Thank you for giving us this opportunity to describe our project and startup business plan. We have sucessfully launched our first novel in the mainstream and completed a first round of marketing to both major and independent booksellers in the U.S. Next month, our team will expand this marketing strategy into Europe as three of our four executives will be on location there.
As a result of our U.S. marketing push, High Kill has attracted positive attention from one of the largest professional review services in the industry. See the official Kirkus review here. An ad will run in the August 1, August 15, and Sept 1 print and online trade publications of Kirkus Reviews. This ad will feature the name "Steemhouse Publishing" in a prominent manner and website links provided in the ad include information about Steem.
Project Information
Company name:
Steemhouse Publishing
Place of Incorporation:
Virginia, U.S. (EIN available on request)
Token name (if applicable):
n/a
Token Type:
n/a
Market
What problem is the product / project solving?
- lack of professional publishing presence on the blockchain
- lack of resources for emergent writers
- lack of platform to reward authors for high-quality short form fiction
Core Team Details
Minimum Viable Product
Our MVP is currently in development by the DLUX team. It will be a heavily marketed Steem front end dedicated to short form fiction with stringent quality control measures. It will function as a simple literary journal, easy to read with compelling hooks for each post designed to entice mainstream readers. The “react” button will lead readers to a @steemhousepub post on the blockchain where the story can be discussed, with the goal of encouraging signup to participate.
Business Strategy
Fiat Revenue Strategy:
Sell books through mainstream retailers like Amazon, Ingram Spark, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc.
Fiat Revenue Projections in $/user every month:
Difficult to project as revenue comes from non-accountholders as well as existing users.
How will this increase the amount of STEEM being powered up?
Steemhouse will buy Steem with profits and power up to build our stake. We’ll use FIAT to pay operating expenses and marketing costs but will use Steem and potentially our token to conduct internal business, including compensation of editors.
What financial incentives are you willing to provide to Steemit, Inc.?
We intend to launch a token during a later phase and will be happy to discuss distribution then. We will also market our novels heavily in the mainstream and can provide much exposure for Steemit, Inc. through branding and linkbacks.
How will you become financially sustainable once the delegation is removed?
Steemhouse Publishing is financially sustainable without delegation via book sales and investment. We wish to incentivize author engagement through fair reward, which we can accomplish with delegation as we build our stake.
KPI Progress Measurement
KPI1 description:
Front end working to specification
KPI1 target:
Simple, appealing literary journal that funnels mainstream readers to Steem with one click
KPI2 description:
Community engaging with stories published by literary journal
KPI2 target:
Lively conversation via comments, individuals posting their reactions to content on the blockchain
KPI3 description:
Onboard new users that may not have considered Steem otherwise
KPI3 target:
Ten new users during test phase, exponential increase as project grows
Token Offering
We are not planning to issue a token during this test phase, but doing so at a future point is certain. We are waiting to see what develops with SMTs.
Delegation Request
How much requested:
Test -Tier: 100,000
Time Frame:
Three months
How will delegation be used to add value to Steem:
It will be used to incentivize the creation of content that promotes Steem on external platforms.
It will also be used to give new accounts at least 15 SP to give them the resources needed to use Steem and purchase goods and/or services through our platform, and to create new accounts.
Declaration of Intent
We agree that our business will continue to leverage the Steem blockchain as long as we are receiving a delegation and one year following the removal of the delegation. During this time we also agree to promote the Steem blockchain as a valuable technological protocol that delivers unique value. We are willing to sign a legally binding contract with Steemit, Inc. to this effect.
Hello. Do you have specific time frames on the KPIs?
What about measures of engagement, such as comments posted per month via SHP?
Interested to hear how big you think this might go.
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Hi, @eturnerx. Thank you so much for this question. It’s exciting to talk about these things. It’s also exciting that we can give you some concrete answers! 😊
For the first matter, the front end literary journal, we could be looking at a working product in a matter of weeks. For more specifics, I’ll tag @disregardfiat into the conversation. He’ll be able to give details on that particular subject.
KPI 2 deals with engagement, and while we can’t predict to a day when a group of people will get excited about our community and come piling in, we do think that by October we will have some lively conversations happening directly on the blockchain rather than in Discord or an alternative forum. This can also be said for KPI 3. We think that by the end of the year, we will be regularly onboarding new users. Keep in mind that the number of new users will grow exponentially as readers tell their friends, and those friends tell friends, and so on. Just today we discussed how to leverage Facebook in a way that lures people to Steem instead of providing an alternative discussion board away from it, as is sometimes the case.
Regarding comments posted per month via SHP--interestingly enough, we’re currently considering a strategy that has these comments coming in via Steemit itself, rather than an alternative front end. This is due to the re-energized dialogue we’re seeing about Steem communities. Our literary journal won’t be a home for comments, as that’s a liability for any professional publishing medium. But we do have a very simple method built into our blueprint for boosting engagement organically. As soon as the literary journal goes live, you will see it in action.
As a writer, I cannot express how exciting this is. I am new to the blockchain, but have decades of writing experience under my belt and years of only marginal success in the publishing world. The "Top Five" seems only to cater to those already famous, and self-publishing is a virtual swamp, filled with everything from deluded wannabees with no grasp of language and grammar, to unbelievably talented authors clinging to the hope their novels will be recognized. One would think the true cream would rise, but sadly, it's a crap shoot. Books with brilliant content and compelling stories get lost in the mountain of titles. Authors flounder, lose hope, and have no help. If a publishing house existed that truly cared about its authors and provided help and feedback from editors who are authors themselves, the whole picture could change. GOOD books by truly talented authors would be published again, not lost in the slush pile, awaiting rejection, or lost under several million other titles. This concept is new and brilliant and could change the landscape of publishing forever. This is the future of publishing!
Gosh, yes. They definitely exist, and readers want to find them. The blockchain could change everything.
To clarify, as I know you know, Elaine (but others reading this may not) we will not be publishing novels to the blockchain. At least not at any point we can foresee. However, the blockchain is a powerful tool for marketing, promotion of shorter works in the same manner that Diana Gabaldon has so much success with spinoffs from Outlander, and is the most reliable means I've seen for interaction between readers, authors, and publishers. The possibilities are endless. Steemhouse has laid low for a while, waiting for FUD to die away, for bots to lose their influence, for the development of SMTs and communities...never mind that some people may not know what SMTs are yet. What's important is having the right people on board at the right time to push forward, and I think that time has come. You are right: this could change everything. It's one of the most utilitarian--and potentially profitable--uses of blockchain technology that I'm aware of.
I'm excited to see this! As an author, I've been following the development of Steemhouse Publishing with interest. After being on the blockchain for over 1.5 years, my observation is that there's a lack of focus for writers on Steemit.com as a whole, where fiction and non-fiction can easily get lost in the mix of other posts, many of which can turn off professional writers looking at the blockchain. I'm not arguing the value of different kinds of posts (everything is subjective), but to a professional writer, or literary agent, or publisher, there is an overwhelming amount of noise on the blockchain that deters that particular market from choosing to engage. And it's a HUGE market.
I'd love to see the Steemhouse front end create a blockchain-based culture that appeals to writers, and the publishing house create an opportunity for authors to access community support and real-world marketing in an industry that is both massive and difficult to navigate as an individual. There is an enormous demand for a publishing company that values writers and helps them succeed. I hope Steemhouse receives this delegation and uses it to bring the Steem blockchain to the world of mainstream publishing.
@katrina-ariel, you expressed this quite well. We definitely see the issues you've described, just as you described them. We hope we can turn those issues into opportunities, though, and forge a new path for publishing through this maze of technology. You are correct: this is a huge market we're trying to target. And serious readers are discerning. They need to trust that when they log on, download, or open the cover they are going to find quality material waiting for them, or they will quickly move on to other sources. One thing is sure--it will be a marathon and not a sprint. It will take years to build credibility in the mainstream. But we're prepared to invest that kind of time and truly hope that the Steem blockchain is where it will all happen.
Beautiful! Love this! And here is a vote to support and grow you!
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To which account do we delegate? Or do we wait till 1st August for that info?
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@oivas , this is an application for delegation from Steemit Inc. Here's their post about it:
https://steemit.com/steemit/@steemitblog/announcing-steemit-s-new-delegation-application-process
Ah OK.. Missed that. Anyway, a great project. Hope it sky rockets and gets many deserving authors their due. 😊
God bless!
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Thank you, Oivas! We have some exciting things coming up soon for the community to participate in. Can't wait to get that going! I think you'll enjoy it.
I think this is very promising project. Let me know how I can help you guys get the word out for sure.
@steemitqa, I will message you! 😊
I hope it's a great success, this could become huge!
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Agreed 100%!
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