Storybird is a fun, relatively new, platform that, according to the website, “lets anyone make visual stories in seconds.” Artists have created a lot of images especially for the site, and writers then use those images to inspire new stories.
So far, over 5 million stories have been created on Storybird. For people with free accounts, it is supposed to take 5-7 days (though it took more than 3 months for my “Origins of Halloween” story) to be reviewed and published on the site. Then they have the option to pay to buy a print version of the story. Premium members have stories reviewed within a couple days. Subscriptions cost either $9/month, $39/6 months, or $59/12 months, and have the option to also create poetry and custom covers, personalize their profiles, download and print their stories for free, and use unique comment icons/hearts.
Anyone can use the site, and many teachers are using Storybird in their classrooms. Students are able to create and publish their own stories. Stories are categorized by tags and genres, and users can see how many page views their stories have gotten as well as comments.
You can read my latest Storybird story, “The Origins of Halloween,” here. And you can also check out my Father’s Day inspired story, “Ode to Dads.” (Or see below.)