Childrens Book Creator

Childrens Book Creator

Overview

Create original, age-appropriate children's book manuscripts with a clear structure (brief → outline → page plan → draft → revision) and optional illustration guidance (art direction + per-spread prompts).

Quick Start (5 questions)

Ask these first, then proceed through the workflow:

• Target reader age range (e.g., 2–4, 4–6, 6–8, 8–12)
• Format (picture book / early reader / chapter book / middle grade)
• Target length (words + page count if relevant)
• Tone + theme (funny, cozy, adventurous; what feeling should remain?)
• Illustrations? (yes/no; style references and constraints)

If the user has no preferences, default to: picture book, ages 3–7, 32 pages, 300–600 words, humorous or warm tone.

Non-Negotiables

• Write an original story; do not imitate or reuse copyrighted characters, worlds, or distinctive proprietary styles.
• Keep language age-appropriate; avoid graphic harm and adult themes.
• Prefer “show” over moralizing; keep lessons implicit unless requested.

Illustrated Book Defaults (when user wants writing + art)

• Use the full pipeline in order: brief -> bible -> outline -> page plan -> manuscript -> art prompts -> image generation -> QA -> final package.
• Keep one source of truth for continuity (character lock + palette + props) and reuse it everywhere.
• Use deterministic file naming for page art: <slug>-page-00-cover.png, <slug>-page-01.png, etc.
• Keep image prompts per page explicit; do not rely on shorthand like "same character lock" between JSONL lines.

Consistency-First Illustration Workflow (recommended)

• Approve 1-2 canonical character reference images before bulk rendering.
• Start with generation for composition, then switch to targeted edits for failed pages.
• Prefer editing (images.edit) over full rerenders when identity/style drift appears.
• Use input_fidelity=high for strict character-preservation edits.
• Use masks for localized fixes (face/hands/prop) instead of replacing the whole page.
• QA in small batches (2-3 pages), not only at the end of all pages.
• Regenerate only flagged pages; avoid touching already-approved pages.

Escalation rule:

• If 2+ pages in a batch show cast/species/style drift, stop full-page generation and move to edit-first repair with reference images.

Workflow

0) Scaffold a book project (optional, recommended)

Run the scaffold script to create a structured workspace (brief, outline, manuscript, page plan, art prompts):

• python3 scripts/new_book_project.py --title "My Book Title" --format picture-book --age "3-7" --page-count 32 --out books

This creates books/<slug>/ with starter files you can fill in during the steps below.

1) Write the brief (1 page)

Produce book_brief.md with:

• One-sentence premise (character + want + obstacle)
• Audience + format + target word count
• Promise of the book (what the reader gets: laughs, comfort, wonder)
• Character list (1–3 leads) and what each wants
• Setting + constraints (time/place, taboo topics, vocabulary constraints)

If unsure about format/length norms, consult references/formats.md.

2) Build the book bible (consistency)

Produce characters.md and (if illustrated) art_direction.md:

• Voice: narration POV, tense, read-aloud rhythm notes
• Characters: name, look, quirks, fears, catchphrases (if any), growth arc
• Continuity rules: colors, props, recurring visual gags, scale notes

If illustrated, consult references/illustration-brief.md.

3) Outline the story (beats)

Create outline.md in a beat format appropriate to the chosen format:

• Picture book: setup → problem → attempts → escalation → twist → resolution → cozy landing
• Early reader/chapter: chapter beats and mini-cliffhangers

Make stakes child-sized but emotionally real.

4) Create a page plan / spread plan

For picture books, create page_plan.md as 12–14 spreads (each spread = 2 pages) with:

• Spread goal (what changes)
• Text (1–4 short lines) + optional refrain
• Illustration note (what must be visible to carry meaning/joke)

If you need a 32-page map, consult references/page-plans.md.

5) Draft the manuscript

Write manuscript.md aligned to the page plan.

Rules of thumb:

• Prefer short sentences and concrete verbs.
• Read aloud; fix tongue-twisters and awkward cadence.
• Use repetition intentionally (refrains, patterns, rule-of-3).

6) Revise (2–3 passes)

Create revision_notes.md and do:

1. Structure pass (clarity, stakes, payoff)
2. Language pass (simplicity, rhythm, word economy)
3. Sensitivity pass (representation, stereotypes, unintended messaging)

Use references/revision-checklist.md for a pass-by-pass checklist.

7) Illustrations (optional)

Create art_prompts.md:

• Character sheet prompts (consistent outfit, colors, proportions)
• Per-spread prompts that reference the character sheet + style guide
• Negative prompts (what to avoid) and continuity reminders

If image generation is desired and available, use comfyui-image-gen for local/remote ComfyUI workflows or imagegen for hosted OpenAI image generation after prompts are ready. For production runs and QA loops, follow references/illustrated-production.md.

Practical prompt rules:

• Keep invariants short and explicit (who must appear, fixed outfit/props, what must never appear).
• Keep style directives concise and stable across all pages.
• Avoid overloading prompts with conflicting requirements.
• For edit passes, include "change only X, keep Y unchanged" constraints.

8) Final package (optional, recommended for full-book requests)

• Regenerate only flagged pages after QA; avoid rerunning clean pages unless the style lock changed.
• Build a print-ready PDF from manuscript + page images.
• Verify page count and spot-check multiple pages before delivery.

QA gate before final package:

• Character identity continuity (face, age band, outfit, props).
• World continuity (setting logic and recurring landmarks).
• Visual sanity checks (hands, geometry, perspective, stray text/watermarks).
• Page-to-page style consistency (line, texture, color treatment).

Resources (optional)

scripts/

Utilities for scaffolding a new book project.

references/

Quick reference docs for formats, page planning, illustration briefs, and revision checklists. For full illustrated production runs, load references/illustrated-production.md.