Plan your family history picture book. You almost certainly have a theme in mind for your family history: military, perhaps, or weddings, or one particular lineage in your family. If you don't have one, think about your family history and try to come up with one.
Once you have your theme together, pull together all the pictures that are appropriate. Decide how many pages you want to have in your book, and select between one and three pictures for each page. Organize them roughly in the order you want them to be printed in your book.
Scan in all the pictures and prepare captions for each. Create photo-quality full-color scans with at least 1200 dpi resolution. If you aren't certain about your scanning skills, you may want a professional photography shop to do this for you.
Come up with a simple naming scheme for your pictures. For instance, you might want to name the third picture of Grandma Walton on page 23 "Grandma Walton - 23 - 3". Write this file name on the back of each photograph in pencil; for very fragile old pictures, put the photo in an acid-free paper envelope and write the file name on the outside of the envelope. Once you have your numbering scheme together, write captions for each keyed to the specific number of the picture.
With your numbering scheme and pictures, interview family members who are familiar with the photos. Create captions about the pictures based on the memories and information of these people, using the numbering scheme to keep close records of which pictures go with which captions.
Select a shop or publisher who can print your family history picture book. Because family histories typically have a small audience limited to your family and friends, this means selecting a vanity press. There are hundreds available. Before selecting one, get quotes from at least five or six to ensure you are getting the best deal possible, and ask to see samples of their work. Don't choose just according to price; look at how they do business as well. For instance, many publishers require that you order a minimum print run. Others, like Lulu Press or Shutterfly, allow you to order as few books as you wish.
Once you have your publisher chosen, speak with the staff. Ask them to familiarize you with their procedures so you can create your pre-press files with the least errors possible.
Put your pictures together in book form in your pre-press program. You may have to take a class in your chosen program in order to successfully complete this part.
If you don't feel up to creating your family history picture book in a complex pre-press program, you can create your in Microsoft Word or another word processing program. In any case, you'll need to create a cover for your book and a page numbering scheme at the very least. In any program you use, you will be able to find templates that will make your book's creation a little easier.
Send your pre-press package to your book publisher. Your print shop will tell you what you need to do from this point forward to distribute your family history picture book. If you went through an online self-publishing company like Lulu Press, for instance, customers will be able to order copies of your book online through a link you can send them.