A make-your-own book kit that is available now

Is Illustory Discontinued? Yes — Here's the Best Alternative

If you came here after searching for the Illustory book making kit and finding it sold out everywhere, here's what happened: Lulu Jr. stopped selling Illustory and its other physical book-making kits in January 2026. The kits are no longer available on lulujr.com, and remaining Amazon and retail stock is the last of it. (If you already own an unused Illustory kit, good news — Lulu Jr. has said completed kits can still be mailed in and redeemed for a printed book. Check their site for current redemption details.)

That leaves a lot of parents, grandparents, and teachers looking for the same thing Illustory did so well: a kit where a child writes and illustrates their own story — and gets back a real, professionally printed book with their name on the cover.

That's exactly what StoryCrafters is.

See the StoryCrafters kit
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The closest like-for-like replacement

StoryCrafters: the same magic, still in stock

StoryCrafters is a make-your-own storybook kit for kids. Your child writes and draws their story on the included pages, you upload the finished pages through our app, and we print and ship back a real bound hardcover book of their creation.

  • A real printed hardcover — not a stapled craft project. A book that goes on the shelf next to the ones from the bookstore.
  • Printing and shipping of the finished book included free with the kit — no redemption fees, no hidden costs.
  • In stock and shipping now — with Prime on Amazon, or direct from us here.
  • $29.95
  • Rated 4.5★ by families on Amazon.
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Side-by-side comparison

Illustory vs. StoryCrafters

A factual look at availability, submission, timing, and what arrives at your door.

Feature Illustory (Lulu Jr.) StoryCrafters
Availability Discontinued Jan 2026 — remaining stock only In stock
Finished product Printed book (mail-in redemption) Printed hardcover book
How pages are submitted Mail-in envelope Upload through our app — no postage, no lost artwork
Printing cost Included with kit Included free — printing and shipping
Turnaround ~4–5 weeks 1–3 weeks
Price Was ~$29.99 $29.95
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Bulk kits and student publishing

For teachers and classrooms

Lulu Jr. also supplied classroom publishing kits (Easy Student Publishing) used in author-study and "publish your own book" units. If your class project just lost its supplier, we can help — StoryCrafters works classroom-scale, and every student ends the unit holding their own printed hardcover.

Ask about classroom kits

From blank pages to their bookshelf

How it works

  1. 1

    Create

    Your child writes and illustrates their story on the kit's template pages. No word-count pressure, no "right way" to do it.

  2. 2

    Upload

    Snap/scan and upload the pages in the StoryCrafters app. Nothing gets mailed, nothing gets lost.

  3. 3

    We print

    We professionally print and bind their story as a hardcover book and ship it to your door.

Get the kit

A keepsake they actually created

Their words. Their art. Their real hardcover book.

Every page preserves the child's original writing and illustrations in a professionally printed book made to live on the family bookshelf.

Make their story real
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Questions, answered

FAQ

Is Illustory discontinued?

Yes. Lulu Jr. stopped selling Illustory and its other physical kits in January 2026. Remaining retail stock is the last available.

Can I still redeem an Illustory kit I already own?

According to Lulu Jr., completed IlluStory and My Comic Book kits can still be mailed in for printing. Check lulujr.com for their current redemption policy — redemption is handled by them, not by us.

What's the closest replacement for Illustory?

StoryCrafters is the closest like-for-like: a complete kids' book-making kit where the finished story comes back as a real printed book. The main differences: our books are hardcover, pages are uploaded through an app instead of mailed, and it's in stock.

What ages is StoryCrafters for?

StoryCrafters is rated for ages 4+. Younger kids can dictate their story and focus on the drawings; older kids write it all themselves.

How long until the printed book arrives?

Your finished hardcover typically arrives in 1–3 weeks from upload — printing and shipping are included with the kit.

In stock and ready for their next idea

Turn their story into a real hardcover book

Everything they need to write, illustrate, upload, and publish their own creation.

Get StoryCrafters — $29.95