A Personalized Gift Book: How to Choose, Plus 12 Questions Answered

Anyone looking for a personalized gift book quickly discovers that very different products hide under the same name. There is a service where someone writes down memories over a year, there is an illustrator who draws a book to order, there is a photo album you design yourself, and there is a book written and illustrated from your answers. All of them are called a "personal book," but they do not answer the same need. In this article we explain how to choose between them, and then answer the questions people ask most before they order.

Four kinds of personal book

1. A memory book by subscription

The recipient answers one question each week for many months, and at the end their answers are collected into a book. This suits someone who wants to document a full life story and has the patience and the desire to write it themselves. The downside: the book only arrives at the end of the process, and it depends on the recipient actually writing.

2. A hand-illustrated book

An illustrator receives photos and details, sends a sketch for approval, and draws a whole book. The result is unique, but it takes weeks, the price is higher, and in some places you pay up front, before you see the result.

3. A photo album

You upload photos, pick a template, and usually arrange the pages yourself. It suits someone with lots of good photos and the time to design. The story stays in the photos, because nobody writes it. We wrote about the difference between an album and a personal book here.

4. A book written and illustrated from your answers

This is what we do at Magical Book. You answer seven short questions about the person, upload one clear photo of each person in the book, and the story is written within about a minute. You read and edit every page, and only then do we illustrate the cover and two pages for free. If you love it, order the full book. If not, you have not paid anything.

How to choose, in three questions

  • How much time do you have before the occasion? If three or four weeks are left, a subscription book or a hand-illustrated book probably will not arrive in time. A book written from your answers is ready to read the same evening, and arrives printed in about 12 days in the US.
  • Who writes it? If the recipient loves to write, a subscription memory book can be wonderful. If you want to surprise them, you need a book you can make without their knowing.
  • When do you want to pay? Some services charge up front. With us, you see the full text and an illustrated sample before you pay.

12 questions and answers about a personalized gift book

  1. How much does a personalized gift book cost? A hardcover personal book includes the writing, the illustrations, and the dedication. Shipping is extra. The first two people in the book are included, and the third and fourth carry a small extra charge. The price for your country is shown before you pay, and you can check it on the create page.
  1. What exactly do you get? A printed hardcover, 21 pages: a cover, ten text pages, and ten illustrations, with a personal dedication on the opening page. Torn between digital and printed? Here is the comparison.
  1. How long does it take? The answers take a few minutes and the story is written within about a minute. After you approve, the book is sent to print, and in the US delivery takes about 12 days.
  1. How far ahead of the occasion should I start? At least three weeks, and four is better, so the book arrives on time.
  1. Can I see it before I pay? Yes. You read the whole story, and we illustrate the cover and two pages for free. You order the full book only if you love it.
  1. What if the text does not sound like me? You can edit any page yourself, ask us to rewrite it, or leave a note and we write it accordingly. What gets printed is what you approved.
  1. Who writes the story? The story is written by artificial intelligence from your answers. You provide the memories, the details, and the sentence for the last page, and you approve every page.
  1. Can I make the book as a surprise? Yes. All you need is one clear photo of the person and three memories. The order messages go to you, and you can ship the package straight to their address.
  1. How many people can be in the book? Up to four, and each one appears in the illustrations based on the photo you uploaded.
  1. In which languages? Hebrew, English, German, Spanish, and Arabic. Each book is written in one language.
  1. What if I want real photos instead of illustrations? There is a ten-page version with your photos, with a photo and text for each page, and you see the whole book before you pay. Shipping is shown separately. You can start it here.
  1. And for kids? For a child we have children's books in which they are the hero of an illustrated story, with the same principle: one photo, a free sample, and only then payment.

The bottom line

A good personalized gift book is one the recipient opens and finds themselves in: the sentence they always say, that one trip, the people they love. If you have three memories and one photo, you have enough to begin. Start a personal book here, and see the free sample before you decide.