In the personalized children's book, the child becomes the star of the story. He is the main character, and names and locations supplied by the person who ordered the book are inserted at strategic moments throughout the story to immerse him more fully in the tale. The book becomes unique to the child, and it is a keepsake.
You can choose from any genre of children's story for personalization. Many publishers offer nursery rhymes, classic tales and folk legends that the child already knows, but others write science fiction, fantasy and mystery stories. Some companies, such as Disney, even position the child's name and information within well-known, copyrighted stories with familiar artwork.
Personalized children's books feature a story and artwork the buyer chooses. When ordering, the buyer also provides details about the child, such as her name, the names of her parents and siblings, her hometown and maybe the name of another special friend or relative. Often, the name of the person ordering the book is featured prominently in the story as a marker for keepsake purposes. Some formats also allow for the insertion of the child's picture, usually on the front cover or title page.
There are many publishers in the children's book personalization market. This industry is generally considered a gift industry, though, and it is therefore less populated with traditional book publishers. Most companies that print personalized children's books specialize in personalized merchandise. However, Disney and Random House are among the bigger, traditional publishers that take part in book personalization.
With many of the smaller printers of personalized children's books, there is no formal editing process in place as there is at traditional publishing companies. These companies tend to have more instances of improper grammar, spelling and punctuation in their texts. Consumers can get a feel for the quality of the books by taking a hard look at these companies' websites and any sample text they make available before ordering a personalized book.