Today we are interviewing Ben and Doug of Amazing Books. They recently released their first two books Jack and the Beanstalk and Three Little Pigs, which were featured on the New and Noteworthy section of the iTunes store. Enjoy the interview.
Mobile Orchard: Tells us about yourself and your company.
Ben: Doug and I have been friends for years, working on various projects for television and film. When we weren’t working, we ate a lot of dinners, dreaming about ways to bring our creative visions to life. During many great meals of sushi and chicken piccata, we discussed developing a new kind of interactive book for kids.
Our company is called Amazing Books. We recognized that this simple title tells it all. It’s our mission to create the most enjoyable, highest quality interactive multimedia books available today. Our first series of books reinvents the classic pop-up book, allowing the user to participate in the flow of the animation on every page. With the ability to see the action in 3d by using any pair of red and blue glasses, the characters and scenes literally pop off the page.
MO: What made you get into iPhone app development?
Doug: Ben and I did some research and we quickly recognized that the iPhone and especially the iPad presented the most robust and unique set of tools to bring the vision of what we saw in our heads into reality. The ability to interact with your fingers on the screen without having to use a touch pad or mouse, was key to letting anyone from a 2 year old to an adult become immersed in the story and animations without any artificial barrier.
Ben: We immediately realized that the format of our book app would allow us to create multiple stories and styles of books very quickly while keeping quality at the highest level. Additionally the technology would allow updates with new features and a wonderful pipeline of user feedback.
MO: How did you come up with the idea for your Amazing Books app?
Doug: While I was animating a scene on my computer at home for a short movie I was starting, I began checking my work. This procedure involved looking at a series of frames of my animations and flipping back and forth between them very quickly in something called a flip book. My then 5 year old daughter came in the room and saw me checking my work. She quickly said, “Hey Dad, that looks like fun! Can I try it?” So I let her sit down and scrub the animation back and forth. She continued the actions for a few minutes, laughing hysterically as she controlled the character as it walked, tripped and fell, then she reversed the animation and did it again. So I thought to myself: Hmmm…. I bet a lot of kids would like the chance to do this with stories that they read. Thus the idea of Flomotion was born.
MO: How long did it take for you to get your first app from idea to the App Store?
Doug: It took about 3 months from that initial dinner I had with Ben when I first pitched him the idea, to the time our first book, The Three Little Pigs 3D, appeared in the iTunes market. But in reality it took me years to develop the skill sets I would need to get the project done. These skills included writing the stories, designing and modeling the characters, working with our outstanding voice talent, and benefiting from the amazing contributions from our legendary musical supervisor, Richard M. Sherman. Learning the ins and outs of stereoscopic technology was also a creative challenge I readily embraced.
Ben: I used the techniques I had developed for years to constantly push the app into as many hands as possible, both at its concept stage, as well as after it was completed. You can have the best idea in the world, but if no one sees it, it won’t be brought to fruition. I researched PR firms, blogs, websites and press releases to find the best possible avenues to spread the word of what we were attempting to do. Doug and I definitely want to thank Ted, Lisa and Will, our friends at Ionic Media who have been so helpful setting the social networking foundation for what we hope will be a long term and sustained marketing push as we grow.
MO: What was it like when you sold your first app?
Doug: Its was a thrilling experience. To see your work appreciated and enjoyed by other people is a fantastic feeling. I have many other stories and characters I have developed over my years in the entertainment industry, and most of those characters are sitting on my hard drive at home, where no one ever sees them. I have happily worked on some movies and commercials, working on the visions of others. But nothing can compare to spending each day bringing your own creations to life.
Ben: It’s wonderful. To have both of our first apps be so prominently featured by Apple is a great motivational factor that drives us to make more books, different types and styles as well. Our second series that will be available in late Nov., is our first in a series of travel books for kids. My First Trip to Washington D.C. uses beautiful high resolution photographs and new characters, combined with a multitude of fun facts and traveling ideas that can prepare any kid for a big city vacation. It will also be available in Stereoscopic versions for the iPad as well.
Doug: You haven’t really seen a dollar bill until you see George Washington pop right off the bill and land in your lap the way it does in our book!
Ben: Seriously.. Its amazing!
MO: What are are the challenges of developing for the iPhone?
Ben: I would say the biggest challenge we faced was finding a great programmer for our iPad app. The iPad is so new that it was surprisingly difficult to get just the right fit we were looking for in a coding partner.
MO: If you knew then what you know now what would you do differently on your first app?
Ben: To be honest, I would say that Doug and I used every negative experience we had on previous projects to avoid the pitfalls we encountered before. The lessons to constantly keep in mind as you develop projects like this are, 1. Try your best to balance the ideas you want to put into your app with the strengths you have. 2. Sit down before you start and list every contact you have developed over the years, every asset you can bring to the table, the time you can spend on development and most importantly your finances. If you do that, the goals you can realistically accomplish become quite clear when it’s all laid out in front of you.
MO: What advice would you give someone wanting to develop for iOS?
Doug: If you are an independent developer like we are, it’s probably better to get a good first version of your app out, done and in the market, rather than spend forever tinkering with every possible feature you can imagine. Five years later, you still won’t be done. Apple has a wonderful system for updates, and really seems to aid in the process.
MO: Any marketing advice for someone having a tough go at marketing their app?
Ben: Again, it’s just as crucial if not more so to make a plan to market your app. If you can afford a PR company, that’s great and they will help a lot. But if you can’t, there are blogs and websites and forums that you will need to spend time reaching out to, and keeping up with. Setting up your Twitter and Facebook pages are great assets to getting your brand out there. Most importantly, keep updating. Keep spreading the word. Eventually you will get noticed and hopefully it’s the spark that lights the flame.
MO: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions. Best of luck to you with your apps.