Penwynn · Questions

Questions

Everything people ask before they start. If yours is not here, write to hello@penwynn.com and a person will answer.

What is Penwynn?

Penwynn makes personalised hardcover picture books. You describe the people the book is about, and the story and every illustration are generated for them — not a name inserted into a fixed template.

How much does a personalised book cost?

A 36-page hardcover is $49 and a 48-page hardcover is $59, in US dollars. Extra copies of the same book cost less: $29 and $34. Postage is included in the price; sales tax is added at checkout where it applies.

Do I pay before seeing the book?

No. Making a book is free. You read the whole story and see every illustrated page before you decide whether to have it printed, and nothing is charged until you do.

Do you use AI to make the books?

Yes. Penwynn writes the story and draws the illustrations with AI, and we would rather say so plainly than have you wonder. What makes that work is that you check it: you approve the characters, then read the whole story before anything is drawn, then see every illustrated page — and you can have any page redrawn by saying what to change. Every illustration is also checked automatically before you see it, for whether the right people are in it, drawn the way they were on the last page, with no stray lettering. Nothing is printed or charged until you have seen the finished book.

Do I need to upload a photo of my child?

No, and Penwynn never asks for one. There is no photo upload anywhere in the service. Characters are drawn from what you write — curly hair, glasses, a hearing aid, a wheelchair — so no photograph of your child is collected, stored, or used to train anything, and no real person's face is ever reproduced. The characters in the book are drawings, invented for that book.

What languages can the book be written in?

Penwynn writes books in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, French, Hindi and Arabic. You choose the language when you make the book and the whole story is written in it, not just the name — so a grandparent can read it aloud in the language they think in. Each book is printed in one language.

Can the book be about an adult?

Yes. A book can be about anyone — a child, a parent, a grandparent, or a whole family. Up to five characters can appear, and all of them recur throughout the book.

Can I have a book with Elsa, Spider-Man or Bluey in it?

No — those characters belong to the companies that made them, and we have no licence to print them. A book can star anyone who is yours to put in one: your own family, characters you invent yourself, or characters out of copyright, such as Alice, Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes, the Snow Queen or Peter Rabbit. If you describe the character you want — what they look like and what they can do — we will draw them as their own person.

How long does it take to make a book?

About twenty minutes of your time. The conversation and character drawings take a few minutes each, and illustrating the whole book takes roughly ten minutes. Printing and delivery take longer and depend on where you are.

Where are the books printed and shipped?

Books are printed and shipped within Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Each order is produced in the customer's own country, so no book crosses a border.

What size and format is the book?

A sewn hardcover, either 8 × 8 inches square or 8 × 11 inches portrait, with 36 or 48 interior pages. Facing pages share a single illustration, so the pictures run across the whole opening.

What happens if the book arrives damaged or misprinted?

Penwynn reprints it free of charge. Report the problem within 30 days of delivery with a photograph; the damaged copy does not need to be returned. A replacement is the remedy offered rather than a refund, and it does not affect rights a customer has by law.

Why read to a young child?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends shared reading beginning at birth and continuing at least through kindergarten, because it supports children's language, cognitive and social-emotional development and the relationships around them. Researchers at The Ohio State University estimate that a child read one book a day hears about 290,000 more words by age five than a child who is never read to.

Does reading still matter now that children can ask an AI anything?

Penwynn thinks it matters more. An AI can summarise a story in a sentence, but reading one asks a child to follow a thread, picture what is not shown and wait for an ending — the part a summary skips. Reading for pleasure is also falling: in 2025 only 32.7% of UK 8- to 18-year-olds told the National Literacy Trust they enjoyed reading in their free time, the lowest level in twenty years.

Can I change something I do not like?

Yes, at every stage. A character can be redrawn from a plain-language request such as 'shorter hair'. The story can be rewritten. Any single page can be redrawn on its own without redoing the rest of the book.