Vault Proposal: "The Unified Guide to Fantom" (BOOK)

The Network Vault
#1

The Pitch

For the past few months, I’ve been working on a book about Fantom. My intent is to create a resource for new people that are interested in the network to learn more about what Fantom has to offer.

The book is divided into three main sections:

  • Part One goes into the network’s history, introduces the reader to the Fantom Foundation, explains how Lachesis works, and talks about some of the upgrades that are coming to the network in the near future.

  • Part Two is an introduction to DeFi. Here, I explain the various types of projects on the network (DEXs, Money Markets, Vaults, NFTs, etc.). I also explain some of the basic set up related tasks that newcomers need to know, such as how to set up a wallet, how to send funds from a centralized exchange, how to use bridges, etc.

  • In Part Three I dig into Fantom’s top projects. I provide links to each project’s website, their Medium page, Discord, Twitter, and more, and I provide a brief summary that outlines what makes each project unique, as well as a brief explanation of their tokenomics.

The book currently has 17 chapters that make up parts 1 & 2, with an additional 30+ project profiles included in part three. These include: SpookySwap, SpiritSwap, BeethovenX, Solidly, Equalizer, Mummy, Geist, Granary, Tarot, Scream, Reaper, Yield Ninja, Liquid Driver, FlamingGhost, fUSD, Ethos Reserve, Paintswap, Campfire, NFT Key, Tombheads Auction House, 8BitGames, Estfor Kingdom, Slothtopia, fBOMB, Conk, GMFTM, Kek Tools, Dune Analytics, Defi Llama, BubbleMaps, and more.

There’s also an extensive glossary, and several appendices that provide additional resources where readers can learn more about the topics discussed throughout the book.

To give you an idea of the scope of this thing, I’ve attached a few pictures below. There are photos and diagrams, and the whole thing’s written in a style that’s easy to understand. I think by the time it’s done, it’ll not only be the best book about Fantom, it’ll be one of the best, most comprehensive books about crypto and DeFi, period.

Pic 1
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Pic 2
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Pic 3
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The Proposal

I’m requesting 35,000 FTM from the vault to help pay for some of the costs associated with finishing the book - things like hiring an editor, getting the cover professionally designed, and reformatting everything for the print edition.

The remainder will be used to subsidize the book’s retail price. I’d like to be able to sell the book for around $15.00 per copy for the ebook version, and around $19.00 per copy for the printed edition. At this price point, the book will be more attractive to potential buyers, and should lead to a wider distribution.

2 Likes
#2

I really like the concept behind this and I think it is fantastic you have taken the time to write this.

I think the ask is reasonable.

I do have one question regarding the use of funds. Other than distribution, is there a specific reason for wanting to go with eBooks and print versions?
Development happens so fast, I’m wondering that if is there is a printed version, when do the contents start getting outdated.

Curious as what your thoughts are on using that potion of the funding for that vs using it to maintain the contents as the network and ecosystem advances.

2 Likes
#3

Hey Souvlaki, that’s an excellent question. Whereas a portion of the funds will be used to do the reformatting, they won’t be used to pre-print copies of the book.

I would say that the ebook edition of this is going to be the primary version. That’s the version that will come out first. My plan right now is to self-release this on my own website, and then add it to Amazon later to (hopefully) get a wider distribution.

The print version will be part of that second phase of distribution via Amazon. They offer a print-on-demand service that makes it possible for me to update the printed edition over time. Obviously, if someone’s purchased the print edition and changes get made later, their physical copy will be out of date, however as protocols add new features, I’ll still have the option of updating the print edition as needed.

https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G202176900

For the print version, though, the book is going to need to be completely reformatted. Right now It’s all done in HTML/CSS, but I’ll need to lay everything out as static PDFs for POD, which means I’ll either need to hire someone to do it, or learn how to use inDesign and do it myself.

#4

Table of Contents

Full TOC
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#5

That is really cool and you have taught me a few things on the publishing flow.
Happy to hear that you are are going to be updating it on an ongoing basis.

Thanks for the answer and good luck with the release

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