Few months ago we posted an article about children’s publishing, and how easy it is to publish a brilliant children’s book on iPad with PressPad, right from a PDF file. If you, however, are thinking about bringing your book for children to life in more game-like interactive manner and with beautiful voice-over then you want to get to know more about DoodleeBooks.
I am talking with Becky Parker Geist, DoodleeBooks CEO.
PressPad: The world of digital publishing is constantly opening new frontiers as technology is developed and “books” are revisioned with new ways to deliver content. Several of us in PressPad have small children and some of us are expecting newborns on days, thus we are interested in smart ways to educate and entertain our little fellows.
Can you tell us what is DoodleeBooks all about?
Becky: Yes, DoodleeBooks, is an innovative combination and expansion of how we have thought about and experienced children’s books.
DoodleeBooks is an interactive iPad app for kids that delivers stories personalized with the child’s name in text and audio, an audio soundtrack of narration and sound effects, and a creative canvas on each page, allowing kids to illustrate the stories themselves and then to share them! This opens a whole new way for children to interact with books and for writers to publish children’s stories.
According to research by Digital Book World, and PlayScience, “today’s children represent a material digital book consumer market (…) Over half of all kids under 13 are e-readers, with 85% of those kids e-reading at least once a week.” The study also confirmed “that e-reading is a popular activity among children and that parents are increasingly recognizing the value of digital content, as demonstrated by their willingness to pay more for digital content.”
With the burgeoning iPad market, holding overall a 94% share of the education market for tablets (April 2014 report), and teachers who are increasingly savvy about ways to use technology with their students, the market is ripe for the release of DoodleeBooks.
Pulling together of some of the hottest trends in digital publishing and entertainment – from ebooks to personalized books to audio books to drawing apps, DoodleeBooks is building on their educational expertise, publishing expertise, programming expertise, and their love of kids and books to make this app fun, educational, and innovative.
Becky has brought together a top notch team of experts under the DoodleeBooks LLC: Steven Goff – Chief Publishing Officer and Martin Gregory – Chief Technology Officer. Together, they and their extended team are running a Kickstarter campaign June 9-29 to raise the completion funds to ramp up in time for a powerful market launch. In preparation, they have posted their venture on Prefundia.
Becky: The DoodleeBooks team has a global vision and plans to offer stories in multiple languages, supporting language learners while also serving an international market.
We have professional translation services poised and ready to roll. Authors writing in any language are encouraged to submit their content, starting May 29, to be considered for one of the premiere bookstore placements and to receive a cost proposal at through our website.
We think that DoodleeBooks is taking what’s best from the Audible model, by offering the app for free and selling the content that plugs into the app. A subscription option will buy 1-4 credits per month, depending on the plan selected, each credit being worth 1 title. Authors will earn a higher percentage when their titles are selected within a subscription, incentivizing authors to encourage their followers to subscribe. As one of their core values, DoodleeBooks always seeks ways to make each exchange a win for each party.
Demo of the app will be unveiled at Book Expo America in New York May 29-31. BEA also marks the opening for submissions to the DoodleeBook store.