Fabuly – It is a mobile app that brings you the greatest classical novels and short stories in both audio and text format. Joseph Lange, the founder of Fabuly, worked at Google for nearly 10 years before deciding to quit and start his own venture. In this episode, you’ll discover what inspired Joseph to create Fabuly, along with insights into his marketing strategies and future goals.
Arun: Hello Joseph, can you simply explain what Fabuly is all about?
Joseph: Fabuly is an Android and iOS app where you can read and listen to famous classics like Sherlock Holmes, Jane Austen, and many more novels and short stories. One great feature of Fabuly is that it’s free to use, and you can read and listen at the same time. Also, it allows you to follow along with the text while you’re listening to the content.
Arun: Can you share about your educational background and work experience?
Joseph: I’m an engineer specialized in applied mathematics from Belgium. I also studied briefly at MIT and KTH in Stockholm, Sweden. After that, I worked for almost 10 years for Google as a software engineer in Switzerland.
Arun: That’s great! Joseph, is Fabuly your first business, or do you have any other entrepreneurial experience before starting Fabuly?
Joseph: I don’t have much experience. When I was 18, me and my brother worked on a project – we created invoicing software for lawyers. Our client was using the software and she was really excited about the project and we thought about maybe scaling it but eventually, we decided to go back to our studies and continue with other staff.
Arun: What inspired you to start Fabuly?
Joseph: For Fabuly, In my mind, I wanted to build a business—it was something I had decided a long time ago. I was searching for a good idea and explored several, but the idea for Fabuly came to me last year while I was traveling around the world with my girlfriend. At one point, we were in Japan, working on a farm in the countryside, far from any towns. We wanted to read some books, but it was nearly impossible to find any in French, and even fewer in English.
I realized that public domain books should be easy to access online, including audiobooks. However, I found the process of searching for a good title, installing a reader app, and choosing a book to be unnecessarily complicated. That’s when I came up with the idea to create an app where accessing public domain literary works, whether in audio or text format, would be simple and seamless.
Arun: Okay, so did you just start Fabuly, or did you have a chance to validate the idea before launching it?
Joseph: I had several ideas for different businesses and was working on validating them. The reason I chose Fabuly was because I believed it had the most potential. I did market research, analyzed the competition, and looked into the existing opportunities to create something impactful in this space. We eventually launched the app on the Play Store and App Store, and soon after, we started receiving user reviews and ratings. The feedback was very positive, and we got high ratings, which encouraged us to keep going. Seeing that there were early adopters who really liked the product also helped validate the idea.
Arun: As Fabuly continues to grow, I’m sure you’ll be hiring more developers, sales person, marketing people, and other team members right? In your opinion, what qualities do you look for in a developer who would join your team?
Joseph: For me, when I’m looking for a developer, it’s not about how much they already know, but their ability to learn quickly and their algorithmic reasoning skills. This is also what we focused on at Google, where we conducted every technical interview. I believe that if a software engineer can efficiently code in one language and solve complex algorithmic problems, they’ll be able to learn new languages and tools easily. That’s really what I’d be looking for in a software engineer.
Arun: Great to hear! During our previous call, you mentioned that you’re planning to hire a few people in September. Is that still the case?
Joseph: Yes! we just had another intern join, so right now we have 2 amazing marketing interns on our team who are handling all the social media aspects of Fabuly, as well as managing editorial content selection. There’s a lot of work involved in choosing the books, creating new covers, and ensuring quality. Our team is currently 3 people, and we’re planning to hire an additional software engineer to join our team.
Arun: Are you currently managing all the development activities at Fabuly? And, what kind of marketing strategies are you planning to follow in Fabuly to get the world around and acquire a lot of users?
Joseph: Yes, I’m currently handling the technical aspects of Fabuly, but soon we’ll have someone else to help with that.
As I mentioned before, I’ve been pushing myself out of my comfort zone. This area—marketing and user acquisition—is not my strongest point, but we’re exploring different funnels since Fabuly is a B2C app, and it’s challenging to get noticed. One funnel we’re trying is social media and influencers. We’re reaching out to influencers to talk about the app to the right audience. It’s still early, so we can’t say yet if this will be a promising strategy.
Another funnel we’re exploring, which I believe is very promising, is SEO. Being easily discoverable in search results is crucial for Fabuly. We want people who are looking for an app to listen to public domain works or classic books, with synchronized text and audio, to find us—whether on Google search or in the Play Store. We’re working on SEO, writing blog articles, explaining what we do, and collaborating with other websites to get backlinks and build legitimacy. These are the two main funnels we’re focusing on at the moment.”
Arun: Getting Fabuly listed on the first page of Google would significantly increase the app’s visibility.
Joseph: Yes, exactly. Everyone wants to be on the first page of Google, but the key is to identify specific keywords that highlight what Fabuly delivers that other apps don’t. In that case, it’s possible to rank first or among the top results because, for certain specific needs, we offer the best solution. However, we can’t expect to rank first for very generic keywords since that space is highly competitive.
Arun: Are you planning to use Google Ads for marketing?
Joseph: Yes, we’re trying that as well. We’re using both Google Ads and Apple Ads, which have helped us acquire users and gather feedback. However, I would say the cost of acquisition through these platforms is currently a bit high for us compared to the lifetime value we get from our customers. But we are continuing to use them.
Arun: Who is your primary target audience? What age group are you focusing on for this app?
Joseph: What we’ve noticed is that many Fabuly users are older people who have the time and enjoy exploring classic literature, especially in audio format. This is a trend we’ve observed, and we believe the app could be a great fit for older users in the UK as well.
Additionally, some parents have told us that their kids are using Fabuly to read, and they find it really enjoyable. Most of the parents are mentioned that their children are using the app to both read and learn to read, which could be another potential target audience in the future. Yeah, I think you also mentioned this to me right? Like yours, I’ve received several positive comments on that aspect, so it could be quite nice to me.
Arun: Right, so on the Play Store and App Store, it’s easy to get immediate customer feedback since users can quickly rate and post comments. Have you ever had an experience where customer feedback led you to make changes to the app?
Joseph: Yes, in the first version of the app, we released a very early version that was missing a lot of features. We received several comments from users, and one common request was the ability to change the playback speed, which is actually very important. We didn’t have that feature initially, but we quickly added it after realizing many people wanted it.
In the beginning, a lot of users also complained that there weren’t enough books available. Since then, we’ve been adding more and more books, and now we hear fewer complaints about that.
Arun: I see that Fabuly is currently free for all users. Are you considering monetizing it in the future, and what do you think to implement it?
Joseph: In the next one or two months, we plan to introduce a new premium version. Everything that is currently free will remain free, as we believe that if we offer something for free, we shouldn’t charge for it later. However, we will be adding new features. One of these features will be the ability to download audiobooks for offline use, so the app can be used without an internet connection. To access this, users will need a premium subscription, which, for example, will be priced at $1.99 per month in the US.
Arun: I see you’ve raised funds from investors right? How was the fundraising experience going?
Joseph: The fundraising experience was actually pretty smooth for me. I think I got lucky with some amazing business angels who were eager to support us. We have five different business angels backing us, and we also received significant subsidies from the French government. We applied for these subsidies, they liked the project, and they decided to fund it. Overall, it went very smoothly, and we’re in a good position. We should be financially secure for at least a year, possibly even longer, until we either become profitable or start a new funding round.
Arun: What kind of support does the French government provide for businesses like Fabuly?
Joseph: I believe the French government is trying to incentivize new tech businesses as part of their broader strategy. While I can’t speak on behalf of the government, my understanding is that they want to encourage innovation, especially in tech and deep tech. The subsidies we received are part of those programs aimed at supporting this type of innovation.
Arun: Apart from the financial support, are you looking for anything else from your investors, like helping with marketing or using their personal brands to boost Fabuly’s exposure?
Joseph: The most important aspect for me when it comes to investors is trust. It’s the leap of faith they’re taking by investing in the business, knowing that once they provide the funds, they won’t have complete control over the business. I believe it’s crucial to have trust between the investors and the founders, and to avoid overly complex contracts that allow investors to demand their money back at any time. Instead, it should be, ‘We give you the money, and now you go and work on the idea to the best of your ability.
Additionally, each investor brings something different to the table. Having investors is valuable because they can offer various things, like networking opportunities or even technical expertise. For example, some of our investors are experts in their fields, particularly in big tech and AI, which has been incredibly beneficial for us at Fabuly.
Arun: What is your next goal for Fabuly over the next two to three years?
Joseph: Hopefully, we’ll be profitable—that would be great. It would be amazing if we could sustain ourselves through premium subscriptions. In terms of the app, our goal is to continue adding valuable content. We want to offer thousands of public domain works in various formats—text, audio, or both—and in as many languages as possible.
Arun: Do you have to negotiate with a lot of publishers to obtain the copyrights for the books before publishing them on your app? How does that process work? Is it easy, or do you find it to be a bit challenging?
Joseph: At this point, we’re using public domain works, which means we don’t have to pay for the rights to books that were written a long time ago. For example, authors like Charles Dickens or Jack London—those kinds of books are in the public domain, so there are no licensing fees. Right now, we’re focusing on these works, which is why we can offer the app entirely for free and keep the premium version very affordable. If we decide to expand the content, we will have to work with publishing houses that hold the rights and can grant us licenses in specific countries for specific works.
Arun: Do you have plans to add non-fiction books in the future?
Joseph: Yes, I think adding non-fiction is a bit more challenging when it comes to finding compelling works in the public domain. Non-fiction often revolves around lifestyle, philosophical reflections, or similar topics, and when you read non-fiction from the 19th century, it can feel outdated or a bit strange. I would say it hasn’t aged as well as fiction, like romance or adventure, which seem to get better with time—they always feel so well-written.
With non-fiction, it’s different. For that, it might be a good idea to collaborate with publishers to see if we can include some more recent works.
Arun: Okay Joseph, let’s move on to some general questions. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received in your life?
Joseph: One piece of advice that drives me is: If you can’t do anything about a situation or issue, just forget it and don’t dwell on it. But if you can do something, then take action and do it now.
Arun: That’s great! Could you recommend one of your favorite non-fiction books to our users?
Joseph: One of my favorite non-fiction books is Sapiens. I think it’s a fantastic deep dive into the history of humanity, and I really enjoyed it.
Arun: What is the most important productivity tool or hack that you use on a daily basis?
Joseph: Chatgpt 🙂
Arun: Yeah, everyone uses Chatgpt nowadays. I think it’s great for content writing. Alright, in your opinion, what is the most important quality an entrepreneur should have to be successful?
Joseph: Persistence. Just keep going and never give up
In this insightful interview, Joseph Lange, the founder of Fabuly, shares his remarkable journey from nearly a decade at Google to launching an innovative mobile app that breathes new life into classic literature.
He discusses his marketing strategies, emphasizing the power of social media and community engagement, and reveals his ambitious goals for the app’s future—expanding its library and enhancing user experience with personalized features. Joseph’s journey is a testament to the importance of pursuing one’s passions and embracing new challenges.
Join us as we explore the intersection of technology and literature, and discover how Fabuly is making classic works more accessible to readers everywhere!
