Let's Write a Book!

yintercept in #hive-167922 • 3 years ago

I admit, I started my ~~SteemIT~~ HIVE account 45 moons ago because I was interested in finding ways to use the blockchain to create and publish polished works.

While I love the blockchain technology behind HIVE. I've been underwhelmed about HIVE as a publishing platform.

Very little of the stuff that people publish on HIVE makes it beyond the confines of the HIVE.

I used to be a decent writer. I've found that my writing ability has actually deteriorated while using the platform.

This month I decided that I would force myself to write a post every day. I keep finding myself staring at the computer at 3:00 AM struggling to finish a post. It is not good.

While I was taking my 10,000 steps a day. I started thinking about the whole reason that I started this journey. I wanted to be part of a system that published substantive works.

I came across a tree that had fallen over in the night and began thinking to myself. Why am I beating myself up trying to force myself to conform to HIVE, when I should be using HIVE to do what I want to do.

Why not use the blockchain tool for writing and publishing a book?!

Starting a Publishing Company

Starting a publishing company is not that difficult.

The first step is to start an LLC and to reserve a block of ISBNs for the books.

Starting an LLC is largely a matter of hiring an accounting firm. I suspect that there are numerous accounting firms interested in blockchain development. I doubt it would be difficult to find one willing to create an LLC for a publishing.

The first question in starting an LLC is who owns the LLC?

The HIVE blockchain is an abstract entity that exists outside the standard legal framework. Would it be possible to create a publishing company that is owned by a blockchain?

It would be fun to try.

HIVE is a platform for publishing social media posts. I doubt it would be difficult to find people willing to contribute to a book.

Finding a Subject Matter For the Book.

The hardest part about writing a book would be finding a subject matter for a book.

That opening sentence was a joke. People on HIVE love talking about HIVE. A good ten percent of the posts on HIVE are about HIVE.

Let's face it. HIVE is a self-obsessed community.

Actually the development of HIVE is a compelling business story. The blockchain was started by people interested in monetary reform and as an effort to break up the control of social media by big tech.

The first blockchain had the name STEEM. A well financed group with questionable ties led by Justin Sun captured STEEM.

The core developers of SteemIt saw this as an untenable situation and initiated a hardfork.

If that is not a compelling story for a book, then I don't know what is.

Capture is a huge problem in the modern world. Groups seeking political power have perfected the process of infiltrating and taking over organizations.

The fact that HIVE community avoided capture is both a compelling and relevant story that would make for a great book.

Anyway, it would be fun to put together a publishing company that put together a book about the founding and capture of SteemIt and the creation of the HIVE hardfork.

The cost of publishing has fallen through the floor. An individual could set up a publishing company for a thousand dollars.

Creating a professional publishing company would involve hiring an accounting firm to create an LLC. This would cost a few grand. The company would publish a book. Although book sales have tanked in the internet age, there are still a few people who buy and read books.

Anyway, I decided to drop a post with the title "Let's Write a Book" on LeoFinance because LEO is a tribe of financial geniuses who would have no problem whipping up a legal structure for a blockchain owned publishing company.

Posted Using LeoFinance ^Beta

#leo #cent #publishing #books #finance #leofinance

3 years ago in #hive-167922 by yintercept

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freedomprepper 3 years ago

That is an incredible idea and an innovative one as well. But how would the distribution go? Would you tease content (or the whole book) here on the blockchain, or would the individual chapters be NFT's? And which kind of books would the LLC publish after that initial book with Hive as subject matter? Only financially themed books, or fiction as well?

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yintercept 3 years ago

Most print on demand companies are entwined in distribution networks for books.

So, self publishing in the United States is a simple matter of sending a formatted manuscript to the printer.

HIVE has an international market. That might pose a problem.

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freedomprepper 3 years ago

In Europe it is the same. At least in the German speaking world and Amazon with its print on demand is an international player, I guess. Not sure, if this applies to developing countries.

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donthaveone 3 years ago

Why do you need a publishing company to write a book internet is a place self published zone and if you believe your content is original and hoping nobody will sue you up. Why even bother going for extra costs involve with the LLC.

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3 votes

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yintercept 3 years ago

You are right. It is possible to self-publish books through a variety of print on demand services.

One needs a publishing company to give legitimacy to a book.

It is extremely hard to sell such books.

A publishing company gives a work a sense of legitimacy.

The real question in my mind is: Would it be possible to use the HIVE blockchain as a tool for high quality content creation.

To create high quality content, one needs a combination of authors, editors and fact checkers.

It is possible to create a publishing company as a sole proprietorship. The LLC structure makes it easier to create a process with multiple people.

Of course HIVE is innovating smart contracts. It might be possible to create a structure with smart contracts that does not require any interface with the legal system

!engage

Posted Using LeoFinance ^Beta

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donthaveone 3 years ago

I don't think that many people are needed to make high quality content, maybe that's why mine work is such a poor shit. But if you actually want people to edit your work I believe there are plenty of freelancer editors who will be more than happy to proof read or edit your work.

In the conventional measures publishing house was needed as they pay the author beforehand, even before the book had made a single sale. The publishing house even give assurance to bookstore owners if the book didn't make a sale the publisher would take them back, in most of the casses. They are risk bearers but nothing as such is issue with the digital books. So I think it is practical only if you are making physical books. For services like editing hire some freelancerer.

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esecholito 3 years ago

I think Hive can be useful to generate some income while also generating some buzz on projects. I want to do some creative stuff as well, so I think Hive is quite valuable for what I want to do.

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4 votes

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hivebuzz 3 years ago

Congratulations @yintercept! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You have been a buzzy bee and published a post every day of the week.

_{You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking}
_{If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP}

To support your work, I also upvoted your post!

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my-musings 3 years ago

I used to be a decent writer. I've found that my writing ability has actually deteriorated while using the platform.

This is a huge problem, many Hivers face while using the platform at one point or another, but for the fact that it is a self-sustaining community it is very easy to just actually stop worrying much and just as you put it...

should be using HIVE to do what I want to do.

You will definitely find people to help build a community around whatever it is you are into, in your case it is figuring out how to publish a book, the outreach and critic may not be so great on the platform since almost everyone despite the interactions through comments is more focused on putting out content and monetizing that content, but still it would be a great place to start with your idea, who knows you might even get a way to actually develop a free publishing platform on top of the blockchain, whatever the results at the end of the day, I think the journey is what is more important and actually the fun thing!

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1 vote