How to Create, Submit,
and Publish Bedtime Stories
This guide walks you through every single step — from writing your first story to hearing it narrated for thousands of kids. No detail skipped.
The Complete Workflow
Every story or series follows this exact path. No shortcuts. This is how we keep quality high and kids safe.
From Your Idea to a Kid's Bedtime
Sign Up
& Listen
Write Story
or Series
Upload
Images
Submit
for Review
Live on
the App!
Audio
Generated
Art
Created
Admin
Reviews
What Can You Create?
Two formats. Pick whichever fits your story.
📖 A Single Story
- One complete bedtime tale
- Teaches exactly ONE value
- 100+ words (about 1-3 minutes)
- One tradition (Hindu, Sikh, etc.)
- Optional: upload a cover image
- Uses
{childName}for personalization - Ends with a gentle bedtime message
- Perfect for your first creation
📺 A Series (2+ Episodes)
- Minimum 2 episodes required
- Same characters across episodes
- Each episode is a standalone story
- Kids ask "what happens next?"
- Series title, icon, description, age range
- Image per episode (optional)
- Higher credit potential (series bonus)
- Creates habit loops — kids come back
Why 2 episodes minimum for a series?
A series with 1 episode is just a story. The magic of series is the "next episode" pull — kids finish one and immediately want the next. That only works with 2 or more. You can always add more episodes later after publishing.
Step-by-Step: The Full Journey
Sign Up & Listen First
Create a free account — Google or email. No credit card. No commitment. Then explore the app. Listen to at least 2-3 stories before writing.
- • Notice how every story uses
{childName}— when you hear "That night, Arjun, remember..." you understand the magic - • Notice the length — stories are 2-4 minutes, not 20
- • Notice the tone — warm, quiet, winding down. Not exciting. Not loud. These play at 8pm.
- • Notice the ending — always a gentle moral, always addressed to the child
Open the Creation Tab
Tap CREATION in the bottom navigation (second icon from left). You'll see two big buttons:
"Create a Story" — for a single tale.
"Create a Series" — for multiple episodes.
Tap one. The form opens.
Your choiceWrite Your Story
Fill in every field carefully. Here's exactly what each field means:
- Title — Short, catchy. "The Monkey and the Crocodile" not "A story about a monkey who meets a crocodile in the river"
- Tradition — Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, or Universal. Pick one. Stories are filtered by this.
- Theme — Courage, Kindness, Honesty, Wisdom, Sharing, Patience, Humility, Forgiveness. Pick ONE.
- Source — Where this story comes from. "Panchatantra folk tradition" or "Based on a real field trip" or "Family story from my grandmother"
- Story body — The full text. This is what gets narrated. Write it exactly as you want it spoken aloud.
The Magic Tokens
These are replaced with real names when played:
{childName}→ becomes "Arjun" or "Veda" or whatever the listener's child is named{sibling}→ the child's sibling name{pet}→ the child's pet name
Example: How to end a story
"That night, {childName}, remember the old tree in the park. How it stood through every storm — not because it was the tallest, but because its roots went deep. Your kindness is like those roots. It grows quietly, underground, where nobody sees. But one day, it holds up everything."
For a Series: Add Episodes
Tap "Add Episode" to add more. Each episode needs a title and story text. You must have at least 2 episodes to submit. Each episode can have its own cover image.
Take your time — no rushUpload Images
You can upload cover images for your story or for each episode in a series. These show on the story card, in the player, and in WhatsApp share previews.
- • Real photos — if your story is about a field trip, upload an actual photo from that day
- • Illustrations — hand-drawn or AI-generated artwork that matches the story mood
- • No text on images — the app adds the title overlay automatically
- • Landscape or square works best (portrait gets cropped)
- • If you don't upload one, admin may generate AI art for you
Submit for Review
Hit the gold "Submit for Review" button. Your creation immediately appears in your My Creations tab with a Submitted badge.
You can see it. Listeners can't — not yet. It needs to pass review first.
- • Your submission is saved to our database
- • Admin team gets notified
- • You earn +5 credits just for submitting
- • Review begins within 48 hours
Admin Reviews Your Work
Our admin team reads every word. This is not automated — a real person reads your story. Here's exactly what they check:
Content Policy Checklist
- ✓ Age-appropriate — safe for kids 3-12. No violence, fear, or adult themes
- ✓ One clear value — courage, kindness, honesty, etc. Not a lecture, but a lesson through story
- ✓ Cultural accuracy — if it's a Hindu story, does it respect the tradition? Names, places, customs correct?
- ✓ Writing quality — flows well when read aloud? No grammar issues? Natural dialogue?
- ✓ Proper tokens — uses
{childName}at least once? Ends with bedtime message? - ✓ Bedtime tone — calming, not exciting. Wind-down pace. No cliffhangers.
- ✓ Original work — retelling folk tales is fine, but no copy-paste from other apps/books
- ✗ No violence or fear — nothing that keeps kids awake
- ✗ No promotion of one tradition over another
- ✗ No advertising or product placement
What Admin Does Beyond Reading
- 🖼️ Image generation — if you didn't upload images, admin generates AI cover art using our image engine (OpenAI gpt-image-1). Each story gets a unique, beautiful illustration in our Pixar-meets-Ghibli watercolor style.
- 📸 Image review — if you uploaded images, admin checks they're appropriate and high quality. They may crop, enhance, or replace low-quality uploads.
- ✏️ Text polish — admin may fix minor typos, improve paragraph breaks, or adjust the bedtime ending. Major changes are sent back to you.
- 🎧 Audio preparation — admin selects the best voice for your story (George, Lily, Muskaan, Brian, Sarah) and queues it for narration generation.
Edits Requested (If Needed)
If something needs work, admin sends specific, constructive feedback. Not "rejected" — but "here's how to make it better."
You'll see the feedback in your My Creations tab, highlighted in blue. The status changes to Needs Edits.
Real example of admin feedback:
"Beautiful story concept! Two suggestions: (1) Episode 2 ends too abruptly — the child is still awake. Add 2-3 sentences winding down: describe the night sky, the warm blanket, the soft sounds. (2) The moral in Episode 3 could be clearer — try ending with 'That night, {childName}, remember...' to tie the lesson to bedtime."
You edit your content in the app, fix the feedback, and resubmit. It goes back to admin for final review. Most stories need 0-1 rounds of edits. Second submission almost always gets approved.
Status: Needs EditsAudio & Art Generation
Once approved, the production pipeline kicks in:
- 🎧 Voice narration — your story is narrated using ElevenLabs premium voices. Admin picks the best voice for your story's tone and tradition. The narration sounds warm, natural, and perfect for bedtime.
- 🖼️ Cover art — if not already created, AI generates a unique illustration. For series, each episode gets its own art.
- 📱 App integration — your story is wired into the app: play buttons, share links, progress tracking, the works.
Published! 🎉
Your story goes LIVE. Here's everything that happens at the moment of publish:
- 🏠 Appears on Home page — families see it in the "Our Creators" section
- 👤 Shows on your creator profile —
mysleepytale.com/creator/your-username - 🔗 Gets a shareable link — share on WhatsApp, the preview shows your cover image + title
- 🎧 Fully playable — any family can listen. The child hears their own name.
- 📺 Series episodes are connected — "Play Next Episode" appears automatically after each one
- 💰 Credits start flowing — every play, share, and rating earns you credits
- ❤️ Listeners can like your profile — likes count toward your creator rank
Share & Earn
Now the fun part. Share your creator profile link with everyone you know. Every family that listens earns you credits.
Your profile: mysleepytale.com/creator/your-username
Share specific stories: mysleepytale.com/api/share?id=your-story-id
On WhatsApp, the share preview shows your cover image, title, and description. The more you share, the more credits you earn.
Ongoing · Credits for lifeStatus Badges Explained
Your story's status badge tells you exactly where it is in the workflow.
Credit System
Credits track your impact. The more families your stories reach, the more you earn.
Real math: What a 3-episode series earns
You create a 3-episode series. All approved. 50 families listen. 10 share it. 5 rate it 5 stars.
5 (submit) + 50 (series bonus) + 45 (3 eps × 15) + 25 (approved) + 50 (50 plays) + 100 (50 completions) + 30 (10 shares) + 25 (5 ratings) = 330 credits from one series
Creator Tiers
🌱 Storyteller
First stories. Your name on every creation.
📘 Keeper
Create series. Priority review. Growing reach.
🏛️ Elder
Featured on Home. Mentor others. Your tradition's voice.
🛡️ Guardian
Creator Council. Revenue share. Shaping childhoods.
Content Policy in Detail
These are not suggestions — they are requirements. Every story must pass all of these:
What We Accept
- ✓ Stories from any of our 7 traditions (Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Universal)
- ✓ Retellings of folk tales, scripture stories, family stories
- ✓ Stories based on real events (field trips, school concerts, family traditions)
- ✓ Conversational/dialogue format (like the Dr. Spock series)
- ✓ Animal characters, fantasy elements, gentle humor
- ✓ Stories that celebrate cultural differences without ranking them
What We Reject
- ✗ Violence, weapons, fighting (even cartoon violence)
- ✗ Scary content — monsters, ghosts, threats, darkness-as-danger
- ✗ One tradition being superior to another
- ✗ Plagiarized content from other apps, books, or websites
- ✗ Advertising, product placement, or external links
- ✗ Adult themes, innuendo, or content inappropriate for children
- ✗ Political content or propaganda
- ✗ Stories without a clear value/lesson
Questions Answered
How long should my story be?
250-500 words is ideal — about 2-4 minutes when narrated. Kids fall asleep during the story, not after it. Shorter is almost always better.
Can I write in Hindi or Punjabi?
English only for now. Other languages are coming. But your story can be about any culture — just write it in English.
Can I record my own voice?
Coming soon! For now, our premium AI voices handle narration — George, Lily, Muskaan, Brian, Sarah. They sound warm and natural.
What if my story gets rejected?
You'll know exactly why. Usually it's a small fix — soften a scene, add a clearer moral, adjust the tone. Fix and resubmit. Most rejections become approvals on the second try.
Can I write about my own child's adventures?
Absolutely! Our most popular series (Rainbow Kindergarten Adventures) is based on a real kindergarten class at Jean Lumb Public School in Toronto. Real adventures make the best bedtime stories.
Is there a limit?
No limit. Write 1 story or 100. Each earns credits independently. The more you write, the more you earn.
How do I set my creator username?
ME tab → Edit Family → scroll to "Creator Username." Choose a unique name. This becomes your profile URL: mysleepytale.com/creator/your-username
Can I edit after publishing?
Contact us and we'll work with you to update. Changes go through review again to maintain quality.
Who can see my published stories?
Everyone. Logged-in users see them personalized with their child's name. Guests can listen too. Your stories are public — that's the point.
Can I add more episodes to a published series?
Yes! Submit new episodes through the Creation tab. They go through the same review process and get added to your existing series.
Ready to Create?
Sign up free. Listen to a few stories. Open the Creation tab. Write yours. Your first story could reach hundreds of families by bedtime tonight.
Open My Sleepy Tale →Free forever. No minimum. Write 1 story or 100.
