Report
No point in stopping white paper: A publisher-centred blockchain model for the book publishing industry
Queensland University of Technology
2020
Appears in NTRO Research Collection
Abstract
There is a small but growing volume of academic research and innovative technological experiments in relation to blockchain and book publishing; however, the majority of this work focuses on blockchain’s benefits for authors and writers. The No Point in Stopping project is a response to a lack of research into how publishers, rather than just authors, may benefit from blockchain. This project explores a publisher-centred model of blockchain publishing that creates value for micro-publishers in terms of monetising existing intellectual property. The No Point in Stopping project involved creating and selling new digital products using the drafts, edits, and unpublished illustrations of a novella. Using the open source blockchain technology Hyperledger, the project developed a custom digital ledger to manage the intellectual property agreements and royalty payments for these digital products, and track both physical in-store and online purchases. In so doing, the research explores the potential of blockchain technology for models of book publishing that are mutually beneficial for both publishers and authors. The project is the outcome of a two-year collaboration between researchers from the Creative Industries, Law, and Science and Engineering Faculties at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), in Brisbane, Australia, and the Brisbane-based micro-publisher Tiny Owl Workshop (see Appendix 1). The No Point in Stopping project was funded by QUT’s Institute of Future Environments and a 2018 Catapult grant, a funding scheme designed to seed innovative transdisciplinary research that responds to the needs of industry, and in this case, the Australian book publishing industry.
<b>Research Background</b>
The majority of research in blockchain and book publishing focuses on blockchain’s benefits for authors and writers. The No Point in Stopping project examines how publishers, rather than just authors, may benefit from blockchain. It explores a publisher-centred model of blockchain publishing that creates value for micro-publishers by monetising existing intellectual property. The project involved creating new digital products using the drafts, edits, and unpublished illustrations of a novella. Using the open source blockchain technology Hyperledger, the project developed a custom digital ledger to manage the intellectual property agreements and royalty payments for these digital products, and track both physical and online purchases.
<b>Research Contribution</b>
* A special ‘Education Edition’ of No Point in Stopping, written by Samuel Maguire;
* A custom blockchain platform prototype for rights management and royalties distribution that enacts micro-payments via smart contracts to all creatives involved in the writing and publishing process; and
* A Print and Electronic (P&E) tracking system through a QR code for a free digital bundle from the ‘Education Edition’.
<b>Research Significance</b>
* The creation of new digital products from the drafting and editing process, and monetising intellectual property not normally monetised.
* The creation of a unique pedagogical tool for independent writers and creative writing students.
* A new contract and revenue system that disrupts the current value-chain and fee-for-service model.
The white paper discusses digital disruption of the publishing industry, the potential of blockchain technology, and the No Point in Stopping project. It was picked up by three news outlets and has an Altmetric score of 24.
Details
- Title
- No point in stopping white paper: A publisher-centred blockchain model for the book publishing industry
- Authors
- Mark David Ryan (Author) - Queensland University of TechnologyPhoebe Macrossan (Author) - Queensland University of TechnologyMichael Adams (Author) - Queensland University of TechnologyCameron Cliff (Author) - Queensland University of Technology
- Publication details
- 46 pages
- Publisher
- Queensland University of Technology
- Date published
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.5204/rep.eprints.135712
- ISBN
- 9781925553185
- Copyright note
- This work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. You are free to share and adapt this work, as long as you provide attribution through full citation. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4/0/
- Organisation Unit
- School of Business and Creative Industries
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99605208102621
- Output Type
- Report
- NTRO Classification
- NT2
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