Emerging author is pioneering a new approach to book publishing
PRESS RELEASE
21.03.21
Author Mario Cantin offers his Venture Capital-centric Sci-Fi novel, “Awakened in the Future, Vol. 1, The Rise of Isabel Bella Monte,” to one unique buyer.
Looking to find a new approach to book publishing that takes advantage of the advent of NFTs, Cantin, a Toronto author, asserts that non-fungible tokens have only begun a disruption process that’ll ripple across many sectors. He envisions a future in which owning a book sits at the junction of being both an art collectible and a piece of literary works. In this world, publishing houses would often not own the rights to the books they catalog. Instead, the book would be minted as an NFT, and you, the art collector, would own it. In other words, you could claim ownership of the works, no matter how many readers have access to a copy.
“From a legal perspective, it is as though you wrote the story yourself, except someone else did,” says Cantin. He continues, “The ownership allows you to enjoy the work for yourself as an art collectible that belongs to you and no one else.” Cantin even includes a separate document, titled “Assignment of Copyright,” which transfers the full rights to the work over to the buyer for 25 years.
Unorthodoxly, Cantin’s work was entirely done as a solo effort: the research, developmental editing, writing, content editing, proofreading, and even the cover design. He claims it can best be described as a minimum viable product. Only two reviews have been received thus far, both reportedly positive. The first one, posted on the Amazon’s listing for the book by venture capitalist Brad Feld, says: “Mario nailed the current conflict in society that leads a group of 50 VCs to secretly launch level 5 AI to protect humanity from an impending mind control takeover by the government. The setup is delightful and full of easter eggs (find your favorite VC among the protagonists.) The AI is named Isabel Bella Monte (see — easter eggs everywhere), which leads to part 2 of the book 500 years in the future. The third act is another 250 years forward, as one of the original 50 VCs has subversively set things up so he can take over society at a random moment in time. The characters are fun, the plot is strong, and the social commentary is right on the money for this moment in time. It’s Mario’s first book, so there are some rough edges, but that just made it more fun to read.”
The other review came from a neighbor Cantin barely knows but talks to once in a while. The individual in question is a truck driver and not related to the tech sector. “He texted me a raving review afterward and insisted on purchasing three more softcover copies to give out to his friends. It would appear the appeal is, therefore, broader than simply being limited to the venture capital sector”, says Cantin.
He further explains, “The work is indeed rough around the edges, as it was done with an economy of both money and time in mind and is, once again, essentially an MVP. I think I was also, to a degree, misguided by the idea that there was value in having my creativity completely unfiltered. I really believed that fans of a creative’s early work actually would prefer that an element of rawness be present. The token sale will allow me to hire a support crew comprised of a developmental editor, a copy editor, and a proofreader. I’ll also secure the help of a PR agent. The rest of the money will act as an 18-month runway to write the next installment in the series while promoting the current work so I can better establish my reputation. Also, I’ll continue focusing on honing the craft at a consistent pace. Allow yourself to suspend disbelief for an instant, and let’s assume that I have succeeded in my writing career. This first volume will always be where it all began, right?”
As for the work from a genre perspective, Cantin tells us that the science has substance. If we’re to believe him, it rocks, in fact. Philosophical questions run deep, from a VC’s responsibility vis-à-vis the future she fosters, to reflections on humanity’s difficulties with peaceful self-governance. Assumptions that hide in plain sight within the scientific method are being challenged. Furthermore, the potential utopia the narrative postulates is simultaneously absurd and thought-provoking.
In terms of what it took to produce his novel, Cantin’s best guess is that he’s invested between 1,000 to 2,000 hours writing it, including the scientific research, not to mention that he’s been a venture capital news junkie for over ten years — a prerequisite for this particular tale. “Since I’ve originally written the book largely as a “give-before-you-get” type of effort directed toward the VC community, and since I have chosen NFTs as a potentially disrupting method of presenting literary works to the world, it behooves me, it seems, to seek art collectors who are VCs or angels and are bullish on crypto,” he explains.
In parting, could Cantin be right in proposing that there will be a disruption in book publishing, brought about by the advent of the non-fungible token? He reminds us that this new path wouldn’t be for every author, but it could arguably democratize countless others’ access. And would purchasing Mario Cantin’s NFT, in particular, be a good idea? Wouldn’t it be better to find other, more established writers instead?
Here is his answer to that: “I’m very likely the first author to offer their novel as an NFT + copyright assignment. If others exist, I have been unable to find them. It may seem like a stretch to think that I could become successful. But what if I did? I’d like to also point out that no matter what the outcome of that ends up being, this NFT shall nonetheless have been a pioneering example in the space. And it was written with the venture capital universe in mind, so it’s a VC trophy waiting to be displayed as an art installation in any of the ‘Sandhill Roads’ of the world.”
We wish him good luck.
The token is currently on offer at Rarible.com for 110 ETH, or USD $188,650 at the time of writing (although he’s expressed being open to any reasonable bid). The listing address is http://bit.ly/NFT_Book
ENDS
For media inquiries contact: Mario Cantin on Twitter: @mariocantin. DMs are open. Email and phone number will shortly follow.
