Questions
Everything people ask us
Including the awkward ones. If your question is not here, email hello@taleforme.com and a person will answer.
Making the book
How long does it take?
The questions take about five minutes. Partway through we stop and show you the drawing of your child and ask whether it looks like them — that pause is yours, and you can redraw it as often as you like. Once you say yes, the story and every illustration are usually finished within three or four minutes. You can close the tab at any point: the book carries on being made and waits in your library.
How long is the book?
Between eighteen and twenty-four illustrated spreads, plus a cover, a title page, a dedication and a closing page about the story. Younger children get shorter books, because that is what a two-year-old can sit through.
Can I change it afterwards?
Yes, and most people do. Every word of every page can be rewritten, or rewritten for you, and you can change the title and the dedication — all before you pay for anything. The spreads you can already read can be drawn again as many times as you like; the later ones are illustrated when you order.
Will the child look the same on every page?
Yes, and it is the part we have worked hardest on. We write a character sheet first — hair, colouring, build, and one outfit that never changes — then draw your child once, and every illustration in the book is generated from that drawing rather than from words. Descriptions alone give you twenty children who happen to share a hair colour; a drawing gives you the same child.
When are the rest of the pictures made?
The whole story is written straight away and you can read every word of it, change it, and see the cover and the opening spreads illustrated — all before you pay. The pictures for the later pages are painted as soon as you order, which usually takes a few minutes; each one appears in your book as it is finished, and you can start reading immediately.
What if I do not like the story?
Change it, or start again — making books is free and you only pay when you want to keep one. If a whole book comes out wrong, tell us and we will look at why.
Can I make a second book about the same child?
Yes. Making another book takes a couple of minutes because you already know the answers, and a sequel with the same character is one of the most common things people do.
What goes in the story
What can you include?
Their name, age and how they look; what they are like; the things they love this month; brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, friends and pets by name; and whatever is happening in their life right now.
What is the “something special” box for?
It is the most useful field in the whole product. Write what you would tell a friend — “she starts preschool next month and is worried nobody will know her name” — and that becomes the spine of the story rather than a line in it.
Can the book be about something difficult?
Yes, and it is often the best reason to make one. A new baby, a house move, a parent working away, a grandparent far off, a fear of the dark, a first day at school. The story names the difficult feeling honestly and moves through it, rather than pretending it away.
Can you include their favourite film or game character?
No — those characters belong to somebody else, and a book with one in it would be an infringing product a printer would refuse. Tell us what they love about them instead (“a brave knight”, “a friendly blue dog”) and we will create something original.
Photographs and privacy
Do I have to upload a photo?
No, and most people do not. Describing your child works just as well — and you can adjust the character afterwards either way.
What happens to a photo if I do upload one?
It is stored privately and used once, to draw a single original character. It is then deleted — usually within seconds, always within the hour. It is never public, never shared, and never used to train anything.
Is the character a copy of my child’s face?
No — it is an original illustration in the style you chose, carrying their hair, colouring and general look rather than reproducing a photograph. That is both the honest answer and the better book: a traced photograph in a picture book looks like a traced photograph.
How do you keep them looking the same on every page?
We draw one character first, before any page exists, and then every illustration in the book is generated from that drawing rather than from a description. It is the single hardest thing to get right in a book like this, and it is why we do it in that order.
Can I see what my child will look like first?
Yes — that is a step of its own. Before a single word of the story is written we draw your child and ask whether it looks like them, because every picture in the book is drawn from that one. Say yes and the story begins; ask for another drawing and we try again. If you get called away we carry on and finish the book anyway.
Who can see my books?
Only you, from your own account. Books are private, not listed anywhere and never shown to other customers. The one exception is one you make yourself: once you have bought a book you can create a share link for it, which lets anyone holding that link read it. Those pages are kept out of Google, and switching sharing off stops every link you have already sent.
Can I send the book to family?
Yes. Any book you have bought has a share button that creates a private link you can send by message or email — the whole book, no account needed at the other end, nothing to pay. It is the nicest way to show a grandparent, and you can switch the link off again whenever you like.
Buying and delivery
When do I pay?
After you have made the book and read the opening spreads. There is nothing to pay to create one.
What is the difference between the editions?
The digital book is the complete book to read on any screen, plus a print-quality PDF. The hardcover is a printed, sewn, case-bound book on thick matte paper. The premium edition adds a linen cover with a foil-stamped title, heavier paper, printed endpapers and a gift box. The two printed editions are coming soon; the digital book is available now.
When can I order a printed book?
Soon — we are finishing work with a printer. We would rather show you the exact paper and binding than take money for a date we cannot promise. The digital book is available now, and every book you make is saved, so a book you make today can be ordered as a hardcover the moment printing opens.
Can you send it straight to a grandparent?
When printed books open, yes — you will enter their address at checkout and the dedication you wrote goes with it.
What if something is wrong with the printed book?
Email us. If it arrives damaged, or the printing is wrong, we reprint it. Spotted a typo you would like fixed before it prints? Tell us within 24 hours of ordering and we will catch it.
How the books are made
Are the stories written by a person?
They are written by a computer, working to a brief we wrote and to the details you give us, and checked automatically before you see them. That is what makes a book about your child, this month, possible at this price. Every book is then yours to rewrite, and the editor exists precisely because you should not have to accept a line you do not like.
Are the illustrations original?
Yes. Each one is generated for your book from your character sheet and the scene it illustrates. No stock art, no clip art, and nothing reused between books.
Is it safe for children?
Safety is checked at four points: what you type is checked before anything is generated, the story is checked after it is written, illustration prompts are built by us rather than from your words, and every book keeps to what a picture book for a one to nine-year-old should contain.
Still deciding?
Making a book costs nothing, and you can read the opening pages before you pay.