Local History Research And Writing

Writing Local History Today guides local historians through the process of researching, writing, and publishing their work. Thomas A. Mason and J. Kent Calder present step-by-step advice to guide aspiring authors to a successful publication and focus not only on how to write well but also how to market and sell their work. Highlights include: Discussion of how to identify an audience for your writing project Tips for effective research and planning Sample documents, such as contracts and requests for proposals Tips and guidance for working with publishers Discussion of how to use social media to leverage your publication Discussion of the benefits and drawbacks to self-publishing The second edition updates literature, databases, and websites in the field This guide is useful for first-time authors who need help with this sometimes-daunting process, or for previously published historians who need a quick reference or timely tips.

Completely revised and updated edition of the guide for local historians.

For over thirty years, Carol Kammen’s On Doing Local History has been a valuable guide to professional and “amateur” historians alike. First published in 1986, revised in 2003, this book offers not only discussion of practical matters, but also a deeper reflection on local, public history, what it means, and why it is done. It is used in classrooms and found on the shelves of local historians across the U.S. The third edition features: Updates to chapters that focus on the current concerns and situation of local historians A new chapter on how the field of history cooperates with other arts A new chapter on writing a congregational history Updated references With the same passion (and now even more experience) that drove her to write the first edition, Kammen has brought her seminal work into today’s context for the next generation of local historians. The new edition ensures that this classic will continue to move anyone interested in public history towards a better understanding of why they do what they do and how it benefits their communities.

This book guides even complete novices through all the stages needed to produce and promote books, booklets, magazines, CD-ROMS and Web sites on local and family history. For those who are not novices the information will also act as a checklist for producing professional-looking publications.

“Inspirational and very useful . . . quite literally packed with valuable tips and exercises and is almost a mini-course in writing your family history.”—Bedfordshire Family History Society Gill Blanchard’s practical step-by-step guide to writing a family history is designed for anyone who wants to bring their ancestors’ stories to life. She looks at ways of overcoming the particular problems family historians face when writing a family history—how to deal with gaps in knowledge, how to describe generations of people who did the same jobs or lived in the same area, how to cover the numerous births, marriages and deaths that occur, and when to stop researching and start writing. Her book provides examples to help readers find their own writing style, deal with family stories, missing pieces of information and anomalies. It also offers advice on key aspects of composition, such as adding local and social history context and using secondary material. The focus throughout is on how to develop a story from beginning to end. Exercises are a key feature of the text. There is guidance on the various formats a family history can take and how to choose the appropriate one, with examples of format and layout. Production and publishing are also covered—books, booklets, newsletters, websites, blogs and ebooks. “If you’re toying with the idea of writing a family history-themed book, whether it be for general publication or simply for family members, read this first and then take the plunge. Who knows, it could be a bestseller!”—Family Tree Magazine