This article was published on October 10, 2015

Lost My Name is a customizable children’s book for the internet age


Lost My Name is a customizable children’s book for the internet age

With the trend in personalization continuing to grow in apps and gadgets, it’s refreshing to see one company apply the same tech principles to something even more impactful: children’s books.

Lost My Name is a publishing startup that specializes in personalized books. And it’s not just slapping your recipient’s name on the cover and calling it a day: some of the book’s content changes depending on your name and location.

Currently, the Google Ventures-backed company offers two books that it prints on demand in factories around the world. The first, “The Little Boy/Girl Who Lost His/Her Name,” allows you to enter the name and gender of the child and the book’s storyline changes according to the alphabet order in the name.

lost my name book
You can customize the book as well, in case your child doesn’t like narwhals, for example.

The website lets you generate a preview of the book in seconds so you know exactly what you’re getting. CEO Asi Sharabi says the team even studied lists of the most common names around the world to learn the most recurring letters and how often they appear.

Its latest book, “The Incredible Galactic Journey Home,” follows a similar concept. Instead of focusing on the child’s name, this time the book hones in on the hometown. Input the address and Lost My Name will add the satellite image of the neighborhood in the storyline.

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The art depicting local landmarks also adapts depending on the city of the address, such as New York or London. Even the small details, such as the national flag on the spaceship the character rides in, is customized.

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Lost My Name’s newest book launched just bit over a week ago, and currently supports addresses in the United Kingdom and United States. Sharabi says with global production factories already in place, his goal is to continue expanding the art and storyline to give kids around the world a “magical” experience of reading a book that’s completely tailored to their life.

You can get your own Lost My Name book for $29.99 – standard shipment is free and Sharabi says you can expect to receive the book in just 72 hours after the order.

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