Preserve it as it is
Have it typed into a clean, readable document for the family — not for submission or publication, just so it can be read, shared, and kept without relying on deciphering the original handwriting forever.
Inherited manuscripts
What to do with a relative's unpublished manuscript
A box in the loft, a drawer in a bureau, a stack of exercise books tied with string. This is some of the most rewarding work I do, and one of the most common questions I'm asked. Here's a straightforward run-through of what to check first, and what your realistic options actually are.
Before anything else, work out what you actually have
Manuscripts left behind fall into a few common shapes, and it's worth identifying which one you're dealing with before you decide anything.
- A finished, complete work. A novel, memoir or family history that reads start to finish, even in draft form.
- An unfinished draft. Stops partway through, or has gaps, or was clearly still being revised.
- Working notes or fragments. Research, character sketches, or scenes that were never assembled into a whole.
- A life story never intended for anyone else. Diaries or journals kept privately, not written with a reader in mind.
What you have changes what's realistic to do with it. A finished novel can be typed and shared, submitted, or self-published. Fragments are better suited to being typed up and kept as an archive for the family, rather than shaped into something they were never meant to be.
The question of rights, before you go far
Owning the physical pages and owning the right to publish what's written on them are two different things. Copyright in an unpublished work belongs to whoever wrote it, and passes on as part of their estate — usually to whoever inherited their property, but not always the same person who happens to be holding the manuscript.
If you're planning to publish, even quietly through a self-publishing platform, it's worth being sure who holds that right, particularly if there are other family members who might have a claim or an opinion. If you're simply preserving it for the family, this matters much less — you can go ahead without needing anyone's permission.
Your realistic options
Prepare it for submission
If it's a finished, complete work and the family wants to see it published, it can be typed and formatted for literary agents in the usual way — treated exactly like any other manuscript.
Self-publish it privately
A typed, properly formatted document is also what you'd need for a small private print run — copies for the family rather than a bookshop.
What I can do
I type inherited manuscripts often — old hands, faded ink, notebooks that have clearly sat in a drawer for decades. It's ordinary work here, and I treat it with the care these particular projects deserve. Anything I genuinely can't read is marked clearly rather than guessed at, which matters more than usual when the person who wrote it isn't there to ask.
One thing worth knowing
I type and prepare the manuscript exactly as written. I don't research the family history behind it, fill gaps, or make editorial decisions about what belongs in the final document — those choices are yours to make.
Send me a few sample pages
Tell me a little about the manuscript and I'll tell you honestly what's involved and what it would cost.