New Platform Offers a Decentralized Digital Marketplace for Authors and Readers
Written is a new platform launched earlier this year designed to fairly compensate authors, foster engagement between authors and readers, and allow readers to truly own their ebooks. It aims to transform ebook publishing, ownership, and trading.
Background and Vision
Erin Cox, a former publisher at the popular ebook subscription service Bookmate and publishing houses Individuum and PopcornBooks, contributed to identifying key issues in the ebook market after these companies were sold in 2022. The team recognized that:
- Amazon dominates much of the ebook market yet offers limited transparency about sales and readership to authors and publishers.
- Many authors struggle to earn a living wage from their digital works.
- Readers often feel they do not truly own the ebooks they purchase through traditional booksellers.
Technology and Mission
Mikhail Baev, with extensive experience in digital content delivery spanning music and ebooks, has been dedicated to creating simpler solutions for publishing and reader engagement. He envisions a platform that fully connects authors and readers while enabling true ownership of digital books.
“My thought was that there should be a platform that concretely addresses the issues of the connection between author and reader, but the technology was not there. My futuristic idea was that there should be a platform where an author can come, have all the tools to publish their book on the platform, then readers can come to the app, buy the book with a credit card as usual, but have true digital ownership of the book.”
Key Features of Written
- Fair compensation for authors
- Direct engagement between authors and readers
- Decentralized ebook ownership allowing real control for buyers
- User-friendly purchasing with standard payment methods
Written represents a shift towards a more transparent, equitable, and reader-focused ebook ecosystem.
Author's summary: Written pioneers a decentralized digital bookstore that empowers authors with fair pay and readers with genuine ebook ownership, challenging traditional market limitations.