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Creatokia. The World Of Digital Originals (NFTs) With Jens Klingelhöfer and John Ruhrmann
Creatokia is one of the first book-specific NFT platforms and in this interview, co-founders Jens Klingelhöfer and John Ruhrmann explain what NFTs are and why they are an opportunity for authors and rights-holders. They are also the co-founders of Bookwire, which already provides digital publishing solutions for the publishing industry.
After the interview, I reflect on key aspects of our conversation, and talk about why the recent YA NFT project Realms of Ruin didn't work, and why we need to ‘jump the S-curve' into a new business model.
Jens Klingelhöfer and John Ruhrmann are the founders of Bookwire, which provides digital publishing solutions for the publishing industry. They have recently launched Creatokia, the world of digital originals, with an accompanying podcast (currently in German, but will soon be in English.)
You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below.
Show Notes
* What are NFTs and what is Creatokia?* How will royalties on resale of digital originals help authors and publishers to make more money?* What can go into an NFT? (for example, a limited edition ePub, a virtual ticket, community access, and more)* Will the language change around NFTs? Will it become a normal part of the publishing landscape as ebooks have?* Addressing environmental concerns about NFTs* Intellectual property rights and why you need to specify ‘digital' or ‘ebook' or ‘audiobook' rights in a world of digital originals* How will Creatokia work, and when will it be available?
You can find Jens and John at Creatokia.com and on Twitter @creatokia
Transcript of Interview with Jens and John
Joanna: Welcome to the show, Jens and John.
John: Hello, Joanna.
Jens: Hi.
Joanna: I'm so excited to talk to you today. Let's start with a question that might be basic for us, but maybe not for the listeners.
What are NFTs, and what is Creatokia?
John: I think the interesting things about NFTs are it's the short version of nonfungible tokens. The thing is that NFTs are on a blockchain, and you can collect them, and you can own them, and you can trade them.
It's a decentralized technology. It does mean maybe for the publishing industry that you don't need another organization than the technical idea of the blockchain to trade a book or to trade very rare stuff and to give it to someone who can say, ‘I really own a digital original.' And that's the idea of Creatokia.
Creatokia is the possibility — in a time of limitless supply in a digital era — to bring the original back into our world and connect two worlds, a digital world and a real world. And it's something for fans and creators and for storytellers and out of the perspective of Bookwire, the company that Jens and I founded 10, 11 years ago, the next step of digital publishing.