How do I choose the size of the book I want to make?

This depends on your subject matter.

For brag books or token memorable books, I suggest the 5x5 storybook. I made a 5x5 book for my husband for Valentine's day. It featured a photo on the left side, done in black-and-white with a black background, and on the right, I added a quote about love (I'd be happy to transfer this to your Heritage Makers account if you'd like to see it). For a friend, I made a book entitled "Laura's Book of Amazing Friends." Again, I simply added photos and quotes about friendship.

For a traditional storybook, I suggest the 8x8. This is the size I used for my granddaughter, entitled "Grandma and Natalia: Our First Storybook." I also used this size to make a storybook of my first wedding. I scanned in photos from the wedding album, added them to the book, and then told the story of how my first husband and I met, why we chose the church, who was in the wedding party and why we chose our attendants, where we had gone on our honeymoon, etc. I gave one to each of my children so they know about their parents' wedding and can pass that along to their children.

You might want to choose a 7.5x10 book for a story too. This size is great for profiling a marriage, a business, a love story, etc. I used this size book for profiling Clydesdale horses.

The 11.5x8.5, I think, is great for a trip or a process, such as building a home. I made a book about the building of our home. In this size book, the detail in the photos is easy to see. The first page gives an explanation of why we chose the lot and the design of the home. Each successive page shows photos of the process and the dates.

Another good process book on a smaller scale is the 7x5. I used this size to show the process of my husband's artwork and I display it at all the art shows. It's easy to handle and pack.

The 7x5 book is our only book that offers themes. So if you want something quick and easy to put together, you can choose from 13 different themes: baby's first year, Christmas, sports, Mother's Day, Father's Day, summer vacation, etc. You drop in photos, add a little text, and you're done.

The 12x12 is a great digital scrapbook. I used this size for my family's geneaology. And of course, it's an appropriate size for copies of traditional scrapbooks.

Of course, these are all just my opinions. Go with your vision, and please know that I'm here to help you.

Blessings,
Carolyn
http://www.astorytohold.com/