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Garland Press

Advice for their 18th, from the people who know them.

A hardback of advice and stories for them to keep forever. You share one link; each person answers one question; we typeset and print it for the day.

£89including UK postage
18th & 21stor anywhere in between
Pay at the endwhen the writing is ready
Forest cloth · foil-stamped spine · printed jacket

Nobody faces a blank page.

Each person taps a topic, answers one specific question in their own words, and their entry becomes a chapter.

1They tap a topicFamily, friends, godparents and teachers open one link. No account, no password: name, email, in.

Hi Sam, you’ve been invited to write for

Theo

It’s a surprise, so please don’t mention it to Theo. Please write by 15 November.

What would you like to write for Theo? Pick the one you’d most like to write.

MoneyGetting it wrongWorkLooking after yourselfA story about Theo
2They answer one questionNot “write something nice”. A specific question they know the first sentence to, in their own words.

Hi Sam, writing for Theo

Money

What do you know about money now that you wish someone had told you at 18?

See other phrasings · Write as much or as little as you’d like.

Theo, when I got my first proper pay packet, I spent nearly all of it before the next one arrived. I couldn’t have told you where it went. Nothing grand: lunches, a jacket, a round I insisted on buying.
Add to the bookSave a draft
3You read every entrySee who has written, ask for a change, leave one out, put the chapters in order, add a foreword.

Theo’s book · organiser

12 of 16 have written

1Uncle Sam · MoneyThe money I didn’t miss · 640 words · 1 photoNew
2MumA story about Theo · 1,100 words · 2 photos
3GrandadGetting it wrong · 480 words · 1 photo
4Mr Ellis (chemistry)Work · 720 words
5PriyaFriendship · 90 words
6Auntie JoSomething to cook · 310 words · 1 photo

Drag to reorder · Ask for a change · Leave one out

4It becomes their chapterTypeset with a facing photo, in a cloth-bound hardback, printed and posted in time for the day.

Money

The money I didn’t miss

Uncle Sam

Theo, when I got my first proper pay packet, I spent nearly all of it before the next one arrived. I couldn’t have told you where it went. Nothing grand: lunches, a jacket, a round I insisted on buying.

Your gran told me to move a bit into another account on payday, before I had time to think of it as spending money. I started with ten pounds.

I still do it. The amount changes; the habit doesn’t. Set something aside before the month gets going, even if it’s only enough for a train ticket.

5

You bring the people. They bring the words.

One month is enough. Tell us when the book must arrive and we plan the writing deadline back from it.

Today

Set up their book

Their first name, which birthday, the delivery date and a title. Then pick the questions.

Week 1

Share one link

On WhatsApp, by text or by email. Or give someone a particular question by name.

Weeks 2–3

They write

One question each, in their own words, with an optional photo. No accounts needed.

Week 4

Read, arrange and order

Read every entry, put the chapters in order, add a foreword, then pay. We print and post it.

What do you know about money now that you wish someone had told you at 18?

The money I didn’t miss · Uncle Sam

Each chapter opens on its question, carries the writer’s name, and keeps their own words. An optional photo and caption face it.

The opening of the chapter The money I didn’t miss, by Uncle Sam, answering: What do you know about money now that you wish someone had told you at 18?

Their words, made into a book.

£89
including UK postage

Nothing to pay today. Invite your contributors and collect their writing. Order when you’ve read the entries and are happy with what will go to print.

Extra copies £79 each, printed and posted together.

  • A cloth-bound hardback with a printed dust jacket
  • Your title and a foil-stamped spine
  • Typeset chapters, with optional colour photos and captions
  • Questions for up to 30 contributors
  • An optional foreword from you
  • UK postage to the address you choose at checkout

Before you begin

When should I start?

Four to eight weeks before the birthday is a useful starting point. Enter the date the book needs to arrive and we’ll plan the collection deadline, leaving time for you to read the writing, order, and have it printed and posted. If time is tight, we show a warning. Delivery dates are estimates; we don’t offer express shipping.

What does each person write?

They tap the topic they’d most like to write about and answer one specific question. You can also give a named contributor a particular question. Most topics ask for advice they’ve actually learned or used; others ask for a story about the birthday person. They can write as much or as little as they’d like.

Do contributors need an account?

No. The group link asks for their name and email and takes them straight to writing. We email a personal link so they can return to their draft. People you invite individually also get a personal link. There’s no contributor password.

Can I read everything before it prints?

Yes. You read the entries, ask contributors for changes or leave an entry out, and arrange the chapters. You can add a foreword and choose the cover details. Once you pay and place the order, the book is locked. We check the print proof by hand before sending it to the printer.

All questions and answers →