For Commissioned Memoirs · For Authors’ Manuscripts · For a Final Product
For Commissioned Memoirs
First, we interview the narrator (subject). Interview sessions usually take place at the narrator’s home, to which we travel.
Second, the interview is transcribed, with attention to nuance and meaning.
Then the text is roughly edited and shaped, “translated” from an oral narrative to a written narrative that is logical and consistent. It is sent to the narrator as a Preliminary Draft.
Next come several rounds of revising and close editing. At the direction of the narrator, additional stories, explanations, and reflections are inserted, and sensitive material is deleted. Supplementary materials, such as photographs, letters, recipes, lists, genealogical charts, and maps, are selected, organized, scanned, and placed. The narrator reviews the manuscript until s/he is satisfied with it. Other family members often want to review the manuscript. Modern Memoirs supports the family in working through possible differences of opinion.
Properly edited, an "as-told-to" narrative is compelling, well organized, and authentic. We prefer to use the “voice” of the narrator throughout the text. This lends a compelling authenticity and immediacy. However, if, the narrator or client feels strongly about it, we translate the entire narration into the Queen’s English.
At the client’s or narrator’s request, we provide additional services such as: conducting research in the U.S. or overseas, translating original documents and letters, commissioning professional maps, creating genealogical charts, and writing ethical wills.
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TO VIEW A TRANSCRIPT BEFORE and AFTER IT IS EDITED, please click here: before and after.
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After editing and revising, we create a design for the book in consultation with the narrator. The goal of our artistic designers is to match the book design with the style and integrity of the author’s narrative. The text and graphics are flowed into the design, with special attention to pages with photographs, chapter starts, or other graphic elements. The formatted draft is sent to the narrator (and client) for final revisions. After the narrator is satisfied, we proofread the formatted galleys several times.
Finally, MODERN MEMOIRS, INC. tackles the rigorous details involved in the printing and binding process. We send the book specifications to several print shops and binderies, and offer the client options that involve variables in quality, cost, and time. The client must formally approve the galleys and print/bind requirements in advance of production. We work closely with our printers and binderies and demand high standards of quality control.
A commissioned memoir is not easily quantifiable and the cost, like that of an automobile, wedding, remodeling job, or vacation, varies depending on the client’s needs. The value of our books is related to the value of a birthright or a blessing: difficult to estimate!
For Authors' Manuscripts
We help you get your manuscript into print. Our professional editors and proofreaders are sensitive to your personal style, and leave your writing voice unchanged while subtly clarifying the text for your readers.
You have ultimate editorial control.
The publishing process for your manuscript is the same as for a commissioned memoir (please see “For Commissioned Memoirs” above) . We collaborate with you on all aspects of editing, design, printing, and binding, and are attentive to your needs. You retain the copyright. These are your books. Our goal is for you to be exceedingly proud of them.
Does your text need editing services? Proofreading?
The more professional a writer is, the more s/he understands the role of an editor in providing a fresh eye, catching organization and style problems, correcting for consistency and flow, and reviewing for typographical errors. You decide whether you want your manuscript edited and at what level. Proofreading is standard and crucial; our books are usually proofed at least three times.
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TO VIEW TEXT BEFORE and AFTER EDITING (author's manuscript), please click here: before and after.
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Does your book need design and formatting services?
Some of our clients have a clear idea of book design (font, spacing, photos, half-title and title pages, chapter starts, toppers, and so on), but most don’t. We create a starting design we think you’ll like and then work with you until it meets your needs and matches your style. We believe an authentic story requires a unique design that enhances the beauty of the written word.
Is your book ready to print and bind?
Now that all the pre-press work has been done, let Modern Memoirs, Inc. help you with the exacting details of book manufacture. We help you select appropriate papers, leather, cloth, foil, and ribbons for printing and binding. Whether you want soft-covered or hard-covered, sewn or glued, we recommend high-quality materials and traditional offset printing so that your books look good, feel good, and above all, last for generations.
Self-publishing your manuscript with help from professionals is akin to building your house with help from an architect and a building contractor, and well-respected authors have been doing it for eons. You might be surprised to learn that self-published authors include:
Margaret Atwood
James M. Barrie
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Willa Cather
Stephen Crane
T. S. Eliot
Zane Grey
Rudyard Kipling
D. H. Lawrence
Vachel Lindsay
Edgar Allen Poe
Alexander Pope
Ezra Pound
Edward Arlington Robinson
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Henry David Thoreau
Mark Twain
Walt Whitman
Virginia Woolf
FOR A FINAL PRODUCT
About Printing and Binding
It is difficult to estimate printing costs without knowing specifics about the job as outlined below.
Size of book
Standard sizes such as 6" wide x 9" tall are efficient.
Number of pages
Divide the number of words by 300 for an estimated page count that
includes title page and other blank or partially blank pages, such as
those that occur between chapter, page, and paragraph breaks.
Photographs
Black and white photographs cost no more to print than straight text.
Color photographs in color can be expensive.
Printing Technologies
Cost-effective and long-lasting print is currently achieved only by
letterpress or offset printing, our research has concluded. The new, archival-quality
desktop printers are inappropriate for books because they require expensive
paper that does not print well on two sides. To the discerning eye, print-on-demand
and other forms of digital output and photocopying are inferior, besides
being relatively unstable. We do not recommend it. Costs of offset printing
depend on a print shop's project-specific equipment, paper suppliers,
quality control, and scheduling requirements.
Binding
Our books are usually hard covered, with pages folded into signatures
and sewn together in a process known as Smythe-sewing. We also provide
soft-covered books, glued (a low-quality method of holding pages together,
called "perfect"), sewn, stapled, or Wir-o.
Number of Copies
Using offset, there is no significant cost difference to print 10
or 100 books: a significant part of the cost is up front, setting up the
book. The cost per book decreases as the number of books increases.
Non-archival "printing" is usually charged by the page, with
a small set-up cost. Our typical client orders at least 100 books; some
print thousands.
Costs
Actual quotes on printing and binding are good for 30 days. We are
glad to bid out on jobs for clients who want us to serve as their print
broker. For printing and binding costs, please use the guide below as
an estimate and starting point. Thank you.
Here are two sample charts just to satisfy your curiousity about general
costs.
Sample Costs
Size: 6" x 9"
Number of pages: 144
Photographs: black and white, no color
Paper stock: 60 pound text
Go to the Self-Publishing section of our Bibliography page for a list of a few great books on publishing, including literary agents
ESTIMATE, SOFT-COVERED BOOK, CUT AND GLUED
Overall Quality |
Low |
Low medium |
Medium |
Output |
Digital |
Offset |
Offset |
Text |
Similar to second generation photocopies |
Similar to photocopies |
Slightly better than photocopies |
Photographs |
More blurry than newspaper photos |
Similar to newspaper photos |
Acceptable |
Pre-Printing Review |
Rarely |
Rarely |
If needed |
Scheduling |
Allow 3 to 4 weeks |
Allow 5 to 6 weeks |
Allow 5 weeks |
Quantity: 100 |
$1,463
$14.63 per book |
$1,203
$12.03 per book |
$1,553
$15.53 per book |
Quantity: 300 |
$1,893
$6.31 per book |
$2,317
$7.72 per book |
$1,651
$5.50 per book |
ESTIMATE, HARD-COVERED BOOK, SMYTHE-SEWN AND HARDCOVERED
Dustjackets, ribbons, other options not included
Overall Quality |
Low medium |
High |
Output |
Offset |
Offset |
Text |
Similar to photocopies |
Sharp, clear, easy to read |
Photographs |
Similar to newspaper photos |
Similar to magazine photos, assuming high quality scans |
Pre-Printing Review |
Rarely |
When requested |
Scheduling |
Allow six weeks |
Allow six weeks |
Quantity: 100 |
$3,006
$30.06 per book |
$4,848
$48.48 per book |
Quantity: 300 |
$4,554
$15.18 per book |
$5,918
$19.72 per book |
