Introduction
Project Name:
Sianovel
Name of Organization:
LitPad Platforms
Project Description:
Statista projects the global ebook market to be worth $15.52 billion by 2028, and it’s predicted that the number of readers in the eBooks market will reach 1.1 billion users by the same year.
However, according to studies and surveys from notable entities like Authors Guild, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Pew Research Center, and others, millions of readers and writers, especially those in the fiction niche like myself, face key challenges on digital writing platforms, such as inefficient monetization, plagiarism, lack of affordable content, and loss of creative liberty.
This is where Sianovel (Landing Page Coming Soon) comes in—an author-friendly online platform that enables writers to share their stories and readers to discover a diverse range of affordable and premium serialized fiction across genres.
Leveraging Sia Blockchain, Sianovel stores and distributes stories on a decentralized cloud and also adopts Siacoin as the internal currency for readers to use in unlocking stories.
Siacoins can also be used by readers to purchase gems which they can use to vote for books, increasing the book’s rank while authors can convert these gems to cash.
Readers can also earn points by reading stories, which can be used to get more perks on Sianovel, such as access to exclusive content, discounts, and rewards.
Sianovel protects the intellectual property rights of writers and gives writers more freedom to control their content on flexible terms.
Some other features include a rating and review system for readers to give feedback and recommendations to writers and other readers.
Our aim is to create a community where fiction lovers - both authors and readers - can earn more from their stories, connect freely, control their activities, and have access to quality content.
Project Beneficiaries:
The main beneficiaries of Sianovel are fiction writers and readers who are looking for a better alternative to traditional digital writing platforms. Sianovel offers writers the following benefits:
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Multiple Revenue Streams: Writers can monetize their stories via several ways, including crowdfunding, higher revenue share, and contests, and keep more of the profits from their stories, as Sianovel charges a fair commission for using the platform and the Sia network. Writers can also set their own prices and terms for their stories and receive payments in Siacoin or USD.
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Protection from plagiarism: Writers can protect their stories from being copied or stolen through several methods like encryption. Sianovel also monitors the platform for any unauthorized copies or distributions of the stories and takes appropriate actions to remove them.
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Creative freedom: Writers can express their unique voice and style without having to conform to the editorial and commercial preferences of publishers or platforms, and we offer fair exposure to all genres. Sianovel supports a wide range of genres and formats and encourages writers to experiment and innovate.
Sianovel offers readers the following benefits:
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Affordable access: Readers can access a large and diverse collection of affordable and premium stories at reasonable prices. Readers can also use gems and points to unlock and read stories, which can be purchased with Siacoin or earned by reading stories. Sianovel also offers discounts and rewards for loyal and active readers.
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Quality content: Readers can enjoy high-quality personalized stories from talented and passionate writers, as well as from established and emerging authors. Sianovel also provides a rating and review system for readers to find and recommend stories that suit their preferences and tastes.
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Community engagement: Readers can interact with writers and other readers through comments, messages, and forums. Readers can also participate in contests, events, and challenges that Sianovel organizes to promote and celebrate fiction.
Project’s alignment with the Sia Foundation’s mission of user-owned data:
Our Project, Sianovel, serves the Foundation’s mission of user-owned data by enabling writers and readers to have full control and ownership of their data and content. As we leverage Sia and offer content protection and smart agreements. Also, Sianovel gives users—both writers and readers—the flexibility to set their terms and also utilize Siacoin as an in-app currency which writers can earn and also exchange for fiat.
Grant Specifics
Amount Requested:
We are requesting $9,900 for the development and launch of Sianovel MVP, a web application for fiction writers and readers. The breakdown of expenses is as follows:
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Design: $1500. This includes the design of the user interface for the MVP web app (desktop and mobile screens), user experience, and branding of Sianovel.
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Development: $7000. This includes the development of the front-end and back-end of Sianovel’s MVP, as well as the integration of Sia Storage and Siacoin for gem purchasing. This also includes the testing, debugging, and deployment of Sianovel on web.
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Operational Expenses: $1400. This includes $400 to cover the costs of the database, frontend hosting and publishing on the Web, $500 in Siacoin for Renterd storage cost, and $500 in initial Siacoin reserve for our minimal on-ramping and offramping of USD to Siacoin to Gems and vice versa.
We will accept grant funds in $USD via ACH or Wire, and monthly grant payments are also accepted starting with $3000 upfront of the requested amount upon grant approval.
Project Timeline:
We plan to complete the development of Sianovel MVP within 3 months, from February 2024 to May 2024.
Potential risks that will affect the outcome of the project:
Some potential risks that may affect the outcome of Sianovel are:
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Technical risks: These include the risks of technical difficulties, errors, or failures that may occur during the development, testing, or deployment of Sianovel, such as compatibility with Flutter and Sia, security, or performance issues. To mitigate these risks, we will use the best practices and standards of software development, conduct regular testing and debugging of Sianovel, and monitor and update it to ensure compatibility and security with the latest versions of Sia and Siacoin.
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Legal risks: These include the risks of legal disputes, claims, or liabilities that may arise from the use of Sianovel, such as intellectual property rights, privacy, or contract violations. To mitigate these risks, we will comply with the relevant laws and regulations of the jurisdictions where Sianovel operates, respect and protect the rights and interests of the writers and readers, and provide clear and transparent terms and conditions for the use of Sianovel, as well as a dispute resolution.
Development Information
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Open-Source Code: Yes, it will be available on GitHub here: https://github.com/Sianovel-Org
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Monthly Progress Reports: Yes, we agree to submit monthly progress reports in the forum.
Brief Bio:
I have a background in product marketing for physical businesses before I transitioned into digital marketing a few years back.
I have experience working as a ghostwriter, storyteller, copywriter, and contractor for early-stage tech startups.
On the side, I am a paranormal fiction writer with interesting books on some digital platforms amassing tens of thousands of views and generating thousands of dollars in commission within the last 12 months.
I have a network of technical people, and out of my frustrations and that of several thousand writers, we believe Sianovel will be a game-changer, especially with your support.
Contact Info
- Email: [email protected]
- Other Preferred Contact Methods: NIL
New Updates:
The Committee recently sent us a message: start with an MVP and would like to see a link to other codes by our Developers.
We will move this proposal, from standard to small grant and also focus on building the minimum viable product first with the requested grant.
Also, these are some links from two of our core Go Lang Developers; as we intend to work majorly with Go on the backend.
GitHub - kayprogrammer/socialnet-v4: A Realtime Social Networking API built with Go Fiber & ENT ORM (in progress).
GitHub - kayprogrammer/bidout-auction-v7: A simple bidding API built with Go Fiber.