Books over iPads!
After a decade of designing software, I wanted to apply design thinking to reimagine children’s non-fiction and get kids excited about the idea reading books.
ROLE
Head of Design
PROJECT TYPE
0-1 Launch
Industry
Book Publishing
Users
10K+
Challenge
Reading rates have declined dramatically among children, even though research highlights the many benefits of reading books. I wanted to address this crisis by creating books grounded in design thinking.
Results
We’ve sold over 10,000 box sets in the past two years, generating an ARR of $500K. Our Amazon listings maintain a 7% conversion rate and an exceptionally low return rate of just 0.05%.
Why children hate reading books
The book publishing industry has remained stuck in the pre-internet era. Books haven’t been reimagined to coexist with screens — they’re still treated as static fact dumps. I set out to change that.
95%
Prefer screens or videos to learn new concepts
92%
Value the interactive element of reading with a parent or grown-up
10%
Blame books as the problem, not their own lack of interest
Grassroots marketing to help parents understand the value behind spending $50 on high-quality books.
While most authors launch individual books, I chose to launch box sets to maintain healthy margins that could sustain marketing initiatives. The biggest challenge with this approach was convincing customers to spend $50 on books — which led me to launch a grassroots campaign to communicate the product’s value.
I fostered a community of teachers, parents, librarians, and homeschoolers around our shared mission to make learning engaging and accessible.
As a bootstrapped solo entrepreneur, I rely heavily on AI to get my business off the ground — and achieve remarkable results.
AI tools and agents played a pivotal role throughout the journey—from book creation and marketing to inventory management. Our AI-driven ad campaigns have been highly effective, achieving a 7% conversion rate, a minimal 0.05% return rate, and sustainable net margins of 15%. The business continues to grow steadily, now supported by overseas partners and AI systems that streamline day-to-day operations.
"Parents, teachers, and librarians have raved about the new real-world books. Some consider them game-changers for kids with short attention spans, especially in the age of AI."
New York Post