My website header says I’m “A real, live, proper, human children’s author.”
It may seem obvious, but it’s getting harder to be seen in a world increasingly flooded with AI-generated content.

I recently got an email from a company offering to turn my videos into newsletters for $19 a month. I pointed out that ChatGPT already does that perfectly well. They came back suggesting I join their image creation drive — they upload 15,000 new colouring page images to Pinterest every week!

You’d think it would be obvious who the human creators are. But it’s not — except when their AI images of Jesus turn up with only one hand…

Apart from blatant copyright copying, those AI colouring pages lack something vital. But clearly some people don’t mind — they must be selling, or they wouldn’t keep churning them out.

With so much dross filling the digital space, how can anyone genuine still be found or heard?

I’ve always felt conflicted online. I create for children — but children don’t have the means to support my work. Books are still a safe, trusted way to share stories, but traditional publishing has become harder and less rewarding.

Online creation is direct and fun — no waiting years for your book to come out! But the internet has also become more dangerous for kids. Just look at the national conversation sparked by Netflix’s Adolescence. Online influence isn’t always friendly.

I started building a Patreon for grown-ups teaching children — offering story videos, drawing guides, worksheets and more. But however much I flagged it as for adults, I knew kids would still access it. That made it my responsibility, and I wasn’t comfortable with that.

Then, it hit me — a blinding revelation: go offline.

I’m now reworking my Patreon content into downloadable story packs — ebooks, multi-book bundles and curriculum-themed resources you can download, keep, and use offline, forever. The license is simple: use it, enjoy it, just don’t share it outside your home or classroom.

It’s called the Shoo Rayner Story Shop.

I’ve got a huge backlist of books I can bring to life again as ebooks and story videos.
If children want to read on screens — great! I just want them reading. And offline, I’m glad they won’t be interrupted by ads, algorithms or dark distractions.

Please take a look and let me know what you think: https://shooraynerstoryshop.com

After years of discomfort about making children’s content online, I think I’ve finally cracked it.

The answer was so simple.