With Christmas around the corner, I thought I’d suggest the best, most unique present you could give your loved ones (at least, in my opinion, and remember, I’m an editor who loves words and stories). So here is my suggestion: write your life story or memoir, and self-publish it on Amazon through their KDP program.
I’m pretty confident this will be everyone’s most favorite gift.
I just edited, formatted, and published the memoir of a late and beloved member of a tight-knit family. This woman had written her life story before she passed, and her grandson hired me to get her story printed. My task involved editing her story, formatting it for KDP, and then publishing it to Amazon so her family members could purchase their copies of it. He was doing this as a gift for his family, who were all coming to Silverton, Oregon, for a family reunion.
I was invited to the reunion to present the book to the family. I felt like a hero! Many of them were brought to tears and kept thanking me for getting her words into a readable format. I must say, the finished product was pretty impressive, but the whole project reminded me of something: we all have a story to share.
There was nothing special about this woman’s story. She hadn’t achieved celebrity status during her lifetime or done anything terribly significant for the world at large, and still, her story is worth reading. It is worth remembering. Yours is too. It’s so interesting to learn where a person came from and what happened throughout their life, big and small, that contributed to the person they eventually became. Plus, it’s a way to record part of your family’s history for its future generations.
Consider creating your own memoir and giving it as a gift. It’s sure to be everyone’s favorite present!