Personalised books: your guide to quality and magic.

I’m afraid not all personalised books are created equal. 

Before you launch into making any personalised book, read this short guide to make sure you get the best gift for that person and you don’t waste precious time or money. 

This guide reveals the 3 ingredients in all great personalised books and links to personalised books by both the recipient or the occasion.

Today, there are hundreds of personalised books to choose from. Just plug ‘personalised book’ into google and you’ll get 466 million responses. So why start here? The Book of Everyone has been obsessed with personalised books for the last 8 years selling over 650,000 across the world and I personally have spent most of my waking hours in those 8 years obsessing over how ours are the best in the world. This is a never-ending journey that drives my wife crazy.

Here are 3 ingredients to check for:

making it personal personalised books

1. Making it personal

Behind all the fancy technology, a personalised book needs to put both the creator and recipient in the book to make the recipient feel the emotion.  If your relationship can come through on the pages then the book will mean so much more. This is not just about names, it’s about drawing out the memories between you. At The Book of Everyone, we have two edit modes – simple and advanced depending on how much you want to dial up the personalisation. 

it's all about the magic personalised books

2. It’s all about the magic

A personalised book should also be a magical experience where the reader is left wondering ‘how did they do that?’ The magic is a combination of creativity and technology and will transform a personalised book from one that gathers dust after being read, to one that is cherished and re-read time and time again. We’ve had a few books that were so loved that they were buried and taken to the next world. 

The magic happens when the story, personalisation process and design of the book come harmoniously together. This is not easy and only a few personalised book companies have mastered it.

quality books personalised book

3. Quality, quality, quality

Quality should run through everything:  from the online experience of creating your book to the finished product.  A good paper stock (165g+, we love Mohawk) and cover finishes such as soft-touch laminates make them feel special. Look for high-quality extras such as bespoke gift wraps and personalised greeting cards.  Above all else, look at the customer reviews to check the quality of both book and service. TrustPilot is a good place to start. If there are 1000+ reviews over 4 stars then you know you’re in good hands. 

Here are our top personalised books by recipient and occasion for 2021. 

Personalised books by recipient 

Best personalised books for a child

You can very easily get lost in the multitude of ‘storybook’ style personalised books for children. Your child finding their name, embarking on Disney-esque adventures or a ‘Where’s Wally?’ personalised search and find books are but a few. At the end of the article, we’ll add some links. 

We took a different approach. 

Wise(ish) Words for Kids (ages 6-16)

wiseish words for kids personalised books

This is an alternative to all the storybook-type personalised books out there. 

As a parent (grandparent or godparent) you often find your hard-earned wisdom and advice goes in one ear and out the other with kids. We created a book to help out. It delivers humorous and heartfelt advice in a way that is designed to sink in.

Each page has a choice of fun wise(ish) wisdom that you personalise if you like. You’ll be amazed how much your child will retain. There’s a choice of 3 different illustration styles to suit the taste of every child and you can add a handful of photos to finish it off. 

Our intention with Wise(ish) Words is to help you grow the self-confidence of the child and help them find their place in the world.  This is really important when we think about the social media-driven world our children live in.

Best personalised books for adults

It is hard to find really good personalised books for adults. You certainly don’t have the choice found in children’s books. You often find that companies focused on children’s books create books for adults that feel like their children’s books. This is fine when you’re giving the book to an adult from a child, but not from an adult. 

Many other adult personalised books are just a bit too, how shall I put this, cheesy. Getting the balance of sentimentality, storytelling and great design is important.

The words ‘cherished’ and ‘meaningful’ are thrown around a lot in personalised books.  The proof is when customers choose to propose to their partners in the book or use it as the main gift for milestone birthdays such as a 21st or a 40th.

To pack in more meaning to our books, they all come with optional augmented reality video celebrations. This means you can leave video messages from friends and family in the book that come to life when viewed through a phone camera. This is a truly magical experience and takes the idea of a keepsake to another level.

Personalised books for Mum:  mom, mummy, the big heart of the family!

Every mum loves flowers and candles and spa treatments (except my Aunt Beryl who likes Eccles cakes and playing Rummy), but these gifts never last very long. A personalised book is a token of gratitude that should last a lifetime as it’s a constant reminder of how much you care.

The Book of Mum goes beyond the usual personalised dedication and name. There are opportunities to add photos and the customisable pages really help you show your appreciation and make mum feel special. The humour and style are never dumbed down and can choose from paperback, hardback and deluxe finishes. 

the book of mum personalised books

Personalised books for daddy, dad,  pops, the big man himself!

Why do dads so often end up with typical dad gifts such as socks or ties or that funny beer opener? Because they’re always appreciative. But, when you go that extra mile and create a personalised book all about them, they don’t just appreciate it, they fall in love with it.  If you read our customer reviews there are stories of dads showing off their books to the office for an entire week. Or happy tears rolling down the faces of grown men. 

The Book of Dad is Packed with personalised facts that will make him chuckle and unique ways to celebrate him;  such as his very own symbol made from his family name and moon phase he was born under. Or naming an ant in his honour at our digital ant farm. Crazy but true, check out The Colony. Every book is full of nostalgia with some pages dedicated to the world dad was born into, such as his own personalised newspaper front page or car page (with personalised number plates, of course).

In summary, The Book of Dad is a great big ‘thanks dad’ brought to life in many wonderful and creative ways.

book of dad personalised books

Personalised books for grandparents: grandpa, grandma, gramps, nan, the wise, the slightly wobbly and the wonderful!

Our advice is to give grandparents a trip down memory lane. There’s nothing like a cover-to-cover nostalgia to warm granddad’s heart and get them started on ‘son, those were the good old days’. Indeed, they were. 

The Book of Everyone is our original book with lots of opportunities to add your memories and photos and is blessed with hundreds of five-star reviews. However, if it’s a big important milestone birthday for grandad or grandma (60th, 70th, 80th, 90th or 100th!), get the Milestone Edition for a bespoke cover to celebrate all those years of life.

the book of everyone personalised books

Personalised books for your partner:  boyfriend, gift friend, husband, wife, lover, wherever the love flows!

In any relationship, especially the longer ones,  a little effort goes a long way to making that person feel unique and loved. The key to a good romantic personalised book is the ability to dial up and down the sentimentality (slush factor) but always with great design.   Too many romantic personalised books have no way to reduce the cheese!

The Book of Romance allows you to turn up or down the romantic schmalz to the level you desire. However, it does come with a warning:  there’s a personalised pledge page that has resulted in over 10 marriage proposals.  And those are just the ones we know about. 

the book of romance personalised book

Personalised books for friends: from bestie or BFF to that great friend you know will be there when you need them.

Great friends don’t just know your stories, they’re in them. There are very few personalised books for friends, so we created two to give you a choice!

The Book of Everyone is our top seller and one of the best-reviewed personalised books in the world and we encourage you to check it out for a friend or mate’s birthday. 

Just for your besties, we also have Wise(ish) Words for BFFs. This is full of fab quotes about friendships that you can personalise and opportunities to add photos and all those inside jokes. At The Book of Everyone, we all know that true friendship is built on inappropriateness and shenanigans! This book allows you to pack it in!   As every page is customisable it’s also a great group gift for bridal showers or even hen parties where each friend gets a page each. Just share the URL of the book and pass it around, it will automatically update to the creators’ account.

wiseish words for bff personalised books

Personalised books for new parents: for those new mums, dads and additions to the family!  

There are lots of personalised books for babies, but very few for the parents. And in our opinion, it’s the parent who needs it most!

There’s no rule book for parenting, everyone finds their own unique way. But a few wise(ish) words might let them know that it’s totally normal to be changing the fifth nappy that day and idly dreaming about getting a full night’s sleep the same way they used to dream of winning the lottery. More than anything (except sleep), new parents need a smile at the end of the day and to know they’re not alone.

Wise(ish) Words for New Parents is heartfelt and humorous in advice and illustrations. You can personalise each nugget of wisdom, such as:  “ If you put Leo to bed early, Leo will wake up early. If you put your Leo to bed late, Leo will wake up early.” You can also add a handful of photos and a dedication.

These are our pick of the best-personalised books for your nearest, dearest (and bestest), you’ll find more in our shop.

wiseish words for new parents personalised books

Personalised Book by occasion

Nowadays there’s a personalised book for every occasion, from Graduation Day to Father’s Day. The best ones are the ones that are really tailored to that occasion. We like to really dig into everything that makes that day special and discover new ways for you to personalise them. This makes your gift unique and ensures the recipient is bowled over by a big serving of personalised happiness.  

Personalised book for birthdays

At The Book of Everyone, we try to stay humble. We’re a small team of designers, writers and above all else, personalised book-lovers. We prefer to let our customer reviews do the talking. 

If you’re after a personalised book for a birthday, big or small,  take our customers’ words for it, the Birthday Book and Milestone Edition will make someone feel very special for a long time. 

the book of everyone milestone edition personalised books

Each book really celebrates the individual, with pages dedicated to the world they were born into and many other wonderful ways to make them feel just splendid!  From the creation of a unique symbol just for them to discovering their human number or just how brilliant they really are.  

If it’s your mum or dad’s birthday, we would still recommend The Book of Mum or Book of Dad. If it’s your partner’s birthday and you want something to dial up the romance, then choose The Romantic Edition.  These books are even more personalised to those relationships. 

Personalised book for Mother’s Day

A personalised book for Mother’s Day makes a refreshing change to flowers and scented candles. Not that there’s anything wrong with flowers and scented candles – it’s just when they’ve gone, they’ve gone. A personalised book is on the coffee table waiting to be picked up and re-read. 

It will take a little more effort to make but it’s your mum and she deserves it – as my wife reminds me about my children (most days) she carried them for nine months.

The Book of Mum was created for Mother’s Day as a joyous and lasting way to say ‘thanks mum’. There are lots of opportunities to add photos and tailor it to your mum and your unique relationship with her. From the ‘scientifically proven best mum in the world’ page to the ‘Remember when we…’ page, you can really make her feel unique and loved.  What more does she want from Mother’s Day? The only problem we foresee is after giving her The Book of Mum, what on earth do you do next year? Well…fear not… we do have a free video celebration that she’ll love. Or a lovely personalised map of her favourite place in the world.

Personalised book for Father’s Day

Dads, eh, what a unique breed of human beings they are! They come in all shapes and (over) sizes,  from loveable grumps to just plain loveable. 

For some unknown reason, they often get overlooked on Father’s Day. By overlooked, I mean they end up with a tie or socks. Surely the man who fought your corner all his life and loves you more than anyone on earth (but occasionally struggles to tell you), deserves more? So, give him the best gift possible for Father’s Day this year. 

 The Book of Dad The reason this personalised book has been so successful is because we often don’t tell dad how we really feel – I’m not talking about ‘you’re the best dad in the world’ on a t-shirt.  I’m talking about telling him ‘why’ he’s the best dad in the world. The personalisation pages in this book cleverly coax out your memories, loving thoughts and photos. Without realising it, you’ve said what you’ve always wanted to say but somehow didn’t find the words. The effect is unbelievable. Dad will love this book almost as much as you. But don’t take our word for it. Just try it. And if it’s out of your price range, email our customer service and plead your case, I’m sure they’ll find a way. 

Personalised book for Valentines Day

Valentine’s Day is a tough one as it creeps up on you in the year. You’ve just finished Christmas and all of a sudden it’s just around the corner. Every year you want to do something original yet time is against you and resort to the flowers or meal out  – both are lovely but neither tends to leave a lasting impression of how you really feel about the wonderful person you share your life with. So. Try The Book of Romance, it sounds slushier than it actually is. It’s a beautifully designed personalised book for your partner by the one and only you. It’s packed with fun ways to say how you feel.  You can add a photo or two and generally make your partner a bit jelly-kneed and teary. We guarantee this will last beyond the petals of a bunch of roses.

Personalised book for Christmas

Christmas shopping, you either love it or hate it. Either way, a bit of shopping strategy makes all the difference. Get in there earlier with a few of the big gifts for your nearest and dearest. My Aunt Beryl starts in July. That’s extreme, but take the pressure off yourself. This will leave December for the stocking fillers.  We have a range of personalised books for Christmas for all members of the family so tick off those big gifts early! Take a look at our Christmas category in our shop and get started today.  If you need multiple books but are on a tight budget, get in touch with our customer service and I’m sure we can make it happen. 

If you’ve arrived here and haven’t found the right book then we’d love to know why, as we are The Book of Everyone! 

Perhaps our flavour is not quite to your taste, in which case we do recommend some other flavours:  Librio for gorgeous children’s books and Story Terrace for a full-on personalised biography.  

3 Comments

    • Jonny Biggins Reply

      Hi John! The Book of Dad starts at £26. You can personalise it with photos, messages and brilliant facts he will love!

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