iLovecraft 2 Immersive Reading - Interview with the developer of a fantastic app

Did you have any prior development or coding experience?

No, our “opera prima" was iPoe Vol.1 [https://apps.apple.com/es/app/ipoe-vol-1-edgar-allan-poe/id507407813]. We created it with no expectations other than publishing a book designed 100% as an interactive and immersive experience. Our surprise was to win the PIA (Publishing Innovation Awards) award for the best digital fiction book 2013.

What was the most challenging aspect of developing mobile app?

The great challenge was to create a magical work team with very different profiles such as illustrators, designers, developers, musicians, and 2D animators, among others.
A fantastic work team was created where everyone sought excellence and worked with the rest of the skills in mind.

_{iClassics Productions}

The interviewee, Efrén Garcia i Artero, is the CEO and Co-Founder of iClassics Productions. iClassics Productions is an app developer and digital publisher whose mission is to cast a modern light on the greatest canonical literature.
In only two years, we have produced 11 Immersive Reading Apps, which take the unabridged texts and elevate them with artistic illustration, interactivity, animation, FX, an original musical soundtrack, and sound effects.
With giants like H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Washington Irving, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Jack London in our collection, we have made enjoying the classics a modern experience that can be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere.

Name a few of your favorite apps and reason you love them.

Evernote: It's how I record everything from random ideas throughout the day to meeting notes to lists to stories I write.
Procreate: The illustration team uses Procreate for their creations in a simple, easy, intuitive way, great to draw.

How long have you been working on this app?

We started working on our "first feature" in 2011 with the first volume of Edgar Allan Poe (iPoe vol.1) in its iPad-only version. Then we improved its stability and weight by publishing its version for iPhone in 2012. Then we had a break to get capital (investors) that lasted 2 years until we got enough money in 2014 to create the collection of 11 Apps that we have in "iClassics Collection” www.iclassicscollection.com

The capital ran out in 2019 and we did not get the expected volume of downloads and lost the investment team. The last 3 years we have been looking for new investors and partners to get more downloads or sell the Apps or a publisher without success at the moment.

What need of the user did you have in mind when developing this app?

We are looking for a way to convert a classic book into an updated format for current devices, making the most of the advantages they offer us, such as audio, vibration, gyroscope, flash, etc. But always keeping the original text of the author without any changes, just adding a more immersive experience.

The goal is to bring classic literature closer to young people in a friendlier way.

In what way do you think your app is better than similar apps on the market? Please describe in detail what innovation you think you bring and what you are proud of in your app.

Most of the app books that exist in the market do not use the advantages of mobile devices to create an immersive experience as special and creative as iClassics. Most play background music, instead we create music expressly for each story that accompanies you throughout the experience following the rhythm of the story. Also note that our illustrators are masters in illustration and highly valued illustrators worldwide by large publishers.

Then the interactivity is not free without meaning, but it is thought with the same method as the cinematographic scripts that help to understand more about the story and many times make us smile or get a big scare!

What are your future plans and expected features of the coming new versions of this app?

It's a good question, we currently have no plans for the future, we are trying to get partners or investors to continue creating these works of art and continue promoting classic literature among young people in a unique and different way. We hope in the coming months to reach a good agreement with possible publishers to continue expanding the collection.

Assuming new users of your app are reading this page. What do you want to ask them to do (contact you about X, Share the app, etc.)?

We invite all readers to read the reviews of our apps and discover a unique experience that you will not have lived with any other interactive book. And then leave an honest review of your experience. Also invite investors and potential partners to participate in the project. And thank you for your time in reading this interview.