Some of my favorite NFT projects I like to write about are the ones that are doing interesting things on the blockchain. BOOK.io is exactly the type of project that gives a real-world example of how blockchain technology will change the world. BOOK.io isn’t a PFP project, it’s a business that was born on Cardano.
Selling books via NFT is, to degens anyway, the next step in the evolution of reading. This revolution brings back ownership, something companies like Amazon have been taking away for years.
When you buy an E-book on Amazon, You Don’t Really Own It
Sure you purchased the book, but if you own it why can’t you sell it? If you can’t sell the book, is it really yours? When you own a book, purchased from BOOK.io, you own it. When you get finished reading the book, you have the option to sell it to someone else.
What happens when Amazon bans your favorite e-book? Think it can’t happen? In 2009, people who “Bought” George Orwell’s 1984 or Animal Farm, opened their kindle one day to find that these books were no longer there. Greg Roberts complained on Quora.com that his account was banned for what they determined was fraudulent activity, and he lost all of his $100,000 e-book collection on the platform.
Needless to say, the previous 2 examples are solved by self-custody on a blockchain by BOOK.io. These won’t be the last issues we see with platforms banning content, and BOOK.io has made all the products they sell cancel-proof. They do this by allowing actual custody of the product through their wallet.
BOOK.io – Reacquaint Yourself With The Classics
The first book the platform released was the Gutenberg Bible, which was the first mass-produced book in world history. Since, BOOK.io has published other classics such as The Count of Monte Cristo, A Tale Of Two Cities, The Odyssey, and Don Quixote. These books, which are in the public domain, allowed Book.io to build a war chest in order to improve the platform
BOOK.io also promotes independent writers’ work. My NFT Cousin Thorpe Brown released his book, Your Reality Is A Construction via BOOK.io. Other authors have followed and there is a plethora of genres of publications in their bookstore.
BOOK.io also recently partnered up with Open Road Media, a global ebook publisher whose authors include Pat Conroy, Gloria Steinem, Octavia Butler, John Jakes, Walker Percy, and Sherman Alexie.
Partnerships like this one are I’m sure the first of many. Once publishers figure out the benefits of publishing on-chain, the smart ones will get on board quickly. Those who don’t will be relegated to history.
The New Distribution Model That Keeps Improving
The team at BOOK.io continue to build. Along with building partnerships, they seem to be tirelessly working to give users a better reading experience.
They recently updated their reader, which I like. They’re also developing a utility called mint and print, which will allow book owners to print their books. I’m very interested in seeing this technology in particular work.
The $Book Token
Their rewards program will be administered using their $Book token. The token will act as a reward for reading, with heavier readers reaping more tokens.
These tokens can be used for upgrades, and products, and can even be traded on dex’s when released.
Why The World Needs BOOK.io
As an avid reader, I love the idea of owning my book for a myriad of reasons. I think for a reader, the experience is already in-line with other e-readers. What BOOK.io changes are the royalties authors and publishers receive for secondary sales. I frequent used bookstores on the regular, and I can assure you that these stores aren’t paying royalties to publishers for reselling their products. This feature alone is a godsend for struggling authors.
I’m happy to see BOOK.io chose Cardano to build their business. What they are doing is in line with the blockchain’s ethos. I can’t think of a better place for book.io to live than on Cardano.
