There is no set time for a book. The waiting screen never shows a timer or a percentage, and the book goes on being made on our side whether or not the screen stays open, so your child can close it and read something else. When the book is finished, it appears on their shelf and we email you. If your child is still on the waiting screen, the book opens by itself.
What your child sees while they wait
- Pip says in a few words what is happening. Your child may also be given an opening page to read straight away, with their name in it and the hero they chose beside it, and the line "You can read this page while the rest is written."
- The "Back to your books" button takes them to their shelf while they wait.
- If the book has not arrived after a few minutes, the screen stops checking and says "This one is taking a while. It will turn up in your books when it is done." The book is usually still being made; the last section below says when to write to us.
- If one of us needs to read the story first, the screen says "Someone is having a quick look at this one."
- If the book could not be made, the screen says "Let’s try a different idea for this one." and "Nothing was used up."
If your child is refused before the waiting screen appears, for example because other books are already being made, see When the book maker says not now.
What you see on your pages
Every book has a label beside it on your child's Books tab (Readers, then your child, then "Books") and in Activity.
| Label | What it means | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| "Being made" | We are still writing the story or drawing the pictures. | It changes to "Ready", and we email you. |
| "Being checked" | Part of the story came close enough to a line that one of us is reading it before it goes any further. | We email you when it is held. It stays paid for while it waits. |
| "Did not finish" | Something went wrong at our end, and we stopped. | The book it used is given back to your account, and we email you. |
| "Not made" | Our checks stopped the story before your child saw it. | You can press "Ask us to look again" beside it. See When a book cannot be made. |
The emails we send about a book
These are about your children's books, so they are always sent and cannot be switched off.
- When a book is finished, the subject is the book's title followed by "is ready".
- When one of us is reading a book first, the subject is the title followed by "is being checked". That email says this usually takes a few hours.
- When we stop a book, the subject is "We could not finish" followed by the title. If the book was given back, the email says so.
If none of these arrive, see Emails are not arriving.
What happens to a book that stops
A book is paid for from your books when it starts, so the number of books you have left on Plan and books goes down straight away. You do not pay for a book that fails:
- If a step of making the book fails, we try that step again. If it still cannot be finished, we stop the book, mark it "Did not finish", give back the book it used, and email you.
- While the waiting screen is open, we also check that the book is still moving, and start again any step that has stalled.
- When our automatic checks stop a story, the book it used is given back too, and the label reads "Not made".
- A book that one of us read and did not let through also reads "Not made". It is given back in the same way, and the same email reaches you.
When a book is given back, the number of books you have left goes back up. If it was paid for with books you bought, the history on Plan and books also shows "Book refunded".
When to write to us
- A book has said "Being made" for more than half an hour.
- A book says "Did not finish" or "Not made", but the number of books you have left did not go back up.
- A book has said "Being checked" for much longer than a few hours.
- Books keep stopping for the same child.
Tell us the book's title and roughly when it was started, and we will look into it. You do not need to give us your child's name. Signed in, use Help in your dashboard. Otherwise, write to support@taletykes.com. How a book is made explains the steps a book goes through.