Create a Memory Book Online with Newlywords
Source: Newlywords website www.Newlywords.com
Creating your own book is surprisingly easy as everyone shares in the creation and the page layouts are already created for each page contributor! There are so many ways you can design your special page in your group book. Here are just a few ideas:
- Have each family member create a page about themselves and you have an instant book about your family!
- Have family and friends each create a page about someone you all love and give the book to that person.
- Have family and friends each create a page about someone you want to remember.
- Ask your friends to create a page with their favorite recipe, memory or favorite quotes.
- Now you have a book celebrating your friendships!
- There are so many possibilities!
How this Works
Step #1
In just minutes, start an online collection page to capture everyone’s contribution. Invite people by sharing the link or adding their emails.
HERE IS A SAMPLE EMAIL THAT I SENT TO MY FAMILY MEMBERS
I found that it helps to provide a bit more information specific to your project.
Hi McLennons,
I found a website called Newlywords where a GROUP can create a book together. It’s really easy! EACH PERSON CREATES THEIR OWN ENTRY/PAGE. Let’s make a book about all the family members related to Jack or Marge McLennon. If we each create our own page/s about ourselves (and pages for our younger children or loved ones we want to remember), we will have a wonderful book about all the members of our family. Once complete, a downloadable copy will be FREE. A hardcover book can be purchased for $1 a page (Once we complete the book, we will have a cost for this.)
Please create a ONE or TWO-page entry for yourself and encourage each family member you know to create one too!
Just click on the link below to get started. You can select from 6 different options in order to make your entry……favorite things list, essay with photos, collage, etc. I’ve attached a copy of my draft entry to show you a sample.
A few ideas to get you thinking…things you may or may not want to include:
- How you are related to Jack and Marge (son, grandchild, cousin, brother?)
- Your parent’s names
- Favorite things/people in life
- Favorite quote or thoughts to live by
- Favorite job or work achievement
- Where you live
- Hobbies, interests
Hint: If you have more than 1-2 photos to share plus an essay, make one Collage entry for the photos and one Essay entry for your essay.
CLICK ON THIS LINK: http://www.newlywords.com/mclennon-family
Step #2
Contributors submit memories, photos, or well wishes. Newlyword templates make contributing easy. Folks can even create a Top 5 list or meme!
SAMPLE COLLAGE ENTRY: Provided by Katie Kirby
Step #3
Review and edit the contents. Choose either to receive an electronic PDF compilation (free) or a printed hardcover album (paid). Enjoy!
Pricing: (Pricing may change. Pricing as of February 1, 2019, is noted below.)
Digital Only: Free if you only want a PDF file. You receive a PDF to share with others or print out yourself. There is no limit to the number of contributions you can collect. No Credit Card Required.
Hardcover Album/Book: Starting at $20. If you want a physical keepsake – Newlywords will
print a hardcover album and ship it to you. $20 covers the first 20 pages. Additional pages are $1 each. Most contributions are one page. PDF is included. There is no limit to the number of contributions you can collect. No Credit Card Required.
Helpful Hints for Creating Your Newlywords Book
by Katie Kirby
First let me say that I found Newlywords to be very easy to use, but that may not be true for all. In preparation for training our volunteers to help our patients and their families with their legacy projects, I completed a 200-page Newlywords Book about my extended family that involved a very large number of contributing members ranging from age 2 to 84. The following are some hints for overcoming obstacles that might arise along the way.
- It is best to have at least one computer-savvy person lead the effort.
- Be sure you have the email addresses and phone numbers for the people that you want as contributors before you start. You will probably need to follow up with people multiple times and you may need to call them to explain more about what you are doing and its importance.
- Because not everyone has photos in an electronic format, you might want to plan to photograph people in advance or make a plan for how you can collect photos from the contributors and scan their photos for them. I found some photos by looking at family member facebook pages.
- You could plan a Newlywords Book party where everyone brings their photos so that you can scan and save them to your computer and you or an assigned person can help them with their written part as needed. Once the party is over, you’ll have much of the information you need to add their entries for them. Those who have already completed their entry could help those having trouble.
- If there are a few people who are interested in helping you to create a Newlywords book, let them help you! I had my aunts help me by contacting each of their children and grandchildren to encourage them to either create their own entry using the link I had sent OR to send their photos and copy to me so that I could enter it for them. If you are not sure how to scan photos, is someone in your group willing to help with that?
- Some people may be overwhelmed by the idea of writing even though they would like to add copy to their entry. Do you have a person who could call these individuals, interview them and write up their answers for them? I asked my cousins to interview their young children and tell me their five favorite things. That way I had pages for even the youngest family members.
- Some contributors just assumed it would be too hard to do and so they didn’t try and others, especially those who do not regularly use computers, did have trouble. Be prepared to add their photos and written copy into the book for them.
- If someone has more than 1-2 photos they want to add plus copy, it is better to create two entries from that person, one entry using the Collage option and one entry using the Essay option. The Essay option, while allowing multiple photos, spreads the photos onto multiple pages rather than allowing multiple photos on a page. It also does not allow you to crop or edit photos like the collage option.
- Newlywords is wonderful at helping you when you are not sure how to do something. Their customer service was amazing.
