25 upvotes from builders, 0 from book readers: When validation tests collide
Hey IH đź‘‹
Sharing my latest validation story for Booklaxy, curious to hear your thoughts!
I built Booklaxy, an AI-assisted personal wiki for book universes.
Because I kept forgetting who was who in sagas as Dune...
At first, the app was fully manual: users had to write their own notes and character sheets.
Nobody ever finished one (except me, and it took forever).
So I added AI to do the boring part.
How it works:
1. Add a book → AI creates character profiles, relationships, summaries
2. You edit what AI got wrong
3. Result: your own spoiler-free, personal wiki
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Validation attempts and what went wrong
Test 1 — r/SideProject (Oct 17)
Posted as I built an interactive character graph for books. Never forget who's who again! → 25 upvotes
Feedback: got some interest from builders, a few tests, but no signups.
Lesson: I marketed it to the wrong crowd, good engagement, but not the right users. I missed an opportunity to ask better questions related to product building/PMF.
Test 2 — r/harrypotter (Oct 22)
Posted just a complex graph (30+ characters) Character connections in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
→ 0 upvotes, 8 comments… all negative
Feedback: "Doesn’t look like the movies", "Not canon", "don't like IA"
Lesson: wrong book (too visual expectations) + wrong angle (people judged art, not utility). Still, it helped me see that visuals attract attention but also raise expectations.
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Next step
Pivoting toward BookTok / Bookstagram creators:
• They need fresh visual content
• It can help them create unique posts (character graphs, story maps, etc.) in minutes
• They’re easier to reach and may engage if the value is clear
Plan: DM 30 fantasy/sci-fi creators (500 to 5K followers) over 3 days.
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What I’d love feedback on:
1. Is this a messaging issue, or a real product–market fit problem?
2. Was the Harry Potter test simply the wrong choice (too visual, too “canon”), and could another saga work better?
3. Should I double down on creators, or pause to better understand if there’s a real potential audience?
Still iterating and learning, curious to hear your take.
