Web3 book stores and literary NFTs are here to take over!
Darkblock, the protocol for decentralised unlockable content built on Arweave, has teamed up with Soltype, a leading platform and marketplace for Literary NFTs on Solana, to revolutionise the literary NFT space. With the integration of Darkblock’s protocol into Soltype’s platform, collectors who purchase Literary NFTs will have true ownership of the attached e-books through decentralised access.
This partnership seeks to provide a more secure and robust e-book NFT experience, allowing users the freedom and security to forever own and access their e-books regardless of any platform-related issues.
Want to learn more?
Let’s dive in!
Literary NFTs with Soltype and Darkblock – aka Your future book store
We believe decentralizing content is the future of digital ownership and we’re excited to partner with Darkblock to provide our users with a more secure and robust ebook NFT experience, Paco Puylaert, Soltype’s CEO and co-founder.
Soltype and Darkblock have joined forces to introduce the world’s first truly decentralised unlockable e-books. Soltype, a platform and marketplace for Literary NFTs on Solana, has integrated the Darkblock protocol into its platform, allowing collectors who mint or purchase Literary NFTs on Soltype to have true ownership of the attached e-books through decentralised access. Unlike other e-book platforms, Soltype recognises that decentralising content is the only way to provide true ownership of digital assets to readers, immutability to an author’s work, and prevent over-zealous censorship of literature. All Literary NFTs minted on Soltype’s platform will have their corresponding EPUB and/or PDF files encrypted, stored on Arweave, and immutably attached to the NFT.
Chris Seline, CEO of Darkblock, said that decentralised content means users hold the keys to their content and can choose where to consume it, not the other way around. Centralised platforms locking content in walled gardens is a risky thing, and the benefits of decentralisation are lost if any link in the chain is centralised. Decentralised content protects users from censorship issues and gives them ownership of their digital assets, whether e-books, films, or metaverse assets.
The first Literary NFT to benefit from Darkblock’s tech is Dracari by E.R. Donaldson – a small, 140-edition test mint. It is the world’s first decentralised unlockable e-book. But Dracari is only a dress rehearsal for Soltype’s first big mint…
On March 1, Soltype will launch Riglan, a novel and Literary NFT by award-winning Marvel writer B. Earl.
Stay tuned for Soltype's launch of RIGLAN, an ebook NFT by award-winning Marvel writer @b_earlwriter, on March 1.
This will be the first major mint of a decentralized unlockable ebook. pic.twitter.com/4ZXS3bcqpX
— Darkblock ◼️ | Decentralized Unlockable Content (@darkblockio) February 15, 2023
Seline stressed that if NFTs provide the delivery and ownership technology of the future, we need to be thinking in decades, not days. Owners and future buyers of Literary NFTs need to have confidence that the digital assets associated with their NFTs will be accessible forever without worrying about 404 messages or broken Dropbox links. That’s what Darkblock and Soltype are doing. Soltype and Darkblock’s strategic partnership revolutionises the literary NFT space, giving users the freedom and security to forever own and access their e-books, no matter what happens to either Darkblock or Soltype – all thanks to blockchain tech and NFT standards.
We’re committed to giving our users the freedom and security to forever own and access their e-books, no matter what happens to us, Paco Puylaert, Soltype’s CEO and co-founder.
Many dismiss NFTs as simple JPEGs (or other types of files) that you can right-click and save, but there is more to them than that. NFTs have immense utility and can be used in multiple sectors of many industries. Using them in the literary space is just one of those use cases. As long as you have the right people working on the idea, anything can happen.
After all, when Jeff Bezos launched Amazon as an online bookstore in 1995, few people believed that it would become the e-commerce giant it is today. At that time, the idea of selling books on the internet seemed strange to many, and some even dismissed it as a passing fad. But as a result, many years later we got the Kindle reader and electronic book store. Alas, the Kindle ecosystem is centralised and whether we like it or not, the data could easily be deleted.
Amazon is a behemoth, so we never even think about the fact Kindle could disappear—but it could. And if it did, all those e-books you’ve purchased over the years would disappear overnight, Chris Seline, CEO of Darkblock.
🚨 Big news in the #NFT world!
We're excited today to officially announce a partnership w/ @soltype_io, Solana's first platform for #LiteraryNFTs.
This partnership will introduce the world's first truly decentralized unlockable ebooks!
Here's a 🧵 on why this is important: pic.twitter.com/7ysMzh7XIG
— Darkblock ◼️ | Decentralized Unlockable Content (@darkblockio) February 15, 2023
Arweave’s role in literature
Literary NFTs on Arweave could play a crucial role in preserving literary pieces and preventing them from being lost forever. Unfortunately, history is full of lost literary works – and not only – that have never been recovered. Several works of Shakespeare, including Cardenio and Love’s Labour’s Won, have been lost over time. More recently, in 2019, a devastating fire at the National Museum of Brazil destroyed the majority of the museum’s 20 million-item collection, including rare literary pieces such as the first edition of “The Divine Comedy.” With NFTs on Arweave, literary works can be stored on a decentralised and immutable platform, providing a new avenue for preserving these works for future generations.
Check out DarkBlock and Soltype below, discussing the future of book ownership and marketplaces.
The Future of Books and Marketplaces with Soltype https://t.co/2aAcfMRoq7
— Darkblock ◼️ | Decentralized Unlockable Content (@darkblockio) February 16, 2023
Additionally, check out this Twitter Spaces recording by Cryptomachia, featuring award-winning authors and Web3 writers Jon F. Merz and Tom Leveen, to learn more about monetising your writing with NFTs and how blockchain technology is transforming the publishing industry.
If you're a writer interested in exploring how to monetize your work w/ NFTs & how blockchain tech could change publishing, you won't want to miss @cryptomachia's upcoming Space w/ award-winning authors & Web3 writers, @jonfmerz & @tomleveen.https://t.co/y4c3J6o2oy #LiteraryNFTs
— Darkblock ◼️ | Decentralized Unlockable Content (@darkblockio) February 21, 2023
About Soltype
Soltype is the leading platform and marketplace for Literary NFTs on Solana. It provides a user-friendly interface for authors and publishers to mint, sell, and promote their ebooks in NFT form. Soltype is committed to giving readers true ownership of the e-books they purchase on their platform via the Darkblock Protocol.
Website | Discord | Twitter | LinkedIn
Find out more about Darkblock here:
Website | Discord | Twitter | YouTube | Medium | LinkedIn
Join our