Gifts · Grandparents
Grandparents' stories, in a real book.
Every family has them. The one about the boat over, the one about the farm, the one that gets told at every Christmas and has never been written down. This turns them into a printed picture book the grandchildren will actually sit still for.
Three ways families do this
Most people arrive having thought of one of these and not the others.
You want your kids to know their grandparent's stories
Sit down with Grandad and get the story out of him properly, then write it up while he is still the one telling it. The book is for your children, and the gift lands on everyone at once.
The one people mean to do for years and never quite start.
You are buying a gift for a grandparent
A book about their own life, put together by the family, or a book about the grandchildren for them to read at visits. Both work, and both beat another scarf.
Milestone birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, retirement.
You are the grandparent
Write it for your grandchildren yourself, in your own words. Some people write one story. Some write a different book for each grandchild, which we think is a very good habit.
No deadline, and nothing to pay until it is finished.
You do not have to be a writer
Almost nobody who makes one of these books is a writer, and the tool is built on that assumption. You can paste in something already written, bring a rough draft for us to tidy, or just tell us the story as you would say it out loud and we will write a first draft from it for you to change.
That first draft is usually what gets people going. Saying what is wrong with a page is much easier than filling an empty one, and the more you tell us at the start, the more of the book is genuinely yours.
The story is then illustrated, and you see every page and change the ones that are not right before anything is printed.
The practical bits
- Can the grandchildren be in it?
- Yes, up to four characters in a book. You describe them, and you can upload a photo if you want the drawings closer to life. Photos are optional and are deleted once the book is finished.
- What does it cost?
- Writing is free. Finishing the book costs US$37.99 for the softcover or US$44.99 for the hardcover, plus shipping.
- Most people choose the hardcover for a grandparent, because it is the one that survives being taken off the shelf for years.
- How long does it take?
- The writing takes as long as you want it to. After you approve the finished book, allow about 10 working days for printing and delivery. That is guidance rather than a promise, since we do not control the printer or the courier.
- If you are aiming at Christmas, there is a print deadline on the Christmas gifts page.
- What if they live overseas?
- We ship to New Zealand, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland for a flat rate. The digital edition arrives by email, so it can be read on the day the book is finished while the printed copy is still travelling.
Start while the stories are still being told
The writing is free and there is no deadline on it. A birthday or a Christmas only sets when you need the printed copy in your hands, not when you have to begin.