Elizabeth O. Dulemba is an author and illustrator of picture books (most recently the bilingual Soap, soap, soap/Jabón, jabón, jabón). She’s also done something I think is quite exciting – she created an iPhone app of her as-yet-unpublished book Lula’s Brew.
I love authors and illustrators exploring and experimenting, and, since I wanted to learn more, Elizabeth graciously agreed to answer a few questions….
So… really… why an app?
I’ve always been an early adopter, anxious to embrace the latest technology to see how I might best employ it to help sell my books. When I discovered iPhone Picture Book Apps, I thought it was a fantastic new way to share stories and could be a nice complement to physical books.
It’s an experiment, but I was excited to try it out.
I’m figuring you already had at least some of the illustrations for Lula’s Brew. Did you have to make major changes to the art so it would work on the iPhone?
I had the entire book sketched out as a dummy, but the proportions of the iPhone window are quite different. And when you make room for text, it doesn’t leave much room for images. However, I found zooming in on the artwork creates large graphic shapes which seem to be more attractive on the iPhone anyhow.
The nice thing was, since I was completing the artwork at such a smaller size, it went fairly quickly.
Was the technology a challenge or would most folks with a complete dummy be able to turn it into an App without pulling out the rest of their hair?
I worked with a developer – Rhodesoft.com – to turn Lula into an app. The little I’ve seen of the tech side of creating apps, I’m sure I could do it, but it would be like learning a new career (and who has time for that?).
It made more sense to work with an actual developer. Not to mention, including sound required some highly specialized and expensive equipment.
Were you concerned about pricing in the sense that it would imply that $1.99 = the value of a book? Do you think the audience understands how it’s different?
Lula is about to go through an upgrade, so will probably be $3.99 soon. (Prices for book apps vary from free to $20.) But this really is a different product from a book. It’s more for on-the-fly uses when you’re out and about.
I can’t imagine a parent using an app as a bed-time story or to replace books. And I don’t know many parents who would let a child play with an iPhone unsupervised.
Although I’ve been delighted by the response to Lula from my little cousins (4 and 6) – they think it’s a cool new toy, and since I hold the iPhone while they use the app (!!!), it’s created some nice bonding time.
Any plans to do more Apps or other mobile products?
Yes – I hope to turn my latest picture book, Soap, soap, soap ~ Jabón, jabón, jabón, into an app after the holidays. 
And since it will be offered in an all-English and bilingual version – with a quiz at the end – it will have interactive elements to it.
The nice thing is, so far iPhone picture book apps seem to draw attention TO my physical books, not pull attention away. I really think they could become a good marketing supplement.
I may also look into making my Coloring Page Tuesday images available as an interactive coloring app.
Thanks, Elizabeth!
Thank you for your interest!
You can find Lula’s Brew on iTunes or download it from the App store (search: Lula).
I would love to hear what you think about the possibilities for authors and illustrators here, the technology, and the experience of listening/reading/looking at a book on your phone (with or without kids!). You can see my thoughts in the comments below.
All artwork courtesy of Elizabeth O. Dulemba.
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I bought Lula’s Brew and have “tested” it on real live children! There’s no question they’re engaged – they listen, look at the pictures, experiment with turning the pages, and, in some cases, read along. It’s different than a parent reading a book to their child – it’s a phone and not a book AND Elizabeth reads the text as just two reasons. Still, you could turn the sound off and simply read the book aloud while sitting in bed, if you wanted. Regardless, the app has definitely helped keep small ones occupied while waiting in line or stuck in traffic. I’ve watched it happen myself!
I’m also intrigued by the math of the App world – in general, 30% of your money goes to Apple, and 70% goes to the App owner. There are fees involved in developing apps and in hosting them, too. While I suspect book apps will be relatively cheap moving forward, at the moment the startup expenses definitely exist. Ignoring that for a moment, though… at 70% “royalties” on a $3.99 app… that’s nearly $2.80 cents per copy sold. That’s the same as getting 20% royalties on a $14 book.
Of course, most individuals aren’t going to sell apps in the quantity publishers sell books, so the royalty rate, while nice, is only one part of the story. It also remains unclear what people will spend for books in a format like this. But will the rumored Apple Tablet change the landscape? Will e-readers change so that picture books are viable on them? All fascinating stuff to my eyes… and all part of the future, I’m sure.
I downloaded this app for my iPod Touch a few weeks ago. My kids thought it was pretty cool (and they’re 7 and 10). I give them the iPod when they’re with me shopping or on a long drive so at least half of my apps are for the kids. I think it’s great that Elizabeth embraced the new technology and put out a fun, interactive product. I’m hoping more good, quality books for kids are turned into iPhone apps.
An author friend, Maryann Cocca-Leffler, just emailed me this week that she also has a book that went OP and is now available on iPhone. Elizabeth’s and hers are the first two instances I’ve heard of this, but I’m all for new ways of getting books into little hands! Thanks for the post, Greg.
I am so hanging out for that Apple tablet!
I think Elizabeth makes a valid point about the app and the real book complementing each other. I love books so much, real physical books and I think such a book is the very best thing to use in read-alouds. That’s because kids can see the print clearly, and follow along with their eyes, all part of the learning to read process. However, I think technology used side-by-side with print books is yet another way to engage kids, and get them interested in “story”.
The world of digital technology is changing rapidly and publishers like Disney and others are experimenting with interactive children’s books, vooks, and other methods to reach potential bookworms. It is a fascinating topic for publishers and readers alike.
PicPocket Books, a custom application software development company dedicated to bringing children’s books to life on the iPhone, introduced two new titles this week, making PicPocket Books the largest publisher of childrenʼs picture book applications for the iPhone or iPod Touch.
Children’s picture books on the iPhone are a great way to make wonderful stories and illustrations available anywhere, anytime. They can be an alternative to movies or video games on long car trips or flights. Yes, the format is smaller than a traditional print book, but the illustrations are extremely clear on the iPhone screen, and the audio recordings and interactive features add interesting elements. Some people have a hard time accepting the idea of a digital book, but many others are embracing the possibilities. I, too and looking forward to seeing more good quality books turned into iPhone apps.
This is brilliant. I really enjoyed this interview! The moment I began reading I flashed back to our most recent visit to our friends’ 2-year-old twins. They could not get enough of our other friend’s iPhone, and sat there contentedly engaged with it, and he was hard-pressed to keep finding child-appropriate content for them. (Some of what he played for them distinctly was not.)
So, as I say, this is brilliant! I see its (ahem) application to the real world immediately!
A+++ schmooze site!
Great interview. You go Elizabeth! Some of us aren’t quite as technologically advanced, but we admire those of you who are!!
very cool idea and interview!
thanks Greg for keeping us all up to date on happening on the frontier, and brava, Elizabeth, for braving the wild west!
Yee-Haw!
Lee
elizabeth is always trying cool stuff!
Thanks for your thoughts, y’all. I think we’ll be seeing a lot of variations on Apps (and for the Droid, too) and ebooks and whatever comes from the Apple tablet and and and. I hope publishers also try out all these things, though it’s much easier to do experiments when you’re an individual than when you’re a big company. The market remains limited by definition – there are only so many iPhone owners – and it’s still hard to spread the word (unless, of course, you have a robust platform!). Still, we’ll be seeing more of these in the future, I’m sure.