Certainly at the moment, some people are happy with drivel.

How much of the internet will be genAI? Probably 99% because it can produce so much content quickly. But I'd argue that most of the readership for that content will also be bots.

With deepfakes, AI influencers and machine text, there will be a tipping point. If 60% of Instagram was AI gen accounts, real people would leave. Especially with images, but also with text, viewers and readers will find ways to demand and verify humanity.

Everything will become about proof of work.

I see how well-written comments on LinkedIn gain more traction than posts. That's because 50% of the people are posting drivel, and the other 50% are commenting with AI.

The value of words trends to zero when producing them costs no time.

That's why words produced with thought and effort WILL continue to be valuable.

Final thought: If platforms like Insatagram become pure AI drivel-flows, people will cease to find it valuable and will eventually migrate elsewhere.

Even career novelists and Booker Prize winners take university jobs, speaking engagements, and other positions!

Yes, you are right. In publushing, you trade sovereignty for reach. The bigger you want to grow, the more centralized systems you need.

Hopefully, we will see ecosystems like nostr thrive and develop. Audience growth and monetization might look different there.

However, with books taking a colossal effort to bring to market, it's likely authors will still benefit from companies and systems to help with discoverability.

I think a publishing collective of freelancers (or even AI assisted elements) which is genre specific.

Author pays for production but is not the product. The publisher has a vested interest in seeing the book succeed. Thiscurrently works well for non-fiction, but fiction is a tough nut to crack. With non-fiction, your aims might be qualitative (conference speeches, new clients, magazine feature), not just sales.

I think marketing will get way more complicated, and writers will need most help there. Still, it can be daunting prospect for fiction writers spending thousands with little guarantee of return. Maybe creative crowdfunding provides another option.

It is best to do it alone, and yes, I think you find what you are looking for along the way.

It is one of the greatest things I have ever done.

Yes, A Moveable Feast is a riot. Sun Also Rises is probably my favorite though (I even used to live in Pamplona and write in the cafe he frequented).

Even in the days of paper manuscripts, publishers didn't want to pay slush readers, so agencies sprung up to do the job.

Problem is, they take money from authors and make the process of passing the gatekeeper unbearably painful. Tbh, I think the industry will wither.

As much as I dislike legacy publishing and media, it is still filled with skilled professionals whose job it is to gatekeep the world of books. That is still necessary to my mind, especially in a world of AI content.

Really though, I think the industry will break apart and decentralize from now on.

Mandibles is a good book but a shit novel. No real story, poorly drawn characters. But it is a visceral presentstion which really sparks a reaction.

Thanks for the comment. It's strange that everyone expects writers to both have commercial goals and be hitting them.

When people ask 'how many books have you sold?' it's just so they can do the napkin math on how much money you have. The economics of writing (even self-pub book sales) are comically bad.

I always wonder why people dont ask hobbyist rock climbers if they are going to go on the pro tour, or ask those who sing in a choir when their next platinum disc will come out.

When you do write for money, it is usually to sell stuff for other people, and you crestive freedom is somewhat restricted.

Still, then important thing is to write. Reach whatever goals you set, and don't let anyone drag you down.

@realBitcoinDog Now post a video of you singing...

Nice work. Keep planning. Keep dreaming. Get to 10%, then 20 etc. Celebrate the small goals.

Yes, I was following this project and read the book when it was released. Overall, I think it's a good example of bitcoin fiction, and could introduce thriller readers to the concept.

The structure and pace of the book was excellent and the idea was sound.

I felt the plot had quite a few unlikely moments and unexplained elements which pushed the bounds of my belief.

I think with a pro fiction editor and traditional publishing production (better title, better cover), this book could have been excellent. I don't mean that as a dig at the author. As I said, I think it is one of the best bitcoin fiction books out there.

I agree we need more practocal books like yours in the privacy and Bitcoin space.

There is no two ways about it, marketing needs a serious plan, 50% of your time investment in the project, community help, and monetary investment to make it go faster (KDP ads, content and assets, distribution).

I worl with Konsensus Network on book marketing for self-pub clients. DM me if you'd like some help or visit https://konsensusnetwork.com/services/marketing for more info.

I much prefer reading physical books and am happily growing my citadel library.

EBooks do carry a lot of advabtages though. Speed, availability and cost. I live in a part of Spain where book shops are poorly stocked and shipping is a nightmare, so I'm probably 50/50 on eBooks and paper right now.

Thanks for reading! What do you write?