The Money Move · Issue #014 · Thursday, July 2
Hey -
John here. This week's play is the most-shared one I've sent yet. Two-minute read.
If last week's local business play landed (even one walk-in), hit reply with "WIN." I read every response.
A British company called Wonderbly writes personalized children's storybooks-each one stars a kid by name. They sell them for around fifty dollars and have moved over seven million books. Hooray Heroes does the same thing in the US, same price range, same business model.
What both companies do in a warehouse with a team of writers, you can do in 30 minutes with Claude.
The market is parents. Every kid has a birthday. Every birthday has at least one aunt, grandma, or friend looking for a gift that won't end up at Goodwill in three weeks. Personalized storybooks are the gift that gets photographed, posted on Instagram, and tagged with "I'm crying."
The play: write a 10-page personalized children's storybook for a kid by name. Use Claude. Charge fifty for a PDF, one fifty for a printed book shipped (printed through BookVault or Lulu at cost). Find buyers in your existing network - moms in your phone already. Same pitch:
"Quick thing - I'm writing custom storybooks for kids using AI. Your kid is the main character, named by name. PDF for fifty, printed and shipped for one fifty. Want me to send a sample of the first page free?"
Message 10 parents in your contacts. You can reasonably expect 3 to 5 of every 10 to ask for a sample. Most convert within 48 hours - birthdays don't wait.
The 3 prompts:
See what enterprise-ready AI support looks like
How are leading teams getting AI support to work? We're breaking down the playbook, live July 9.
1. DISCOVERY (after the parent says yes to a sample)
Ask me 6 short questions to write a 10-page personalized children's storybook. Surface: the child's first name, age, two favorite things (animals, activities, colors), the names of any siblings or pets to include as side characters, one specific thing that makes this kid feel special to their parent, and the lesson or theme the story should teach (bravery, kindness, sharing, bedtime). Conversational. Confirm tone (whimsical / silly / cozy bedtime) in one sentence before writing.
2. BUILDER (paste with the 6 answers)
Write a 10-page personalized children's storybook for [CHILD'S NAME], age [AGE]. Each page: one short paragraph (2 to 4 sentences, age-appropriate vocabulary) + one short scene description in brackets for an illustrator. The child must be the hero. Include the favorites in pages 2 and 3. Include the siblings or pets as side characters by page 5. The "special thing" should be why the child saves the day in pages 7 to 9. End with the lesson naturally embedded in the final page. No "moral of the story" tacked on. Output as 10 numbered pages, ready to lay out.
3. SELL (the family-pack follow-up, sent 2 weeks after delivery)
Write a 3-paragraph message to send to a parent two weeks after delivering their child's storybook. Paragraph 1: ask if the kid liked it, ask for a photo I could use (with permission). Paragraph 2: offer the "family-pack" - same kind of story for any sibling, cousin, or friend, three books for one twenty (vs. fifty each). Paragraph 3: easy yes - they send three names and three favorite things, I deliver three PDFs in five days. Tone: warm friend, not salesperson. Under 150 words.
The math: one PDF is fifty. Four PDFs a month is two hundred. One printed book is one fifty (cost to you is about twelve through BookVault). Add one family-pack at one twenty and the average month is about five hundred fifty. Birthday and holiday season is October through January - that's when this play prints two thousand a month if you let your existing network know it exists.
5 steps:
Tonight: Pick a friend's kid you know well. Run the Builder prompt with their info. Save the output. That's your sample.
Tuesday: Open your phone contacts. Find 10 parents (friends, family, coworkers). Just the names - that's your list.
Friday: Text or DM all 10 the pitch above. Don't edit it. Your friend's kid story is your free sample on request.
Saturday: First yes → Discovery → Builder → deliver the PDF in 24 hours.
Sunday: Collect fifty. Ask if they want it printed and shipped for one hundred more. About a third say yes.
No parents in your phone? Same pitch works in local mom Facebook groups (search "mom group + [your city]") or as an Etsy listing. Etsy is more volume, slightly less margin.
That's the play.
"The mom in your phone will pay you Sunday."
Send the story.
- John
The Money Move
@hustlepreneur.ig · theweeklymoneymove.com
See you next Thursday.
