How to Self-Publish & Preserve the Past
Thursday, March 147:00—8:30 PMCommunity Room Sherborn Library at the Sherborn Community Center3 Sanger St. , Sherborn , MA, 01770
Many of us find ourselves the guardians of family letters saved from previous generations, by family or by friends. They might be thrown out, they might be saved.
Walter McClennen, a retired educator living in Holliston, Massachusetts has written several books presenting comprehensive collections of saved family letters. He presents to local libraries and schools and historical societies his experiences compiling large numbers of important personal letters into published books. What is the best way to organize, analyze, select and place in their historical context the letters that have been found in the attic or closet of parents or grandparents? What should be included, and what should be “selected out” as one presents family letters for the public to enjoy?
McClennen shares with the audience samples of how various authors have put together such books. He shares his experience with both letters from the early eighteenth century (Hannah Smith, A Medfield Girl) and letters from twentieth century Iran (Remembering Clem – A Good American in Iran, 1948-1978). These two books by McClennen demonstrate the variety of challenges faced by authors and editors trying to save important historical documents. He also shares his experiences in self-publishing and print-on-demand platforms such as CreateSpace (a division of Amazon).
Anyone interested in preserving the past as portrayed in original source documents, and anyone interested in self -publishing will enjoy the book-writing experiences of Walter McClennen.
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