The Two Editions of the House
All prices are quoted in US Dollars, with tracked international air delivery to the United States included. Every book is researched in original US and European archives, written specifically for your family, reviewed with you over three proof rounds, and bound to order.
| Included in the price | Ancestor Portrait · from $590 | Lineage Edition · from $1,690 |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | One ancestor, an immigrant crossing, a WWI/WWII soldier, or a family homestead. | A couple or an entire multi-generational lineage (like The Grandfather’s Book). |
| Archival Research | US Censuses, passenger lists, draft/service records, naturalization files, or homeland civil registers around one person. | Multi-generational inquiry across US Federal/State archives and European civil, parish, and notarial archives. |
| Reproduced Proofs | 5 to 8 verified archival documents reproduced, transcribed & annotated. | 12 to 20 verified archival documents reproduced, transcribed & annotated. |
| Written & Typeset Book | 28 to 40 custom pages with kinship chart, timeline, and map. | 45 to 70 custom pages with bespoke multi-branch family tree, timeline, and maps. |
| Family Proofreading | Three rounds of review on the digital proof before printing. | Three rounds of review on the digital proof before printing. |
| Deliverables | 1 cloth-bound hardcover book + private digital edition. | 1 cloth-bound hardcover book (+ 2nd bound copy complimentary for the next 3 commissions) + private digital edition. |
| Target Turnaround | 21 days from project sign-off. | 30 days from project sign-off. |
| 12-Month Upgrade Credit | 100% of $590 deducted if you expand into a Lineage Edition within 12 months. | Additional branches or companion volumes quoted on request. |
How Our Pricing Compares Across the US Market
In the United States, families usually encounter three very different services that rarely deliver a finished archival book at a predictable price:
- Hourly genealogical research firms ($3,000 to $10,000+): Major commercial genealogy agencies charge $120 to $200 per hour with minimum 20- to 40-hour retainers. At the end of the retainer, you receive a research report or binder of raw records—not a literary, typeset hardcover book.
- Private ghostwriters and memoir biographers ($5,000 to $25,000+): A personal historian conducts oral-history interviews and writes a manuscript, but does not investigate passenger manifests, naturalization petitions, or European parish registers to prove what happened before living memory.
- Self-service prompt subscriptions ($99/year): Services like StoryWorth email one question a week to your parent for a year—turning a gift into 52 weeks of homework that many parents find overwhelming and never complete.
By combining targeted archival investigation, historical narrative writing, and bespoke editorial layout under one roof, Family History Press delivers a complete, verified hardcover book at a firm price agreed before work begins.
What Determines the Exact Quote in Your Feasibility Study?
Every family’s archival footprint is different. Within 48 hours of your request, our complimentary feasibility study confirms whether your project falls at the base price ($590 or $1,690) or requires specific extensions based on three transparent factors:
- Number of branches and generations: Tracing a single paternal surname across four American and European generations is simpler than tracing four separate grandparents across three countries.
- Condition and language of the archives: Digitized US Federal Censuses, Ellis Island manifests, and French departmental archives are included in the base rate. Unindexed Latin, old German Kurrentschrift, or on-site municipal archive retrievals are itemized clearly if needed.
- Number of family photographs and documents to restore: Cleaning, retouching, and captioning your family photographs and letters is included; large private archive collections (30+ scans) can expand the pagination.
Frequently Asked Questions
01How do I choose between the Ancestor Portrait ($590) and the Lineage Edition ($1,690)?
The Ancestor Portrait (28 to 40 pages, 21-day target) tells the complete story of one person or a defining chapter: an immigrant ancestor's arrival in America, a grandfather's WWI or WWII service, or a grandmother's life. The Lineage Edition (45 to 70 pages, 30-day target) traces a couple or an entire multi-generational lineage. Our complimentary feasibility study quotes both options for your family within 48 hours.
02Can we start at $590 and expand the book later?
Yes. If you commission an Ancestor Portrait first and decide within 12 months to expand the research into a full Lineage Edition covering the rest of the branch, the $590 from your first book is credited in full toward the second.
03Can the price increase once research begins?
Never. Unlike hourly genealogy firms that bill $120 to $200 per hour with open-ended retainers, our price is confirmed in writing in the feasibility study—firm and all-inclusive (research, writing, custom layout, hardcover printing, and tracked international air shipping to the US included). Nothing is paid before you review and approve that proposal.
04How much do extra copies cost for siblings and cousins?
Once the first hardcover copy is approved and printed, additional bound copies for brothers, sisters, children, or cousins are billed at printing and shipping cost ($65 to $95 per copy depending on page count). For our next 3 Lineage Edition commissions, a second bound copy is included complimentary.
05How do payment milestones work?
For the Ancestor Portrait ($590), payment is split 50% at commissioning and 50% upon approval of the finished digital proof before printing. For the Lineage Edition ($1,690+), payment is split into three milestones: 40% at commissioning, 30% when the completed archival dossier and narrative draft are delivered, and 30% when you sign off on the final typeset proof for printing.