# Trying to have a book made. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 8, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-have-a-book-made/795770 "2017-09-08T02:37:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pianodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e79b87/32.png) [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-have-a-book-made/795770/1 "2017-09-08T02:37:57Z")
Hi SD. I would be interested in having a book made of my Grandmother’s thoughts and life lessons. I copied her writings onto a Microsoft Word document and it comes to about 13-14 pages, so it would be a short book. However I do want to include lined pages at the end so that she can add her own additional thoughts and opinions. She likes pastels–blue, yellow, white, plus floral designs. I want it to look pretty and professional, but not too overwhelming. Simple and elegant. Something she would have pride to show on her shelf. I don’t know where I would go online to find someone to do this. Someone recommended Etsy but I am not sure how to search for people who do this. It doesn’t seem like a huge project, but I don’t know for sure because I am not an artist. Any help you could provide on where to go and what type of professional I am looking for would be appreciated. Dave ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-have-a-book-made/795770/2 "2017-09-08T03:10:35Z")
Office Depot and Staples can print and bind presentations. What you are wanting sounds like something they can do. Photo sites like Flickr can also do books of photos, but I don’t know if they can do all text. Google “self publishing” ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-have-a-book-made/795770/3 "2017-09-08T04:32:34Z")
Try exporting it to PDF first, as it’s much easier to print WYSIWYG that way. Anyone who has a decent desktop publishing app, such as Adobe InDesign or MS Publisher, can probably do this. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-have-a-book-made/795770/4 "2017-09-08T16:00:19Z")
My friend had a lovely book put together via the Apple software iBook printing, I think? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-have-a-book-made/795770/5 "2017-09-08T16:14:49Z")
You could play around with creating one as [a photobook](https://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books). Either export sections of the text as photos or as text inside the book. (Might even want to add a few photos while you are at it.) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-have-a-book-made/795770/6 "2017-09-08T17:40:59Z")
Websites like Lulu do exactly what you are looking for. > **[Top 10 Self Publishing Companies to Publish Your First Book - MoneyPantry](https://moneypantry.com/self-publishing-companies/)** > > Top 10 self publishing companies where you can self publish your own book and sell it to the masses. Some even offer free publishing deals. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-have-a-book-made/795770/7 "2017-09-08T17:50:45Z")
Printing and binding a couple of copies is not too expensive, but professional editing, typesetting, and artwork is what I would worry about first. A website might offer these services, but I would look for one that specializes in art books rather than a bulk printer.