Publishing expert Gemma Shelley has launched Little Book Factory, a unique service that transforms children's original stories into professionally designed hardback books. We spoke to her about filling a gap in the market and why every child deserves to see their story in print.

Q: What exactly is Little Book Factory?

A: Little Book Factory is the first service of its kind that takes children's original stories and artwork and turns them into professional hardback books. We're not talking about personalised books where you just insert a child's name into an existing story – we're actually publishing their own creative work in a format that can sit proudly on the shelf alongside books like Dog Man and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Q: How did the idea come about?

A: It started with my own daughter, who's primary school age. One evening she asked if we could "make a book" from a story she'd written. I thought it would be easy to find a service that could do this professionally, but after searching everywhere, I discovered nothing like this existed. That's when I realised there was a genuine gap in the market that needed filling.

Q: What's your background – why were you the right person to tackle this?

A: I have over two decades of marketing experience in publishing, having worked with global giants like Penguin Random House and Hachette. I understand both the publishing industry and what makes a quality book. This experience has been invaluable in creating a service that produces genuinely professional results.

Q: How does the process work for families?

A: It's beautifully simple. Families visit our website at www.littlebookfactory.co.uk and select a template cover design. They then upload their child's story and artwork, and our design team works with them to create the final book. Once everything is approved, we professionally print and bind it as a hardback book. The whole process is collaborative and fun for the families involved.

Q: What makes this different from other personalised book services?

A: The key difference is that we're publishing the child's own original work and we can capture their handwriting and illustrations. Every child is a natural storyteller, and we're giving their creativity the professional treatment it deserves. There really is nothing quite like this in the market – we're the only ones offering this level of genuine personalisation in a professional hardback format.

Q: Why focus specifically on children's creativity?

A: Children have incredible imaginations and natural storytelling abilities. Too often, their creative work ends up forgotten in a drawer or lost on a device. By turning their stories into real books, we're validating their creativity and giving them something tangible to treasure forever. Plus, the kids find the whole process extremely fun, and importantly, it gets them off screens and engaged with storytelling.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

A: I’m passionate about nurturing the next generation of storytellers, so I’ve also just published a Create Your Own Comic book to help kids get started and I’m running a pilot ‘Budding Authors Creative Writing Course’ in schools from this term. It's all about inspiring and supporting young creativity in as many ways as possible.

Q: What has the response been like so far?

A: The response has been incredible. Parents love the idea of preserving their children's creativity in such a meaningful way, and the children are absolutely thrilled to see their stories transformed into real books. It's exactly the kind of service families have been looking for without realising it existed. 

Q: Any advice for parents wanting to encourage their children's storytelling?

A: Just listen and take their stories seriously. Children's imagination is boundless when we give them the space and encouragement to express it. Whether it's a simple drawing with a few words or an elaborate adventure story, every piece of creativity deserves to be celebrated. And now, thanks to Little Book Factory, it can be preserved forever in a format that truly honours their effort.

Little Book Factory is now accepting orders at www.littlebookfactory.co.uk

For more information, contact Gemma Shelley at Gemma.Shelley@littlebookfactory.co.uk