Deephaven residents Maia and Allan Haag had a feeling their book publishing company, I See Me! was onto something when they received an intriguing order for one of their customized books.
“Gwyneth Paltrow was the first celebrity our employees caught [ordering a book] because the name Apple was so unique,” Allan says about the order placed by the Oscar-winning actress for a book for her unusually named daughter. “You don’t get orders for ‘Apple’ very often.”
From there, Maia and Allan began noticing even more famous kids were becoming the lucky recipients of their stories. From actresses Brooke Shields, Courteney Cox and Jessica Alba to fashion stylist Rachel Zoe, more celebrities jumped on the I See Me!bandwagon. When asked how this unusual success came about, the Haags chalk it up to simple good luck. The couple theorizes that once one celebrity stumbled across their books, they began passing the info on to their pals or giving the books out as gifts, and the I See Me! version of Hollywood success was born.
Maia and Allan Haag always had a dream of opening a business together, and that’s just what they did in 2000, two years after the birth of their first child. (The Haags now have three children ages 15, 10 and 7). They received a customized book for their son, and although they loved the gift and the idea of customized children’s literature, they felt it could be done more creatively.
Together, the Haags felt they had the perfect background to make book publishing work. Allan holds a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and Maia has a master’s of business administration. They met while working at General Mills, but Maia always wanted to own a small business. After they were married, Maia realized she really wanted a business that utilized a combination of their skills, and they eventually made their way into book publishing.
The stories they create aren’t your standard personalized books. “Our mission is to build self-esteem in children by celebrating uniqueness,” Maia says. “The message in our book is about how special and unique the child is.”
The catalog of titles—like My Very Own Name and Who Loves Me?—includes themes such as animals, fairies, sports, knights and many more; there are even special customized books for twins. Other titles mark special occasions like adoption, birthdays and back to school, as well as holidays including Valentine’s Day and Easter. The bulk of the stories are written like any picture book, but the child’s name is integrated directly into the story, so they become part of the adventure.
Each story is unique andMaia writes many of the stories herself, while the Haags use a bevy of freelance illustrators to bring the stories to life; Mary GrandPré, illustrator for the Harry Potter series, recently illustrated one of their books for babies.“Illustrating is a very specific skill, and it would be too limiting to have a staff of illustrators,” Allan says. As a graphic artist, he takes a lot of pride in how visually attractive each book is.
While you can find pre-printed tales featuring a child’s name in many bookstores, I See Me! titles are specifically printed for each individual child. Most books are ordered straight from the I See Me! website, where you can input a child’s name and birth date. Before you complete your order, a full visual of the final product is available so you know exactly what your book will look like.
The books are also available in department stores such as Nordstrom and Von Maur, as well as several boutiques, including the Bookcase in Wayzata. In the store, the process is similar to online ordering and the customization process is the same, although the information is submitted by a staff member.
As cool as being a mini “it couple” for several Hollywood mommies can be, and despite having sold more than 1 million copies worldwide, the Haags pride themselves most on their local success. From writing to printing to customer service, every aspect of the publishing is done in the Twin Cities.
