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How to Make a Book Out of Old Letters?
Do you want to know how to make a book out of old letters? Check out this step-by-step guide from organizing your letters to publishing your book.
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Letters offer a tactical way to preserve your memories forever. Moreover, writing letters helps relieve anxiety as you release a higher portion of your emotions. Especially if you write a letter to your closest person to express your love, you’ll feel more satisfied. You can feel connected to the person staying many kilometers away. It’ll make you feel both physically and emotionally close to them.
In this modern era, we can send our messages within seconds. But text messages we write without much effort can’t beat the power of letters. Yeah! Once we finish writing a letter, we feel a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. That seems impossible in the case of text messages. Letters are also helpful in delivering secret messages. Digital data can be hacked or deleted, while letters can be saved forever.
It’s fun to make a book out of your old letters. It’ll help you save your memories in such a protective blanket. If your letters are not that personal, sharing your book with others, especially your children, would be fun. That would amazingly present the beauty of your memorable days in front of them.
In this blog, we’ll share a step-by-step process to see your letters as components of an exciting book. So, let’s get started.
Your book can be random, but we suggest one with a specific theme. It can be based on letters you’ve received or sent to a particular person. Sometimes you want to preserve your memories with a group of friends. They can be your school friends or colleagues. You can request your friends to share their letters with you. That would be so entertaining for everyone as it would also reveal the relationship between other members of groups.
You can also arrange your letters chronologically. Arrange your letters based on the order they were written. It helps you better observe your life events. Your upcoming book will give you a feel of a storybook.
That’s not all about physical letters. Emails written with great concentration can also be considered as letters. You can consider text messages as letters, but it’d take away the simplicity of your pattern.
2. Transcribe or Scan the Letters
If your letters are written in unclear handwriting, faded ink, or hard to read, you must transcribe or scan them. It’ll help you create a digital copy that you’ll feel proud to share with others. It’ll also help you preserve the authenticity of your original letters as you’re just modifying the base on which letters are crafted. The historical value of your original letters will definitely be retained.
Transcribing is all about manually composing the text to get a digital document. It improves the clarity of your writing, but the process can be time-consuming. Moreover, you must align with the writing style to retain the same feeling. For example, someone has written poetry. You must be worried about the line arrangements, font size, etc.
We prefer scanning as it just involves using your smartphone and scanning images. Unlike transcribing, scanning preserves the visual appearance of your letters better. You can use OCR (Optical Character Recognition – technology) to make your data text-searchable. You’ll also be able to zoom in on the images to improve readability.
The method you choose depends on your personal preference. Transcribing offers much more clarity of your words, but the process requires effort. Scanning may not be able to offer the same clarity, but the process is quick and easy.
3. Edit Letters
Now, you’ve organized your letters and modified their appearance. It’s time to review them to see if editing is required. You can edit any portions for clarity, but remember, you shouldn’t deceive your feelings. Preserve the original voice and themes to stay aligned with your past. However, you can make some essential changes to create an engaging book flow. If you’re a receiver, it’s better to consult the sender. They are the writer of your letters, so they would definitely help you have an accurate word choice and retain the main theme.
4. Add Helping Content
If you intend to share your book with others in the future, include introductory sections to provide context for the letters. You can explain the importance of letters’ content or share the history of associated events. If you were used to writing some secret words in your letters, it’s now better to write their meanings. So readers can better understand and enjoy your book.
Don’t think you should only provide helpful information if you’ve to share your book. You can write the significance of events associated with specific words to feel your wonderful time in a better way.
Attaching some related photos is also a great option. It’ll entertain readers and also enhance the beauty of your book. If you’re designing a digital book, you can also add relevant audio and videos.
5. Design the Book
Now, it’s time to format your book. You can use desktop publishing software for a physical version of your book. If you intend to create an ebook, you can use tools like Canva for better designs. It’s also recommended to hire an expert designer. Don’t think it’ll be a money-wasting activity. You’re preserving your memories forever, and it’s a one-time investment.
6. Select Cover and Binding
Don’t ignore the importance of your book cover. Yes! Still, people judge books by their cover. And binding determines the quality of your book as it’ll decide how the book holds pages.
Choose a cover that aligns with the theme of your book. It should also be attractive enough to catch everyone’s attention. Moreover, you must be conscious of its quality. You can use paper, fabric, leather, or cardstock, but ensure it’s durable.
There are different binding options: hardcover, paperback, spiral, etc. Hardcover is suitable for heavy-weight books. Moreover, it gives a sturdy and professional look. If your book contains fewer pages, use paperback. If you want your book to lay flat when opened, as happened in journals, you can use spiral binding.
Once you decide on the type of binding, choose a suitable size and send the cover for printing (if it’s a physical book, of course).
7. Proofread the Book
Don’t be hasty. You must be patient to focus deeply on each component of your book. Once you’ve finished the above steps, proofread each and everything carefully. It’s also recommended to send it to your friends and family. Accept their critiques and improve your book. But remember, you don’t have to focus on unnecessary critics. Understand that everyone has their own preferences and choices. So, you can’t satisfy everyone. Just accept reviews that tell you about actual errors in your book.
8. Publish Your Book
Now, you’re ready to showcase your work to everyone. Publish your book on different platforms, especially Amazon. Even if you don’t intend to share it for earnings, it’s better to use such renowned platforms. If your book gets famous, you’ll definitely be proud of yourself.
Final Words
So, we’ve successfully shared the step-by-step guide about how to make a book out of old letters. It’s a great activity to preserve your happy memories forever. You’ll feel valuable when people read your letters. They’ll be able to learn from your experiences. Your funny letters will make them laugh and have a good time. Don’t just send all copies. Save three to four books in your locker. When you share them with your grandchildren, you’ll actually feel you in your past.
If you don’t have time to craft your book, find a good source. We prefer “Lulu” (Online Self-Publishing Book & Ebook company). You’ve to send them your letters, and they’ll send you a book. But there’s nothing better than doing it yourself. You can also build a team of friends for this project. That would bring more fun and excitement to all steps.
So, why are you waiting? Let’s find your letters and bind them together to surprise the whole world.
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