Introduction

I am a software developer but have always had a passion for the horror genre. A big fan of Stephen King's books, Silent Hill video games, and even mysterious or true crime stories on the internet, I appreciate all formats.

After several years coding industrial software, I needed to quench my creative thirst in a different way, so I recently ventured into writing my own horror story in the form of a book. When I finished, I faced a question: Should I send my manuscript to a publishing house? Or should I simply distribute it for free online? I feared failure, receiving a standardized rejection email, and success, entangling myself in the complex procedures of the publishing world.

Then, in a stroke of synchronicity, I stumbled upon highlight.xyz, and there, I knew what I wanted to do.

What's Wrong with Web2?

I have been working for many years as an industrial software engineer. In this world, proprietary software is the norm. We are forced to use paid, black-box tools, and when we need help, we must call the manufacturer's hotline, with almost no online community support.

Then, one day, I discovered Open Source. I found free tools, 20 to 30 years ahead in performance, quality, UX than what I was used to. A community focused on sharing and learning. I left my proprietary software for Python, Kafka, Tensorflow... I could never go back. But unfortunately, when I presented my ambitions, my proposals were often poorly received: How could free software be better than paid software? We have always worked with company X, why change? I was somewhat disappointed by this mentality.

Although my experience is in the industrial world, just look around to see that the world operates in the same way: finance, for example, and art. I hesitated to try my luck with a publishing house because I didn't want to be trapped in another industry: entrusting my text to someone who would edit it, then contact a graphic designer for the cover, lawyers for the legal part of the contract, a printer for the physical version, another employee for the digital part (apparently, when you buy an EPUB, you are just renting the right to read its content, but it never really belongs to you...) and another for advertising. I wanted this to be my project. To manage it entirely, and to inscribe it in a more "Open Source" and community dynamic. I needed to shake up the preconceptions.

So, I turned to two fantastic tools: AI and Web3.

Why AI and Web3?

My first need was autonomy. The main task, writing my work, was pure pleasure, and I did it by hand. Other aspects, like editing, illustrations, translating the original French version to English, didn’t interest me, or I lacked the skills. So instead of outsourcing to professionals, I outsourced to AI, which was my assistant in this project. Now, for distribution, I needed a system that met the following needs:

  • Built on Open Source
  • Community-oriented, without third-parties
  • Permissionless sharing
  • Offering tools for digital collection

The first three aspects are the foundation of Blockchain and Web3. I was going to share my book for free, by myself, using just the Open Source, permissionless tools of Web3. For the fourth point, I asked myself: why do readers still buy physical books in a digitized world with e-books? Sure, for many it's more practical to read on a physical medium than on a screen. But also, for the following reasons:

  • When you buy a book, it belongs to you. For EPUBs, it might be necessary to go through centralized platforms.
  • If you buy a book, you can lend and resell it, which is not the case with EPUBs.
  • Deep down, everyone is a collector, and it's always nice to be able to build, admire, and share one's collection.

And there, I realized that NFTs solve all these digital problems:

  • An NFT belongs to us. It's not rented, and we don't depend on any centralized platform.
  • Again, there's really this notion of ownership with NFTs, and they can be resold permissionlessly.
  • NFTs are authentic, can be limited in quantity, and are unique.

Towards a More Community-Oriented World

Since discovering Blockchain and Web3, I realize how today's world is centralized and corporate. Everything goes through industries, companies, there are all these layers of third parties between someone who offers content and someone who benefits from it.

With Web3, I could tell and listen to stories directly with the community. We could work together on works, build a network, a reputation. We could even rework works, modify them, adapt them, using technologies like maybe shared royalties. The possibilities are endless, and it's an incredible opportunity to shake up the world and shape it in our way.

My Book

“Monsters don’t exist” is the first story I've written, and I've enjoyed the process so much that I'd like it to be the start of an adventure. You can read it there :

https://app.t2.world/prompt/monsters-don-t-exist-cltqu1jw78730881ymc11b5vwq1

If you're a horror fan, I'd like to hear your opinions and critiques on the story.

The synopsis of the book is as follows:

Jordane, a journalist who works for a paranormal magazine, receives a letter from a stranger asking her to investigate her hometown, Duli, which is said to harbor monsters. Skeptical but in dire need of a subject for her next article, she decides to explore the desolate alleys of this mysterious town, accompanied by her best friend Raphaël, a professional hacker by day and amateur investigator by night.

At first glance, Duli is a dead town, traumatized by disasters and accidents with mysterious circumstances, but on closer inspection, didn't all these events happen for a reason?

And moreover, why does this town seem to grip them to the core as if it knew their darkest secrets?

Could it be that monsters really do exist?

The book is available on my GitHub in PDF and EPUB, and will be updated as needed:

https://github.com/mehdi-d-b/monsters-don-t-exist

Here is my twitter :

https://twitter.com/mehdi_d_b

Regarding the NFTs, I wanted to innovate: It is a HTML reader of the book itself. I created 2 to 5 versions of illustrations linked to a chapter, and thanks to Highlight.xyz's generative series, a random illustration is chosen for each chapter at the time of minting, giving you a statistically unique version of the book! It's going beyond collecting a book, it's having your own unique version of a story!

random cover!
another one!

You can mint it here:

https://highlight.xyz/mint/66182780cb15ee0d7503b1b2

Thanks for reading!