AI, Blockchain & Virtual Worlds by Joanna Penn — ebook cover
Sample workbook page from AI, Blockchain & Virtual Worlds by Joanna Penn

Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and Virtual Worlds Ebook

Regular price$ 71.00
/
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

The Impact of Converging Technologies On Authors and Publishing

Ebook edition, delivered by Bookfunnel, read on any device.

Artificial Intelligence is already embedded in much of our daily lives and it's increasingly moving into realms that impact authors and the publishing industry. We need to embrace the opportunities and engage in conversations around possible threats in order to reinvent our industry for a very different future.

The pandemic accelerated converging technologies and changed human behavior across the globe to favor digital business models. In this book, I discuss current technological and societal trends and consider the opportunities for authors and the publishing industry over the next decade.

  • Writing in the age of AI, including Natural Language Generation models like GPT-3
  • Copyright law, Blockchain for smart contracts, and micro-payments
  • AI-assisted translation
  • Voice technologies, streaming and subscription
  • Virtual worlds and augmented reality
  • Global, digital, mobile. A wave of new writers.

It’s time to change our business model.

If we embrace this wave of converging technology, we can create abundance in our industry, enabling new forms of creativity, growing the market with new products and experiences, and expanding revenue for the entire supply chain.

We are creators. We turn ideas in our heads into books in the physical realm. We can use these technologies to surf the wave of change and invent the decade ahead — together.

Ebook edition, delivered by Bookfunnel, read on any device.

Buy on other stores.

Read a Sample


Who is this book for?

This book is for authors who want to understand how AI, blockchain, and virtual/immersive worlds are reshaping publishing — and how to engage with these technologies thoughtfully rather than reactively.

What you'll learn

  • How AI writing tools work, what they're good at, what they're not, and the ethical questions every author needs to answer
  • How AI narration, AI translation, and AI cover design are changing the production stack
  • What blockchain and NFTs mean for authors (and what they don't)
  • How virtual worlds, immersive media, and the "metaverse" are creating new storytelling formats
  • How to position your author business for the next decade, not just the next launch

How is this different from generic AI books?

It is written specifically for authors and applies these technologies to the realities of writing, publishing, and selling books — not to enterprise software, marketing, or generic productivity. Joanna Penn has been an early and ongoing voice in the indie author and AI conversation.

Print books shipped from my independent printer in the UK. Paperbacks and some hardbacks are also shipped from the US, Canada and Australia. Shipping times may vary.

Ebooks and audiobooks are delivered by email through Bookfunnel. Check your email and then download or read/listen on your favorite device.

Reviews

★★★★★

If you are a writer or any sort of creator, the chances are that you will need to get to grips with AI, sooner rather than later. This book is a highly accessible introduction to this world.

Anne Walsh
5 star Amazon review
★★★★★

I got this book directly from the author and this is an amazing book that is filled with great information about the future. I really enjoyed it. A definite must have for authors!

Connor Whiteley
5 star Amazon review
★★★★★

As a writer, this gave me a fascinating insight into the possible future of my industry. There is a lot to consider, keep an eye on and start to plan for and use. Well worth a listen even though the book’s a couple of years old now.

Julia Goodfellow-Smith
5 star Amazon review
★★★★★

Very short and also very informative and inspirational. Joanna’s podcast, The Creative Penn, has a lot of information on these subjects and is a good companion to this material (look especially for the episode on blockchain/NFTs).

Deanna
5 star Goodreads review
★★★★★

The future of books.
Brilliant book. The author clearly explains how automation and AI are disrupting the book publishing industry and what the future could potentially look like. Must read for all indie authors if you don't want to get left behind. Some chapters also spark novel ideas to monetize books in futuristic formats.

Ann Venkat
5 star Goodreads review
  • 5 stars: 10 (91%)
  • 4 stars: 1 (9%)
  • 3 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 2 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 1 star: 0 (0%)
S
S. Stewart
Excellent resource on what’s to come for authors

Excellent book with lots of references on what’s to come in the future of publishing. Made me purchase a course on how to program in VR environment.

K
Karina Astudillo
Disruptive and interesting

As usual, Joanna Penn has done a terrific job writing this book. The topics presented are indeed important for the future of creators. We must pay special attention to AI in the years to come if we want to stay current and not loose opportunities.

C
Carissa Andrews
The futuristic author

Joanna Penn is one of those brilliant minds that enthrall you with every breath she takes. Not only does she take authors on a journey of indie publishing (with her previous works and podcast), but she has the sense and capabilities to lead us into the next wave. This book ignited the scifi author parts of my brain and definitely made me sit up and take more notice of the coming trends and how they'll impact us indies. Such an incredible, thought-provoking read!

M
Melanie Singer
Interesting, Informative, and a Push to Get Out there and Learn More

This was interesting, informative, and inspiring. I was drawn to learning more about AI for authors through the Creative Penn podcast, and after reading this book, I'm committed to learning more. Thanks for the information and the inspiration!

R
RobJ
A good survey

A good overall survey of new and emerging technologies as they relate to writing and various aspects of the publishing industry.

C
Cheryl A. Rodgers
For Creatives on the Forefront of AI

Creatives, if you want to be at the forefront of the AI frontier as an author, this is one of the best places to start. The full potential of AI for authors has yet to be defined, but Joanna has gone a long way in explaining and predicting the ways it is likely to impact opportunities for writers. She doesn’t promise to be right about all of her predictions, but her excitement about the possibilities is contagious. One thing’s for certain, this book will help early adopters and adapters to be a part of and shape that future.

A
Anne Walsh
Fascinating glimpse of possibilities of AI for creators

If you are a writer or any sort of creator, the chances are that you will need to get to grips with AI, sooner rather than later. This book is a highly accessible introduction to this world.

L
Lynne M. Spreen
Over my head

I'm giving it five stars because the part about authors was a great view to the impending future, but the rest of it was almost too much. A benevolent look at AI. Penn's brilliant.

A
Ann Rajaram
The future of books

Brilliant book. The author clearly explains how automation and AI are disrupting the book publishing industry and what the future could potentially look like. Must read for all indie authors if you don't want to get left behind. Some chapters also spark novel ideas to monetize books in futuristic formats.

R
Rosa Lerchner
Fascinating and a bit scary ...

As always with books from Joanna Penn a very valuable book for writers. The possibilities AI offers and will give us are on the one hand truely fascinating and on the other a bit scary. But with all the interesting links and Joannas thoughts at least as a writer one can prepare oneself to jump onto that train. It is always good to think ahead instead of trailing behind, insofar a short but very important book!

K
Kaz
Right on point: a must-read for forward-thinking authors and publishers

Joanna Penn has always been ahead of the game when it comes to publishing, so it came as no surprise to me when, in a recent podcast, she broadcast an interview between herself and a fellow author Mark Lefebvre (based in Canada) conducted entirely using their AI 'voice doubles'. At once intriguing and spookily convincing, albeit while not 'quite there yet', it was clear that the technology behind voice doubles will quickly be refined and a become mainstream option in the smorgasbord of audio offerings that are coming down the line thanks to AI, offering exciting new opportunities - as well as challenges around IP - for the creative industry. This is just one aspect of glimpses into the near- and longer-term future that Jo's new book covers - and it is all compelling: from licensing author datasets (authors' stories and writing style) to inform natural language machine learning in order to generate novels in a similar genre, to using blockchain as a means to protect and manage author IP and royalty payments globally in the emerging world of AI-generated content. Penn rightly highlights the importance of including current creative works in this new world - to ensure diversity in the AI-generated language style. Relying on out-of-copyright works, largely written by white middle class men, clearly won't cut the mustard! She also points out how critical it is for the publishing industry to engage actively in the conversation around the rules for this emerging new world: "Intellectual property reform in the age of AI is inevitable, and we need our voices to be heard..... Most author organisations and publishers have shown little interest in submissions..." [to Govt around this topic]. "If creative voices are not in the room when these issues are discussed, then stronger voices will dominate -- and these may not benefit creators and rights-holders." AI assisted translation, the inevitable to move to subscriptions-based content and what this means for authors are also covered in this short but highly readable book ... and more. Jo Penn doesn't just talk the talk, she walks the walk. Her background as a Management Consultant advising global corporations on IT systems to improve efficiency lends weight to the clarity of vision and logic she expresses around the likely future that authors and publishers need to understand, engage with and embrace if we are to take advantage of what AI holds for us as creators. Highly recommended!

You may also like


Recently viewed