The short answer
Decades of genealogy research becomes a readable heirloom here: upload the records, letters, photos, and interview recordings; Claude drafts narrative chapters (with the charts and source citations kept as a proper appendix), keeps names and dates consistent throughout, and typesets a hardcover that prints from one copy up — one for every branch of the tree.
The physical book
Family histories want the archival trims: 6×9 for narrative-led books, 8.5×11 when documents and charts need room to breathe. Hardcover, because this is the copy that outlives its printer.
Every option below is a real, printer-validated product — files are checked against the printer's own rules (trim, bleed, spine width computed from the actual page count) before anything prints, and Lulu prints on demand and ships to your door.
| Option | Trim | Pages | Ink & paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover · 6×9 (narrative) | 6×9 in | 24–800 | B&W on cream, or full color for photo plates |
| Hardcover · 8.5×11 (documents & charts) | 8.5×11 in | 24–800 | Full color case wrap |
| Paperback (the wide distribution) | 6×9 in | 32–800 | B&W or full color |
From research to story
The tragedy of most genealogy is that it dies as a GEDCOM file — decades of research nobody but the researcher can read. The conversion that saves it: lead with narrative, appendix the apparatus. Chapters tell the family's story arc by arc (the village, the crossing, the store, the war), written as story with the people foregrounded; the charts, record transcriptions, and source citations live in a real appendix where the next researcher — and there will be one; it might be your granddaughter — can verify everything. A family history with sources is an heirloom and a primary document.
Claude is built for exactly this synthesis: feed it the records, the letters (photograph them — the handwriting belongs in the book), the interview recordings, the half-finished timeline from 2011, and it drafts narrative chapters that reconcile the sources, flag the contradictions for your judgment, and keep every name, date, and place consistent across three hundred pages. The deeper guide to the genre is here.
One craft warning from every family historian ever: pick a scope — one surname line, one couple's descendants, one century — and finish it. "The whole family" is the book that never prints; volume two is allowed to exist.
- Interview the eldest generation before anything else — records wait, people don't (upload the recordings; transcription is quoted first)
- Photograph documents at the highest resolution you have; a 1910 ship manifest reproduced full-page is worth a chapter of description
How it works
1. Pour the research in Upload the documents, photos, letters, and interview recordings, and paste your notes — Claude reads the whole archive into one project.
2. Let everyone contribute Send Bindery's contribution link to the group — anyone can add stories, photos, recipes, or voice notes from the link, no account needed, and Claude weaves contributions in with credit.
3. Shape it with Claude Claude proposes the book's structure and drafts it with you — with everything in context, so nothing gets lost between sessions.
4. Watch the proof assemble A live typeset proof builds as you work: real pages, a designed cover, a spine sized from the true page count. The watermarked proof is always free.
5. Print and share it Pick the format, see the per-copy price and shipping options, and Lulu prints on demand and ships to your door — one copy or a boxful. Publishing to a free storefront is optional, never required.
What it costs
Free to start — no account needed to try, no credit card, and a monthly allowance of AI credits on the free tier. The typeset, watermarked proof is always free, and metered work (like image generation or narration) quotes its price in credits before you confirm. Clean press-ready files are a $49 one-time per book unlock or free with Bindery Pro ($39/month (or $390/year)); printed copies are priced per copy at order time and shipped by Lulu — no minimum run.
Start free, see the proof
Bindery — the book studio inside Infinite Library — designs, writes, and typesets the whole thing with you, then prints it for real. Free to start, no account needed to try, and the watermarked proof of your actual book costs nothing. The fastest way to know is to bring what you have and watch the first pages appear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can it handle proper source citations?
Yes — tell Claude your citation convention (or let it follow standard genealogical form) and every claim in the narrative can carry its source, with full citations in the notes and a bibliography of records consulted. The rigor is what makes the book a primary document for the next researcher.
What about the family tree charts?
Charts and tables set as full-page figures — the 8.5×11 trim exists for exactly this. Descendant charts, timelines, and maps can be uploaded as images or built as clean typeset tables.
Can cousins contribute their branches?
Yes — the contribution link lets any relative add photos, documents, stories, or voice notes without an account, credited by name. You remain the editor; Claude weaves accepted contributions into the right chapters.
Do I keep the rights?
Yes — authors keep ownership of their work. Print it, sell it from your free Infinite Library storefront (author-set print royalty, about 95% on ebooks, 80% on audiobooks), or keep it entirely private.