Customer Reviews

I was pleased with the outcome of my book. I have to tell you it was absolutely wonderful! I was very pleased. My book was about my brother’s experiences in Vietnam. It arrived on my doorstep on Christmas Eve and I was able to give it to him Christmas Day. He was moved to tears. He left for Vietnam at the age of 18 and he is now 58 years old. He had not spoke of his experiences since his return almost forty years ago until I asked him to tell me some of his recollections. I had told him that I just wanted to know what it was like. He didn’t know that I was making a book. He said that this book was the best gift he had ever been given and it made him feel like someone cared.

I have to tell you that Liz Ellis is wonderful. She was a true gem in helping me learn how to maneuver around in the site and put the pieces together. I was also pleased with the quality of the book. Some of the photos I had were old and faded, but with your professionalism it all turned out beautifully.

I’m working with three clients (I’m building a personal history business) and I will definitely use Family Learn again.

The book couldn’t have been more beautiful. I think that it is a miracle that I was able to sit here in my own home and have published such a wonderful book. Each of our children and grandchildren were delighted and amazed to learn about their grandmother’s life. I’m sure it will effect them for eternity. It was the “perfect” Christmas gift. We will never be able to top it! Everyone who has seen the book is interested in finding out more about Memorypress.com. You will probably be getting many inquiries. We are so grateful to Liz Ellis for her patience and help. She seemed as excited about our book as we did to the point that she delivered it to us personally. We were happy to meet her and we feel that we have a new friend in Provo. We are busy now deciding whose history we will write next.
Thank you for making this wonderful technology available. We started writing the book twenty years ago and we are so happy that it took this long to finally finish it because the technology available now has helped us produce a priceless treasure for our family!
Thanks!
Sarah Barfuss

It was faaaabulous. Overall, my whole MemoryPress experience was great, and I have recommended you to at least a dozen people since. I hope to work with you again.

Liz was especially helpful. It made a huge difference to know I could pick up the phone and receive quick, friendly, calming, professional help. A special thanks goes out to her.

Working as a personal and oral historian, and teacher of memoir-writing courses, I have lots of uses for your services and I hope to use them again.

The only tiny mistake was that your website was half cut off on your logo on the back of the first page.

Thanks again & all the best for 2008,
Chris Kay Fraser

Company Response:

I’m going to let Liz know what you said.

The issue with the logo is already fixed for future books.

Thanks,
Neal

I was not only happy with the way the book turned out, I was elated. It was far more incredible than I expected. The pages were beautiful and the photos came out great.

I would like to make a special recognition to Liz Ellis. Without her help, this book would certainly not have made it. She went above and beyond any expectation for customer care and really motivated me in my efforts. Where I couldn’t figure something out she just fixed it and helped me to keep going and kept me on course for the most wonderful Xmas gift I could have given. I’d really like you to let her know how much I appreciated her help.

Thanks for everything. My husband Michael was really touched by the book and our children who are all receiving a copy couldn’t have been prouder of their dad (and really appreciated me for making it happen).

Happy ending, thanks.

Linda Perkins

The book far exceeded my expectations. There were only a couple of issues.

The first is that on the dedication page the type was unevenly spaced. I don’t know what caused that.

Also, there were errors in the script due to the fact that I found it extremely hard to read the copy in the format provided. It was just too hard to manipulate through the book. I paid a friend to put all the material in the book and she said once she got use to the program it was easy to use. I do hope to get the errors corrected at some point and will order an additional book at that time.

My question is , “How long will the book remain on the website in the event other family members want to purchase a book?”

Company Response:

Hi Melanie,

Some fonts that have long j’s, f’s and other letters cause the spacing to be “uneven”
This is actually a standard for professional typesetting, but we’ve had enough people who are used to the way Microsoft Word does it that we want to add a feature that will let you turn off the professional typesetting spacing (also called leading).

I’ll keep you updated on the progress of that feature.

As for difficulty reading, there is a text view that is much easier to read. Were you aware of that?

To your last question, I’m happy to inform you that we preserve it forever, unless you ask us to delete it. It’s something customers really enjoy. Then you can order another copy or change it down the road.

Happy New Year!

-Neal

The reunion is now over and the book was a great success. Everyone, all seventy-two of us (plus those who couldn’t attend but got their books later), loved it! We sold all 48 of the copies (every family has at least one) and I am in the process of collecting names of the family members who want me to place a second order. Can you believe that? My Mom told me to order more copies but I thought she was just dreaming that the book would be of interest to so many. I expected the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of my grandparents to be excited about the book but what a surprise that their spouses or friends would start reading it and not want to put it down. Several family members want an extra copy so that they can share and yet keep one exclusively for themselves. Extended family, children and grandchildren of my grandparents’ siblings were also excited about the book and some of the copies that were sold went to them. I have received many notes of appreciation for producing a beautiful heirloom of precious memories of “our wonderful parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.” My niece told me that I will never know what this means to everyone – the fact is that I do, because preserving these memories means so much to me.

As you recall, my Mom’s plan was to videotape people as they looked through the book so that we could collect their comments and other memories that would inevitably be recalled as they read. This plan quickly fell by the wayside. Most looked at the first few pages, closed it, and said they wanted to wait until they could just “sit with it.” Later, as I talked with family members, they told me that they read, cried and laughed on the trip back to their homes and many were like my Mom, reading and re-reading it.

All agreed that it was a well-done book – I wish you could have heard the “ahs” as I held it up for family to see for the first time. People were impressed with how “professional” it looked. One of my cousins, who did not respond to the request for memories, told me that he had thought the book would just be a stack of copied papers stapled together and had he known that it was going to be a “real book,” he would have contributed. As you might guess, some family members are suggesting themes for the “next” book – memories from the spouses of children and grandchildren of Elbert and Blanche, more of Blanche’s recipes, a chapter on the military service of our family, and so forth.

The problem with FamilyLearn producing such a quality book is that they will have to “clone” you. Your help and support were unbelievable and I appreciate your help more than words could express. You “held my hand” and kept me motivated even though we were miles apart. Amazing! A number of family members have told me that they now plan to “do a book” and have asked for my help in getting started. Each time, I have told them that Liz will be there for them and that I cannot say enough about the customer support that I received. Some family members shared the book with their ministers, who all responded that they either wanted to produce one for their own families or for their church families. And, many told me that they want to complete a book of the “other side” of their families so that memories of both sets of ancestors will be preserved. Oh, and by the way, one of the family members who bought a copy of our book was one of the executive producers and writers for the television show, “7th Heaven,” so who knows what creative idea she will have. So, Liz, get ready! Forty-eight (or seventy-two plus) very vocal, very happy customers can spread the word of FamilyLearn and Memorypress rapidly!

Retirement is a bitter-sweet time. Like any other professional, a teacher invests so much energy that it is hard to let go. Receiving the Memory Book was immensely rewarding for me. Realizing that past students, some now even in their twenties, could still remember many of the things we did in first grade – even down to the songs we sang and the books we read – showed me it was worth all the energy invested. I recently reread the entire book and my heart filled with gratitude for the lives I was able to touch. This little book is a treasure that will only grow more precious as the years go by.

Wow! It’s hard to describe the delight and surprise that Dr. D felt when he opened his farewell MemoryPress book from the Department of Ophthalmology. As a member of our staff for over 20 years, we wanted a gift that was really special and reflected our appreciation, our respect, and our esteem for this well-loved physician. This book was perfect! Not only did he appreciate the tributes and the memories, but it provided everyone involved an opportunity to be included in a meaningful way in honoring him. He assured us that we would always be part of his life, especially now that he had this treasured keepsake to remind him of his connection to the Department.

We finally had the kids open the book yesterday—Christmas got too busy and this present had to receive the attention it deserved. Their eyes were huge with anticipation and excitement as they watched themselves star in their own story on each page. It will be the only present that is remembered in years to come.

My only mistake was not making enough copies – after showing off this beautiful book, more people want one than I had anticipated. I can’t wait to show Amy tonight – we’re going out to dinner together. So glad we know about your marvelous MemoryPress. Doing these books is so satisfying. And by the way, Liz Ellis was great to work with! She was just as concerned as I was about making this book as perfect as it could be. She had wonderful suggestions and went the extra mile in making them happen if I didn’t understand how.

I love your newest system!!! It made putting a picture book like this together a snap. I started working on this book in the system that was new right before this one—it was a headache on that one. This new one does all the things and more that I wished the old one could do. It is a truly amazing product. I can hardly wait to start a new book! (I just have to figure out what.)

Julianna

It arrived yesterday and I am very pleased with it. I’m very excited to distribute it to my dad and siblings.

Although there was a definite learning curve to use your website, Liz was a TREMENDOUS help to me through the whole process. She was very prompt in replying to my calls or emails and was always able to answer my questions. If not for her, I would have given up on the project when I wasn’t very far into the process. She is a keeper! Give her a raise! :)

I would definitely recommend your website/service to others that want to publish a personalized book.

Thanks for making my dream book come to be!

Margaret Hammond

The book couldn’t have been more beautiful. I think that it is a miracle that I was able to sit here in my own home and have published such a wonderful book. Each of our children and grandchildren were delighted and amazed to learn about their grandmother’s life. I’m sure it will effect them for eternity. It was the “perfect” Christmas gift. We will never be able to top it! Everyone who has seen the book is interested in finding out more about Memorypress.com. You will probably be getting many inquiries. We are so grateful to Liz Ellis for her patience and help. She seemed as excited about our book as we did to the point that she delivered it to us personally. We were happy to meet her and we feel that we have a new friend in Provo. We are busy now deciding whose history we will write next.
Thank you for making this wonderful technology available. We started writing the book twenty years ago and we are so happy that it took this long to finally finish it because the technology available now has helped us produce a priceless treasure for our family!
Thanks!
Sarah Barfuss

Rebecca and Emily LOVE the book, but I only let them look at it briefly. Then I will give it to them for Christmas. Yesterday I took a copy to Curves because I have been talking about it nearly every morning. The director at Curves sat right down and started reading the book and soon she was walking around the room reading excerpts from the book outloud with everyone laughing. Many gathered around after to look at it close-up. Anyway, it was a hit.

In a month MemoryPress helped me to compile a 70 page gift filled with photos and memories for the bride and, my friend, the groom. We watched the book grow online—the Bride’s family in Kansas, the Groom’s in Idaho, and I in Utah! ...I will never forget the look on his face as I presented him with the final copy.

It turned out great, my husband was very happy!
Can’t wait to use it again.

Thanks!

We gave it to mom and dad last Saturday at their surprise party, and needless to say, they loved it too. I’ve been meaning to write to you all and let you know that we would like to add some more things to it and reprint it again in 3-4 weeks. There were several people at the party who never got around to submitting anything the first time around. Of course, after they saw it, they were begging to be included and are in the process now of sending things to my sister and I to add in. I assumed that will be okay. Please let me know. I have recommended the company to all my friends and co-workers. Thank you so much.

I received our book today and it is outstanding! While I was very excited about the process and the fun of creating this great memory book for my Mom and Dad’s anniversary, the final product really exceeded my expectations.

Thanks again for all your help along the way. I’ve already recommended you to many friends and colleagues and will be coming back often!

Thanks for the opportunity to share my story about what a wonderful gift this was and how it was the highlight of their 50th anniversary party! We used it as the guest book. Everyone wanted to sit down and look at it! My mom and dad were both brought to tears when we presented it to them and mom told me the other day that dad has read it cover to cover 8 times now in the 6 weeks or so since the party and cried every time!

I am attaching some photos of their anniversary party. Dad made some homemade wine that he had special labels made with their photo etc that we placed as gifts for the guests on the same table with the “sign in” book. There are a couple photos of guests sitting, signing and reading the book. and then there are a couple pics of when we presented the book to mom and dad with tears streaming down their faces.
You really helped to make this special event memorable to everyone at our party! Thanks so much!

I forgot to mention…

As you know I didn’t get to see the book for weeks after it was complete because since I live in Hawaii I had you ship it to my mom’s house to make sure it didn’t end up on a slow boat and miss our party. So the first thing I did when I got to mom’s was to ask if she had the box. As you told me you would, it was plainly marked with “Do not open until June 15th”. I took the box in my room and was so eager to check out the quality. I knew it would be a nice token gift even if the quality wasn’t the best….but to my complete satisfaction, it was of superb book-store quality. I was so excited!

Thanks again!
Barb Sasaki

Before my father passed away, he sent me handwritten chapters of his life, which I typed up as I received them.

Because of your fine program, I decided that I could afford to publish father’s autobiography, as a tribute to him, as well as a history to give to all his grandchildren. I had written a book about mother last year, which my brother paid for. It cost thousands of dollars, through a California publisher, editor, printer etc. I wanted to finance this book by myself…..and your program allowed me to do this. In addition to father’s autobiography printed in this book, I was able to add many other chapters and lots of pictures which will be priceless for his posterity. Already I’ve had wonderful feedback from my two brothers and grandchildren.

Liz Ellis was a great blessing to me as well. She was very patient, efficient, knowledgeable and caring. I could not have done it without her…..she truly went the extra mile, especially walking me through when my computer just wasn’t doing what it should have. I’ll be forever grateful to her.

I was more than pleased with the outcome. The color of the cover, the printing, the layout of the pages, and pictures was far beyond my comprehension. It arrived on time, in fact before I had expected it. So I was able to send the book to my children who live back East, and have it arrive before Christmas.

I might mention just one error that I noticed. On some of the back chapters, the printing should have continued to the end of the line before beginning a new line. Many of the lines were just half filled. That is the only mistake I saw. I don’t know if this was my mistake or the printer’s. I had proof-read it carefully, I thought. I just don’t know how that happened.

However, despite this one error, the book was done beautifully. I do thank you with all my heart! I do hope that FamilyLearn will be most successful. It is a definite boon to those who want to publish a book without the extreme high costs usually demanded by other publishers.

Sincerely, Shirley A Hatch

Working on the memorial book for my Dad became quite the family project. Over the holidays we spent many happy hours sorting through photographs and Dad’s writings and reminiscing. That time alone was worth the price!

Then, with your guidance and gracious support, I was able to assemble all the pieces into a book. I’ll never forget one Sunday afternoon in spring when my Mom, brother and sisters were all together on conference call. I was sitting in a cafe on the West Coast, they were in the Midwest, and we edited the book together, in real time, on our respective computer screens. Ah, the magic of the internet!

In June, we met in Florida for a family reunion. You had overnighted the first copy of the book to my Mom, just in time for her to show it off to everyone. She was so pleased! Everyone was impressed with how professional the book looked, especially with the padded leather cover. Then as we turned the pages, the memories came pouring back. It was a wonderful way to include Dad at the reunion. A picture IS worth a thousand words. And a hundred pages of pictures and words… well, that certainly covered the arc of his life, from baby pictures to school days to romance and marriage to family vacations and birthdays and on to his last days…

Everyone wanted a copy for themselves, and ordering them was a breeze. Our whole family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts. I did quite a bit of online research trying to find a publisher who could accommodate our blend of words and poems and B&W snapshots and color photos. This was much more than a photo snapshot book, and much more than a collection of writings. Being able to blend the two so freely made all the difference.

You helped us create a memoir that even my Dad would have loved!

Gratefully,
David Cates

First, let me again express my deepest THANK YOU for helping me with my dad’s 80th Birthday Book. You can be assured that you will be getting many, many new orders from people that I have spoke to and who have seen the book. There is no way that anyone can hear tales of the book and picture it in their heads. Once they see it, they can not believe the professional way it is done. They all expected a “scrapbook” type book. You have exceeded all of our expectations. I now tell everyone I am an accomplished author! My dad was driven to tears!! In a great way not only for his surprise party, but once we presented the book to him, we all cried. Not one of us can read it with crying a river. Again, thanks!!

Again, your book made the biggest impression on everyone there at the party. Thanks for being the CHERRY ON TOP for a day we will remember for ever!!

When my kids were little I kept a notebook for each of them where I would write down funny things they would say. Through the years at family gatherings we would often bring out those notebooks and laugh. One day I thought how fun it would be to have those little sayings compiled into one book. I began by typing up the sayings of each child and scanning photos. I am not computer savvy and could not have completed the project without the support of the FamilyLearn Team. They helped me take my basic work and magically transform it into something wonderful. I am ecstatic with how it turned out. I ordered a book for each of my children and know that these little books will be treasured.

I was so pleased when I opened the package containing my first MemoryPress book. It was all I expected it to be—and more!

FamilyLearn’s MemoryPress system was the perfect way to create a special heirloom gift for my one-year-old grandson. It was easy putting together a professional looking book with dozens of my favorite family photos. By just changing chapter headings, I adapted the template for the baby book to meet my individual needs. The variety of custom photo pages allowed me to arrange my pictures in interesting ways that worked well with the text I had written. Because of the flexibility of the MemoryPress system, I was able to creatively layout the book exactly as I wanted. I can’t wait to finish my next book.

I’ve really enjoyed sharing my book with family and friends. As a personal historian, I will enthusiastically show this book to potential clients because of it’s quality, affordability, and the ease with which the system works.

Dawna Curler, personal historian
Backward Glance: Research, Writing, and Personal History Service

This is the email Bonnie shared with me when I gave her the book…

“I can not express how much I appreciate each of you for taking the time to contribute. I will cherish this book of memories forever.”

The headmaster at our school gave the memory book to Mrs. Strauss and her daughter this past week. They both broke out in tears. It was a very sad yet touching moment. They were so thankful to receive such a special memento. Thanks again for your amazing help. It would not have looked half as nice without your help.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

The presentation of the book on Rev. Tommy Jackson went great. The church had a 35 year service in honor of him, and this is when we presented him with the book that you published for us. Pastor Jackson was overwhelmed at the beauty of the book’s cover. He and his wife were just awe struck with the artwork your artist did. He has told me since, that the layout was just perfect; and the quality of the book was more than he imagined.

I just want to say that it was a very enjoyable working with you on this project. You have been so courteous and punctual with me in this endeavor. You have made me shine, and I want to thank you for that. Everyone that purchased the book was just astounded with the beauty and quality of the book.

I am looking forward to doing a book on my dad in the near future. Please let your staff know that I appreciate their friendliness when dealing with them. You have a great team helping you; don’t change anything. I really would love to meet you personally. You have such a pleasant way of doing business. If you ever come to the Dallas area, please let me know. Maybe we could do lunch, if you have the time.

Sincerely thanks,
Pastor Theron Stewart
Kaufman, Tx.