From Paperback to Interactive App: How Doreen Pena Grew 300+ Subscribers Using Her Book

Over the past few months, I’ve been sharing videos about how children’s book authors can repurpose their paperbacks into interactive story apps — with the goal of reaching new audiences and unlocking new income streams.

But sometimes, strategies make the most sense when you see them in action.

That’s why I want to share a real-world success story from one of my students, Doreen Pena — an author who turned her book into an interactive app and, in the process, grew an engaged email list of over 300 readers in just a few weeks.

Meet Doreen Pena

Doreen Pena is a self-published author, retired teacher, and proud second-generation Cape Verdean American.

A few years ago, she published her book Conversational Cape Verdean Kriolu for Everyone, born from her passion to preserve her native Cape Verdean language for her kids, grandkids, and the wider Cape Verdean community.

The book quickly found an audience on Amazon KDP, but there was one problem — like many authors, Doreen had no direct way to reach her readers.

Amazon doesn’t share customer data, and despite strong book sales, she had no list, no email addresses, and no simple way to connect with her fans.

That started to change when readers began asking for something more — an app version of her book.

From Book to App: Validating the Idea

Instead of jumping straight into full-scale app development, Doreen wanted to validate her idea first.
That’s where the strategy I’ve been teaching came in — a simple setup that combines Unity and MailerLite.

For those new to these tools:

• Unity is a free but powerful game engine that allows you to build interactive apps and games for multiple platforms — including iOS, Android, PCs, and even smart TVs.
• MailerLite is an email marketing tool that helps creators build and manage mailing lists, with a generous free plan that’s perfect for beginners.

In a previous post, I showed how these two tools can be integrated using a no-code drag-and-drop registration component I created. Doreen decided to test it.

Building the MVP App

Our goal was simple: create a minimum viable product (MVP) version of her story app by repurposing what she already had.

No ads. No artists or designers. Just strategy.

Doreen reused the same illustrations, text, and audio from her book — no new assets, no extra costs. In just a short time, she had a working prototype: one chapter from her 14-chapter book, turned into an interactive story app connected to MailerLite for capturing reader details.

We published that MVP to Google Play and the Apple App Store, then waited to see how readers would respond.

The Results: Real Readers, Real Engagement

Within the first month, the app had almost 300 downloads and sign-ups.

Those weren’t just vanity numbers — they were real readers who cared enough to share their email addresses to learn more about her work.

For the first time, Doreen had something she never had from her Amazon paperback:
a direct line to her audience.

That changed everything.

Nurturing Her New Audience

Building on that early traction, Doreen used MailerLite’s automation tools to create an eight-week email sequence designed to keep readers engaged while she worked on the full app.

Each new subscriber received a welcome email immediately after signing up through the app, followed by weekly updates — short snippets from her book, behind-the-scenes notes, and progress on the app’s development.

It was one simple setup, but it created ongoing engagement and momentum.

Launching to a Warm Audience

Today, Doreen’s full interactive app is about 90 percent complete, and she’s preparing to launch it to a warm audience of nearly 500 subscribers — readers who already know, like, and trust her.

She’s not just releasing an app; she’s launching to a community she’s been nurturing for months.

This is the power of combining storytelling, smart tools, and simple strategy.

What You Can Learn from Doreen’s Journey

Doreen’s story is a reminder that you don’t always need a big budget or a development team to move your author brand forward.

By repurposing existing assets and using no-code tools, she:

• Validated her idea before committing to a full build
• Built an engaged list of readers she can now communicate with directly
• Laid the foundation for a sustainable audience-driven business beyond Amazon

If you’re a children’s book author wondering how to expand your reach and connect more deeply with your readers, her journey shows what’s possible.

Start Your Own Journey

If you’d like to follow a similar path, I’ve created a free guide — a step-by-step blueprint that walks you through turning your storybook into an interactive app, reaching more readers, and growing your author brand.

👉 The Children’s Book Creator’s Blueprint to Story-Based Game Apps