Tales For Tweens
A book for tomorrow's progressive citizens!
Project Summary
Tales for Tweens is an inclusive and progressive storybook for young Indians. The book is a compilation of the finest stories spread across themes such as Body Positivity, Gender Identity, Saving Money, Climate Change, and Mental Health. The book is currently available for sale on Amazon India and several other independent bookstores. The book received positive reviews from various parents, experts, and also received wide media coverage for its unique approach.
Role
I, as the creator of the book, designed the book and edited the individual stories.
Timeline
January 2022 - Present
Client
Flourish Books
Tools
Challenge
Even though a growing number of Indian parents are looking to introduce their children to progressive ideas, there is a dearth of affordable resources in the mainstream to facilitate the process. Books that focused on topics such as LGBTQ+, climate change, and mental health were relatively expensive, which made them unaffordable to most Indian parents. In addition, there has also been a lack of stories around the aforementioned concepts in the Indian context.
Process
Market Research
The storybooks in the market were initially analyzed to identify the following:
- The themes of the books in the current market
- Reviews of the books
- Potential outreach channels
Parent Interviews
Based on the market research, several parent personas were identified and it was decided that the books would focus on urban/semi-urban parents who wanted to expose their children to progressive ideas. The parent interviews helped in identifying the themes that were lacking in the current market but had a demand. Based on the parent interviews, market research, and expert consultation, the following themes were identified for the storybook.
Body Positivity
Gender Identity
Financial Literacy
Climate Change
Civic Awareness
Mental Health
Leveraging Creative Commons
For the book, I primarily relied on open-sourced stories released under the Creative Commons license to ensure significant cost-cutting. The stories were handpicked from the best stories in StoryWeaver, an open-source platform, under the Creative Commons (CC) License. By leveraging the CC License, the stories were further adapted and enhanced to be inclusive and diverse with the aid of an inclusivity index. More details on the book's inclusivity index can be found here - talesfortweens.in/inclusivity-index.
Solution
Tales For Tweens
An inclusive and progressive storybook for young Indians. The book is a compilation of the finest stories spread across themes such as Body Positivity, Gender Identity, Saving Money, Climate Change, and Mental Health.
LGBTQ+ friendly with inclusive language
The stories in the book were carefully adapted to be inclusive of all genders, disabilities, and identities, while taking special care to ensure the language used is free of any biases. This effort to create an equitable and welcoming narrative has made the stories even more compelling and meaningful.
Complementary digital content
The stories are enhanced with QR codes, granting readers access to a wide range of digital content and further information on the themes explored in the stories.
Contextual stories
The stories are tailored to the Indian context to ensure that young readers can relate to and engage with the storylines.
Engaging activities
The stories in this book are filled with captivating activities to ensure that readers remain engaged and entertained throughout.
Results
The book was piloted in the market with 1000 copies. Despite minimal marketing spending, it has seen notable traction due to positive word-of-mouth. It has been especially well-received by progressive parents in India, and its success has been covered by several sought-after newspapers and online media channels such as The Hindu and The New Indian Express. The book has consistently been listed in the top 10 percentile in the Children’s & Young Adults section in Amazon India. The initial feedback received from the launch of the first edition has been essential in guiding the development of subsequent editions.
Learnings
The project resulted in several important learnings that I always look back upon.
Importance of product market fit
I started the storybooks project through bilingual storybooks. Despite the effectiveness of the book, the book couldn't find the right customers. It taught me the importance of creating a product that's not just effective but can also sell in the market. With Tales For Tweens, the marketing efforts were primarily focused on reaching progressive urban parents with spending power. This strategy proved particularly effective as the parents in the said category are keen on equipping their children with progressive storybooks.
Power of word of mouth
Apart from the initial influencer marketing, the sales of the book has been sustained primarily through word-of-mouth marketing. It helped me realise the importance of creating mechanisms that allow people to easily share and talk about the product.
Understanding of Indian E-Commerce supply chains
The experience helped me gain a good understanding of being a seller in the Indian e-commerce ecosystem. The biggest takeaway is that the Indian e-commerce system is so stellar that by establishing good systems and processes one can leverage third-party services to sell online with minimum hassle.
