like to employ a professional then look at the following and choose several, say 3, and obtain a quote for the work you want them to do, Australian Book Designers Association https://abda.com.au/members/

You can also use this association to find a cover designer as well. You will need to provide some information on what your approach is both for the formatting (book size) and for the cover provide information about the major themes and what images you might like on the cover.

For example when I was publishing a book on Midwives of the Mid North Coast, one of my major sources were the almost daily and/or weekly advertisements these women placed in local newspapers. The book designer Karen Scott Book Design cleverly used these to design a cover that mimicked a newspaper page. She also utilized an image of a midwife with a baby and photographs from the main streets of the towns featuring children and/or historical scenes, see following images:

The back cover should have a description of your book content plus a biography of you, the author, see above:

©Noeline Kyle 2019

https://mgnsw.org.au/sector/resources/online-resources/organisation-management/copyright-basics/

Copyright: the basics

This resource has been compiled using material from the Australian Copyright Council, Arts Law Centre of Australia and the Copyright Agency. These agencies provide excellent factsheets and resources on all aspects of copyright, some of which are attached here as downloadable material.

What is copyright?

Copyright is a set of rights that provide protection for all kinds of artistic products. It protects them from being copied, changed or exploited and acknowledges that the artistic product belongs to someone.

In Australia copyright is free and exists automatically once an artistic product is created.

It is determined by the Copyright Act 1968.

Download An introduction to Copyright

Who has it?

If the creator is commissioned or contracted to make the work, or if it is made under normal employment, the standard copyright rules can change. For example:

When a work is created as part of regular employment the copyright is generally owned by the employer.
When a work such as a painting or photograph is commissioned or made under contract the commissioning organisation/person usually holds copyright. However this may not apply if the artist is working freelance.
With films and sound recordings the producer usually own copyright though in some situations performers can share copyright.

It is critical to have a contract which clearly specifies the terms of copyright.

Download Artists and Copyright

How long does it last?

In Australia copyright begins when the work is created and generally lasts 70 years after the death of the creator.

Exceptions occur: copyright on sound recordings last 70 years from the date of the first publication and copyright on published written work is 25 years post publication date.

Once copyright lapses the work is considered in the ‘public domain’ which means that anyone can use it.

For example, copyright has expired on photographic images and negatives (although not their digitised copies) taken before 1955. For any photographs taken from 1955 on, copyright is for 70 years after the death of the creator.

Other countries have different copyright rules and timeframes.

Download Duration of Copyright

Managing copyright

There are two main ways of managing copyright which are used when an organisation or an individual want to reproduce or use a copyrighted work which is not their own.

The copyright owner can either assign or licence a third party which transfers all, or some of the rights associated with copyright to that person/organisation.

Both these transfers must be done in writing and the process is best done with legal advice and a formal contract.

Be aware that it is not necessary to register something for copyright, though there are organisations in Australia who can manage licencing fees resulting in use and publication of work. See Copyright Agency, Viscopy, and the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA).

Download Permission: do I need it?

Download Artworks: Getting permission

What about Indigenous work?

Copyright and intellectual property rights of Indigenous cultural product may vary from the Copyright Act because ownership is often intergenerational and group-owned.

Appropriation of Aboriginal imagery such as pattern, motifs, spiritual figures, or story by non-Indigenous artists is considered as cultural theft and a breach of cultural protocols.

There are specific protocols and permissions around using and taking photographs of Aboriginal people that should be observed and having signed model release forms is desirable.

Arts Law suggests that Indigenous copyright be clarified through contract. They are specialists in the field with an Aboriginal liaison officer who can provide advice and the dedicated Artists in the Black website. Arts Law offers workshops which provide an in-depth explanation of Indigenous copyright issues and the implications of breaching protocols.

Provisions for collecting institutions

Under Australian copyright law collecting institutions are allowed to copy material in their collections to maintain and conserve the collection as long as the collection is not-for-profit.

Museums and galleries fall under the definition of an ‘archive’ which is considered by law to be “a collection of material of historical significance or public interest, being maintained for the purpose of conserving and preserving the material.” (Australian Copyright Council, Information Sheet G068v07)

Key collection institutions (defined as those holding an archive of material which is of historical or cultural significance to Australia) can make three preservation copies of original material, editions, films and sound recordings. Other collecting institutions can make one copy of the original version for preservation.

These images, usually photographs, also carry copyright which is owned by the collecting institution.

Download Galleries and Museums: Introduction to copyright

Moral rights

Moral rights are different to copyright and exist as a complementary set of rights or obligations that must be observed when collecting, displaying or exhibiting artworks or objects.

Moral rights include correctly and accurately attributing the creator of the work and caring for, or displaying the work in a way that does not prejudice the creator’s reputation or honour.

Download Moral Rights

What’s the public domain?

When copyright has formally expired the material is considered to be in the public domain. This means that people can use it without seeking permission.

Exceptions exist: all digital copies of old photographs currently attract copyright under Australian law, as digital images are considered to be an artistic product in their own right.

Collecting institutions own copyright on these images and are entitled to charge for reproductions/prints of them.

It’s important not to confuse online availability with something being in the public domain. Online images are often subject to the same copyright rules and have restrictions on their use.

What is a Creative Commons licence?

Providers such as Google Images, Flickr and Wikipedia Commons offer access to digitised material through the Creative Commons licence. A range of licences are available, most of which require attribution to the creator and a declaration if changes have been made to the work. Creators are able to limit the type of use or adaption.

For more information: Creative Commons Australia

CC Search

What if it’s on social media?

Standard copyright law usually applies: users own and retain copyright of what they post, create, or contribute to a website, social network or other online service.

There are exceptions. Tweets, comments and short phrases of text are usually considered to be outside copyright because they are of general usage and no significant individual contribution to ownership can be demonstrated.

Best practice in using this kind of material is to request permission from the contributor and to document the response. If an organisation is using shared material via social media it is a good idea to ensure the Risk Management Policy outlines responses to copyright breaches.

In signing up to, or opening an account on many social media platforms such as Twitter, Facecbook and YouTube, users agree to give permission for their material to be shared. In most situations privacy settings can be altered to control some of the ways the provider uses and distributes the material.

Social media is a complex copyright area and in many cases the technology means that copyright and breaches of it is difficult to control.

Download Websites Social Networks Blogs and User Generated

Download Websites and Copyright

Download YouTube and Copyright

Be aware that …

While all care has been taken to ensure information is accurate at the time of publication, all information in this resource is intended as a guide only. You should obtain professional advice if you have any specific concerns.

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Self Publishing Your Family History

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Copyright