What should the story be about?

One stretch of their life, not all of it. The year they moved abroad, the restaurant they ran, the long courtship told the way they tell it at dinner. A book that tries to cover a whole life reads like a list; a book about one chapter reads like a story.

Which styles suit an adult book?

Cinematic concept art, vintage engraving and Japanese woodblock read as grown-up without trying. Pop art works for someone with a sense of humour about themselves. All twenty-four styles are open; the ones built for picture books are only one corner of them.

Up to six characters: the person it is for, plus a partner, children, friends or a dog. A larger cast is quoted separately, so ask before you order if the story needs more people.

Fableself

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Create your book

Gift guide · For adults

A Storybook for Grown-Ups, Starring Them

Most personalized books are made for children, with a name dropped into a picture book about bedtime. This one is written for an adult: a partner of twenty years, a dad who retired last spring, the friend who drove six hours when it mattered. The story is built from their life, not from a template.

An illustrated page from a Fableself book, For adults

Adults are harder to buy for and easier to move. They already own the things; what they rarely get is their own story told back to them, with the details nobody else would know. You send photos and a few true moments, we write an original story around them and illustrate every spread in the style you choose.

The tone is yours to set. A personalized book for adults can be funny, quietly sentimental or told as an adventure in which a very ordinary person turns out to be the hero. You read the whole digital proof before anything is printed, so nothing you have not approved goes to print.

Before you order

What should the story be about?: One stretch of their life, not all of it. The year they moved abroad, the restaurant they ran, the long courtship told the way they tell it at dinner. A book that tries to cover a whole life reads like a list; a book about one chapter reads like a story.
Which styles suit an adult book?: Cinematic concept art, vintage engraving and Japanese woodblock read as grown-up without trying. Pop art works for someone with a sense of humour about themselves. All twenty-four styles are open; the ones built for picture books are only one corner of them.
Who can be in it?: Up to six characters: the person it is for, plus a partner, children, friends or a dog. A larger cast is quoted separately, so ask before you order if the story needs more people.

Styles that suit the occasion

Four illustration worlds we reach for most often. There are twenty-four in total.

Cinematic

Epic light and painterly drama, your story told like a film's concept art.

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Vintage Engraving

Fine etched lines and sepia tones, like a treasured book from another century.

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Japanese Woodblock

Flat planes of colour and bold outlines in the serene ukiyo-e tradition.

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Pop Art

Ben-Day dots, vivid flat colour and graphic 60s gallery punch.

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See all 24 styles

How it works

Send a few photos and the moment you want remembered. We write an original story, illustrate every page in your chosen style, and send you a digital proof. Once you approve it, we print and ship the hardcover.

The whole process, step by step

From the journal

Start their book

Most books are proofed within days. Tell us the moment; we do the rest.

Begin the story

Hardcover, $137.50, shipping included. You approve a digital proof before printing.