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This issue of Write Now covers web3 book metadata standardization efforts, an NFT NYC (unofficial) side event for writers and publishers, and a few highlighted articles from PubDAO community members.

Update from the Web3 Book Standards Group

by T. Dylan Daniel

Week 2 of the Web3 Books Standards Group saw four working groups hold meetings. After the previous week’s well-attended Thursday afternoon call, over half a dozen organizations from around Web3 including Cent, PageDAO, Alexandria Labs, Pylons, Readl, Blockleaders, Vagobond Magazine, and others broke out into working groups and took a close look at the problem of how to best implement a metadata standard for their industry’s future.

An experiment in public good creation, WBSG is multiple steps closer to knowing what it takes to produce a useful framework to share books interoperably across various domains including print, ebook, and now on-chain representations. Each group met, discussed specifications and asked questions throughout the week. Thursday, there was another call featuring representatives from each group and a few new groups including Darkblock.io’s core team.

During all of this networking, PageDAO and Alexandria Labs swapped notes about metadata and ISBN support. Pylons led the way to discovering a first iteration of the ultimate product, an application layer capable of integrating assets across blockchain environments and IRL books’ current forms. Cent worked on user-driven ways to protect IP from AI systems. Blockleaders and PageDAO representatives met to summarize and formulate additional considerations such as the marketplace layer users will eventually have access to in order to trade books and book-related assets on-chain. Blog style content can also be ultimately included, generating a first-in-class user experience for books.

Next week brings another round of working group calls. The registry group has joined with the Product group, but otherwise all calls are scheduled at the same time as they were last week for convenience. Progress in general is still early, but things are moving quickly.

In on-chain/Web3 formats, books as we traditionally think of them change a bit. Content stored in IPFS/ARWeave is immutable, which means it stays the same over time. Unlike print books, which decompose. Ebooks also suffer from the problems associated with personal data storage, including hard drive maintenance, ownership, and accessibility challenges faced by users of local or cloud storage and centralized data providers such as Amazon.

By creating a single source of truth for the Web3 component of the publishing industry, the Member Organizations of the WBSG will make real progress toward a world that sees the value of on-chain book representation, storage, and trading. To join WBSG, reach out to member organizations listed in this article.

Reframing the Page

Alexandria Labs, CryptoWriters, and PubDAO are teaming up to organize an event for web3 writers during NFT NYC!

This event will bring together the community of web3-native readers and writers, along with some of the industry leaders helping define the web3 publishing landscape.

Attendance will be free, with a maximum capacity, so RSVP while there is still room!

There will be two raffles, the Reader's tier and the Writer's tier, for those who wish to donate to the event and enter the drawing for a prize pool, consisting of writing NFTs from the organizers. We will also be accepting patrons, who wish to have a table at the event to promote their company or project.