Our Story: Long Tale Books was born on a kitchen table.
Like all great projects, it started as an art project, on a kitchen table: excited about spending time together over winter break, a father sat with his children to make some art and talk about the day.
“Could a chicken be an astronaut?”
While his daughter drew, she wondered aloud whether their pet chickens could ever have jobs.
The founder, having recently read about Dalle-2 from OpenAI, a new technology that created pictures from words. The founder created an account, typed in some words, and voila: a chicken with a job was born.
His offspring, not satisfied with just one working chicken, proceeded to dream of every job a chicken could ever do.
After a few magical hours of dreaming up chicken vocations, the children tucked safely into bed, the founder turned the chicken art into their first book: Beautiful Chickens: Portraits of Beautiful Chickens.
The children’s requests for pictures of animals with jobs only increased over the winter break. Stories were made, tales were told. Together, the father and his children co-authored a second art project, Portraits of Pandas: Pandas, Poetry, and Portraits. This time, the authors used OpenAI to not only make portraits of Pandas, but to write accompanying limericks and poetry about them.
After this second magical art project, it began to dawn on the father just how powerful this new technology was. A plan was formed to harness this new technology to bring modern books forward, and unleash the creative potential of the masses.
Hidden deep inside each of us is an artist with a creative story, a vision, and a need for tools to get it into the world . . .
The name “Long Tale Books” is a reference to Chris Anderson’s book, The Long Tail, where he describes how the internet will enable collaboration and customization to bring unlimited selection to the world.
Thus, Long Tale Books was born
Hidden deep inside each of us is an artist with a creative story, a vision, and a need for tools to get it into the world. Long Tale Books is a publishing company that uses modern technology to bring your stories to life.
Follow the Author on Amazon
Follow John Coles Books on Amazon Here
John Cole, an engineer with a knack for storytelling, crafts tales that resonate with both young children and eager readers alike. With his three young children often peeking over his shoulder, John’s stories are filled with the enchantments of everyday adventures.
Beyond the pages of his books, John’s life brims with inspiration. His backyard chickens - Henrietta, Larry, and Fasty Floss - add a touch of whimsy, while the gentle hum of 16,000 bees in his Washington DC suburban backyard reminds him of nature’s wonders. Whether he’s camping beneath the stars or exploring the outdoors, John’s experiences shape the heartwarming narratives he shares.
With a passion for making the world a more magical place, one story at a time, John Cole invites you to dive into his world and discover the wonders that await.