How rude does the roast get?

Affectionate. The book pokes fun at habits, catchphrases and the stories everyone already tells about them. It does not write anything cruel, sexual, or about protected characteristics, and you preview the chapter plan and a sample scene before you pay.

Can my friend actually recognise themselves?

That is the point. You answer questions about their personality, quirks, friends and a memorable moment, and the story is built around those specifics. Add a photo and their face becomes the cover.

How long does it take?

The digital book is ready in about 30 minutes. Printed softcover and hardback copies are delivered 7–14 business days after printing, with shipping included in the price.

What does a funny book about a friend cost?

Digital only is £9.99. Softcover is £24.99 and hardback is £34.99, and both include the digital version.

Funny Book About a Friend: 200-Page Roast

A funny book about a friend is the gift that gets passed around the table. Not a mug with a joke on it, but a full 200-page comedy novel in which they are the main character, their habits are the running gags, and their face is on the cover. Here is how to make one that lands, what it will and will not joke about, and what it costs.

Why a roast book works better than a roast speech

A speech is over in four minutes and half the room misses the best line. A book sits on their shelf. Every chapter heading has their name in it, the plot is built from the stories their friends already tell, and it keeps getting picked up long after the birthday. Comedy is the genre most GiftBookStory customers choose, and it is the one most often photographed and posted.

What the book jokes about

The builder asks you a handful of questions, and the answers become the material:

Personality. The overthinker, the one who is always late, the person who has never once finished a drink.
A memorable moment. The holiday that went wrong, the job interview, the time they got lost in their own town.
Hobbies and obsessions. Fantasy football, sourdough, a podcast nobody else listens to.
The people around them. Add friends, partners and family as characters so the in-jokes carry across the whole book.

The story then plays those traits out across 19 chapters. A friend who cannot make a decision becomes a hero who must choose between two identical doors. It is affectionate exaggeration, not insult.

What it will not do

The book will not be cruel, will not write sexual content, and will not make jokes about race, religion, disability or anything else that would make the room go quiet. If a question you answer would push it there, the story simply steers around it. You see the chapter plan and a sample scene before choosing an edition, so nothing reaches print that you have not read.

Make it recognisable: add a photo

Every one of our recent buyers added a photo. It becomes the front cover, so the first laugh happens before the book is even opened. A clear, front-facing shot works best. The builder shows you the cover and lets you ask for a correction before you pay.

A sample opening

Chapter One: In Which Dave Is, Once Again, Nearly On Time

The invitation said seven. Dave read it as a suggestion. By the time he found his keys, which were in his hand, the evening had already developed a plot without him.

Your book will read like that, but about them.

Formats and prices

Digital only: £9.99, ready in about 30 minutes as a PDF.
Softcover: £24.99, printed 6×9 paperback, digital version included.
Hardback: £34.99, casewrap hardback, digital version included.

Printed copies are delivered 7–14 business days after printing, with shipping included. If the birthday is closer than that, send the digital version on the day and let the printed one arrive as the encore.

How to start

Go to the builder and enter their name and the occasion.
Pick Comedy as the genre.
Answer the questions honestly. The more specific the detail, the better the joke.
Add their photo, check the cover, preview the chapters, choose an edition.

For a milestone birthday, the personalised birthday book guide covers 30th, 40th and 50th ideas. For a couple, see personalised anniversary book gifts.