Create a genealogy book using Family Tree Maker 2012-2014

Family Tree Maker can create a book that is versatile and professional. You have many options for what to include in your book and several choices for exporting and printing. There are so many ways to customize your book we encourage you to explore on your own, as we will only be able to cover the basics here.

This article discusses the following:

• Creating a Genealogy Book
• Opening a Saved Book
• Customizing the Title Page
• Adding Pages to the Book
• Moving Book Items
• Changing the Title of the Book or Items
• Exporting and Printing the Book

Creating a Genealogy Book

1. In the Publish tab, select Books from the menu on the left side if the screen. Click on Genealogy Book in the middle, and then click the Create Book button on the right.

   

2. Give your book a name, then click Save. Don’t worry if you don’t know what you want to name it, you can change this later.

   

Opening a Saved Book

1. In the Publish tab, select Saved Books from the menu on the left side if the screen. Click on your saved book in the middle, and then click the Open Book button on the right.

   

Customizing the Title Page

The Title Page will be the first thing that comes up when you create a book. There are lots of changes you can make here, using some of the same commands you would use in most word processing programs. You can change the font, insert a picture, or use one of the embellishments included with Family Tree Maker 2012-2014.

1. To change the font, highlight the text you want to change, then select the dropdown menu in the top left and pick the font of your choice.

   

2. To insert a picture already in your tree, first place the cursor where you want the picture to go. Click Insert, and then select “Image from Media Collection…”.

   

3. Select the picture from your tree you want to include, and then click OK. The picture will be inserted on the page where the cursor was.

   

4. To include an embellishment, first place the cursor where you want the embellishment to go. Click Insert, then select “Image From File… ”.
5. Navigate to the folder named Embellishments in your Family Tree Maker folder. Select one of the embellishments, and then click OK. The embellishment will be inserted on the page where the cursor was.

   

   

Adding Pages to the Book

There are many types of pages you can add to your book. We will cover adding a chart or report, adding a plain text item or smart story, and adding a table of contents and index.

Adding a Chart or Report

You can add any of the charts or reports available in Family Tree Maker to your book.

1. Select the person you wish to base the report or chart on. This can be done by clicking their name in the mini tree located just below the Publish tab, or by clicking the Index of Individuals button, located just to the right of the mini tree.

   

2. Click the Add Book Item button, the blue plus sign located in the top right pane of the Publish workspace.

   

3. Select the chart or report you wish to include, and then click OK. The chart will be added as the next page in the book. More information on customizing a chart can be found here.

   

Adding a Text Item or Smart Story

1. Select the person you wish to base the report or chart on. This can be done by clicking their name in the mini tree located just below the Publish tab, or by clicking the Index of Individuals button, located just to the right of the mini tree.
2. Click the Add Book Item button, the blue plus sign located in the top right pane of the Publish workspace.
3. Click Other from the list of Publication Types on the left, and then click Smart Story (Text Item) from the right. Click OK.

   

4. If you wish to include a plain text item, you can start typing or copy and paste your text here. For more information on your options for creating a Smart Story, click here.

Adding a Table of Contents or Index

You can include a Table of Contents and Index for your book. This is especially useful is your book is extensive. Family Tree Maker will generate these items based on the information in your book.

1. Click the Add Book Item button, the blue plus sign located in the top right pane of the Publish workspace.
2. Click Other from the list of Publication Types on the left, and then click Table of Contents or Index from the right. Click OK.

   

3. The Table of Contents will always generate at the beginning of the book, and the Index will always generate at the end of the book.

   

   Note: These items will be generated on the information in your book. You can add these items at any time. Adding more pages to your book will cause the Table of Contents and Index to update with the new information.

Adding Saved Charts and Reports

1. Click the Add Book Item button, the blue plus sign located in the top right pane of the Publish workspace.
2. Click Saved Charts from the list of Publication Types on the left, and then click the saved chart or report from the right. Click OK.

   

Moving Book Items

Generally an item you add to your book will appear underneath the item you had selected, but you can move them once you have added them.

1. Click once to select the item you want to move. Then click the small black arrows at the top of the list until the item is where you want it.

   

Changing the Title of the Book or Items

1. To change the title of the Book, click the first icon above the list of book items, the Book Properties icon. Type the name of the book as you want it, and then click OK.

   

   

2. To change the name of the book item, click the item you want to change once to select it. Then click the second icon at the top of the list, the Book Item Properties icon. Type the name of the item as you want it, and then click OK.

   

   

Exporting and Printing the Book

You have a couple options for exporting and printing your book once you have completed it. You can print the book straight from Family Tree Maker by clicking on the Print button in the top right.

Exporting to PDF

Exporting the book as a PDF files creates a copy of the book that can be opened and printed almost anywhere. A PDF file is not editable, so you will want to be sure you have made all the changes you want to.

1. Click the Share button in the top right of the program, then click “Export to PDF…”

   

2. Click OK to accept the default options for exporting a PDF.

   

3. Choose a name for your file and a place to save it, then click Save.

   

Exporting to RTF

You can export the book as an RTF file. An RTF file can be edited in most word processing programs, so this is a good option if you want to make changes after exporting.

1. Click the Share button in the top right of the program, then click “Export to PDF…”
2. Choose a name for your file and a place to save it, then click Save.

Note: If your book is very large you may have trouble exporting using the normal process. You can find more information on exporting a large book here. If you would like more information on exporting charts and reports outside of a book, please click here.