Beyond the Trees offers a personalized “soup-to-nuts” approach to your project. Whether you simply want your photos scanned and indexed in a digital format, or you want to create a comprehensive family history book or a collaborative tribute, we have the resources and know-how to help you.
We offer a “personal touch” and are happy to discuss your project with you via phone, e-mail or both. Call us at (513)321-8398 or e-mail us at info@beyondthetrees.net.
Memory Project Strategy and Support - Have you wondered, "How do I begin my project?" The experienced Personal Historians at Beyond the Trees will share strategies and tips to move your project from a fuzzy idea to a completed book, or anything in between.
Project concept and design – Whether your project is as simple as an audio transcription or as complex as an in-depth family history with digitized photos and memorabilia, we will help you outline your project and create a project timeline.
Materials organization – Do you have boxes of photos and clippings? Or an interview that needs to be structured into a reader-friendly format? We are experts at organizing information into a coherent framework (thematic, chronological, etc.)
Memory Collection and Preservation:
Interviewing – We have experience in conducting oral history interviews as well as providing guidance to clients who prefer to do the interview themselves.
Email memory collection and reminder service - Are you interested in making a long-term compilation such as a School Year book? We can e-mail you monthly with reminders and suggestions to help you capture key milestones and events both in text and in photographs, and memorabilia.
Thought starters /Interview Prompts – Not sure what questions to ask your elders, or even yourself? Let us supply you with memory prompts or thought starters suitable to your subject. Or perhaps you are collecting messages for a collaborative tribute book. We will create a list of prompts and suggestions to help contributors write their messages.
Transcribing – We can transcribe interviews from audio tape or MP3 files. Transcripts can be delivered to you electronically or via hard copy.
Photo scanning and photo correction – We use professional-grade scanners to create high-quality digital images that are accurately indexed.
Digitizing of clippings and other memorabilia – In addition to photos, we scan clippings and other documents, - even oversized items like full newspaper pages
Basic genealogy research that enhances the project – If you are working on a family history story, we can assist with limited genealogy searches to enhance your book.
Legacy Letter/Ethical Will Workshops – We offer 1-2 hour interactive workshops in the Southwest Ohio area to help participants learn about and/or write a Legacy Letter or Ethical Will – a document which transfers values, lessons learned, blessings and family history from one generation to the next.
Coordination of multiple contributors for collaborative books – Don’t be bothered with the hassle of coordinating a collaborative book. Using efficient procedures, we will send invitations (digital and/or hard copy) to your contributors and reminders, offer scanning assistance when requested, track the responses, compile the messages and photos, and create a beautiful commemorative book for the recipient.
Personal or business history archiving – Do you have boxes of clippings or photos that you wished were neatly organized and archived using acceptable preservation techniques? Beyond the Trees experts can carefully review your materials , organize and index them, and put them in museum-grade archival storage when necessary. (This service available only in Southwest Ohio area.)
Creation of archival quality finished memory products:
Book design, layout and printing – Using your suggestions (e.g. color preferences, style), Beyond the Trees will organize your text and images into a compelling and moving story, lay out the text and images in your book, and prepare it for printing. Along the way, we will offer you opportunities to review and approve the draft.
Slide show production – Perhaps your project primarily consists of images. We can create a slide show of your favorite photos and set it to music.
Memory Poster design and production – Memory posters are another option if you have photos you wish to display. Depending on the size of the poster (either 16” x 24” or 24” x 36”) we will take up to 50 of your favorite photos and create a montage on archival satin finish paper.
Family trees – Using an appealing selection of background designs, we will make a 4-generation family tree suitable for framing.
Author Self-Publishing Assistance:
Manuscript typing – Give us your handwritten manuscript, and we will return to you a neatly typed and formatted document (hard copy and/or electronic version).
Manuscript editing – If you have written some text, but want help in structuring your content, we can help. We offer content editing , copy editing, and proofreading services.
Book Design and Layout – If you have a completed manuscript but need help in laying out your book, Beyond the Trees can help.
Preparing book for printing – Beyond the Trees can create a print-ready professional PDF (Portable Document Format) file for the printing company.
Printing – Beyond the Trees works with several printing houses. We will help you select the best printer for your project.
Interface with online bookstores like Amazon, blurb and LuLu - Do you want to self-publish a book through an online bookstore? Let us help you upload your book and create the bookstore-supported web page for ordering.