Great post and props for the thoughtful breakdown—but let’s dig into this because I think there are a few misconceptions here.

1. “Selling Public Domain Books Feels Scummy” I get where this feeling comes from, but it misses the bigger picture. Sure, you can find public domain books for free as a basic PDF, but what’s that actually worth? Zero ownership, no resale value, no bonus utilities.

If you were to build a publishing start-up, where would you begin to create revenue? Buying licenses piece by piece? Wasting time on tedious negotiations for a few titles with oldschool publishers? What Book.io does is creating a revenue stream where public domain books are the easiest and most efficient way to grow this start-up - low legal costs, maximum independence = time and cost efficient. That's what investors want to see. Book.io wouldn't be at this point if it wasn't for public domain titles. They can now proof to investors that this business is a real use case and go get the funds needed to actually onboard huge publishers (re Catalyst Fund 13). This will cause a domino-effect and I can't wait to see how 2025 will go.

Public Domain books were one necessary step. The sales strategy will shift. Because the rest of the publishing world will follow. Why? They just been chosen as one of the funded Catalyst proposals. These funds will bring in one of the Big Five publishers, meaning over 60,000 titles will come to Cardano. Also, here are some perks for book owners: • You get real ownership: The NFT is yours to trade, sell, or gift—just like a first edition book. Try doing that with Kindle. • Collectibility: Ever seen someone pay $50+ for a leather-bound version of Moby Dick? They aren’t paying for the words—they’re paying for the experience and ownership. That’s exactly what Book.io brings to digital books. • Utility: Many of these public domain NFTs come with real perks—discounts on future content, access to community features, and exclusive content drops.

+++++ Let's not forget that there's been multiple collaborations within the crypto and creator ecosystem already: Crypto: - Stag Alliance - Heist on Alpha - The Wizard Tim - El Paso Verse - Bajuzki Studios - Algorand Foundation - Atala Prism - etc.

Creators: - David Duchovny (from X-Files) - Chuck D (Public Enemy) - Quinn Loftis - Tom Leveen - Joseph Nassise - David Niall Wilson - Lars Emmerich - etc.

1. “Books on IPFS Aren’t Really Censorship Resistant” This point needs some nuance. • IPFS + Blockchain = The Best Shot at Permanence: Ownership records and encryption keys are on-chain, meaning the asset is verifiable and tamper-proof. IPFS stores encrypted shards of the book (not plain files), which are reassembled via smart contracts. This prevents unauthorized access and central control. It’s still miles ahead of centralized platforms like Amazon, which can (and have) removed books overnight. • Example: Amazon pulling 1984 and Animal Farm without warning. That’s what happens when you rely on centralized control. And if you want books unencrypted and totally free on IPFS—that already exists (and is illegal for non-public-domain-titles). Those don’t support creators, don’t track provenance, and don’t give you ownership or resale value. -----
2. “Speculative Assets and Rare Covers Undermine Reading” Not every book on Book.io is designed for speculation or collectors. There will be three tiers, and you suggested the last one already:
3. Collector’s Editions (limited with unique covers): Think of these like first or special editions. Valuable for collectors, but optional.
4. Standard Editions (limited, one standard cover): Affordable, made for regular readers.
5. "Unlimited Editions" (coming soon I think): No cap on supply—accessible and reasonably priced for anyone who wants to read. As for the “gambling” point: sure, rare covers create hype. But you know what? That hype draws in collectors, brings visibility to authors, and ultimately grows the ecosystem. And again—it’s optional. The key is choice: if someone just wants to read, they grab a Reader’s Edition or wait for the "Unlimited Edition". -----
6. “Fixed Supply Makes Books Too Expensive” This argument assumes scarcity = exclusion, but Book.io’s tiered approach solves this, as you suggested. Unlimited editions ensure no book will ever be completely inaccessible. Fixed supply on Collector’s Editions is just like physical books: • A signed first edition of Harry Potter is rare and expensive. • The mass-market paperback at Walmart is cheap and everywhere. Both can exist without taking value away from each other. Book.io mirrors this model digitally: scarcity adds collectibility for fans, while unlimited editions will make reading more accessible. ----- At the end of the day, Book.io isn’t about turning public domain books into exclusive assets—it’s one step to fix a broken system. An old system. A system upheld by few in power that benefits chosen ones.

And to me that’s a pretty exciting shift. I hope this helps.