What happens to our photographs during the production process?
How much will our book cost?
When will we have to pay for the books?
Can the members of the history book committee do the typesetting and layout?
Who writes the family genealogy stories?
Who writes the non-family history stories (churches, businesses, etc.)?
What happens once we send Bell Books our stories and photos?
Can we just e-mail you the stories?
What happens to our photographs during the production process?
We know how valuable and unreplaceable many of your photographs may be. Your photographs will be sent to the Bell Books offices for scaling and scanning. The photographs will not leave our offices until the final book is shipped to you. At that time we send all of the photographs back to the committee for distribution. Although we have an excellent track record for caring for your photographs, we recommend that you have professional phographic copies made of antique, unreplaceable photographs. Rest assured, all photos will be returned to you.
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How much will our book cost?
The cost of your book is determined by two factors - the number of pages in the book and the number of books ordered. During the layout session, Bell Books will help you determine the size of the book, based on the number of people in the community and the amount of information that you would like to include. Bell Books will also help you determine the number of books you need to order, based on pre-publication orders.
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When will we have to pay for the books?
Upon signing a contract, we ask for a $50 deposit. We do not ask for further funds until we have completed the typesetting of the family stories, at which point we have invested far more than $50 worth of time in your project. We will ask for an approximate one-third of the total cost of the books. We ask for the second third of the cost during the layout session in your community. The final payment is made after you have received your books.
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Can the members of the history book committee do the typesetting and layout?
Bell Books can work with you to determine the best process for producing your book. However, over the years, we have found that the best books are those on which the members of your committee have spent their time and effort researching, writing and organizing the history, leaving the production processes for Bell Books to professionallly handle.
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Who writes the family genealogy stories?
You mail out your promo piece to all households that have ever been a part of your community. That family follows the instructions on how to write and submit their family genealogy story and photo. They send their story and photo to your committee. You send those onto Bell Books.
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Who writes the non-family history stories (churches, businesses, etc.)?
Both the local organizations themselves and your committee members. No one knows your local history like you.
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What happens once we send Bell Books our stories and photos?
This process is ongoing between Bell Books and you. Once you send us the first batch of stories and photos we professionally typeset the material and proofread it. Then we send it back to your committee for additional proofreading. There's constant communication between us and you.
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Can we just e-mail you the stories?
For your book to be successful, you need to take orders along with the stories and photos. Family households can't e-mail a check for an order. Also, it's much more cost-efficient to have our typesetters professionally set the stories. There will be far fewer mistakes. And, you then have a paper trail to ensure that each person's story makes it into your history book.
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