Wanna know how to make $1 million in publishing?
Start with $2 million.
Seriously though, I usually try to GET paid to write, rather than pay others (it's sort of my job).
But way back in 2022 I noticed that very few bitcoiners were framing this world-changing idea as a story.
Almost all the new bitcoiners were attracted by technology, not by emotion, feeling, or empathy.
Stories make us feel. They generate an empathy and a curiosity which leads to us discovering the answer on our own - not because an early adopter told us to 'study bitcoin'.
As a creative type who had dedicated years chasing literary magazines and publishers around the internet, I decided I was one of the few people who understood (to some degree) bitcoin, fiction writing, and publishing.
21 Futures was born as way to move from underpaid writer to underpaid editor. At least the project would be something I could self-custody.
The name of the first book was a hybrid, stemming from a brainstorming session with the head of Konsensus Network, Niko Laamanen and renowned author Knut Svanholm.
I already envisioned the name of '21 Futures' to help identify the book as sci-fi while playing on the 21 million cap of bitcoin. In the end, the book even comprised 21 stories.
Svanholm suggested the subheading Tales from the Timechain to appeal to bitcoin enthusiasts and readers. The book (released December 2023) became known as Timechain, and a wider project sprang from 21 Futures.
After presenting the book at Bitcoin Atlantis in early 2024, I sought to broaden the project to fit the ideals of our publisher, Konsensus Network. 21 Futures was not just about sound money; it now focuses on the freedom community — privacy tech, self-sovereignty, free cities, and libertarian ideals.
The second anthology Financial Fallout (March 2025) focused on the dangers of economic dystopia, and a third book is in the works.
Yet, the project has grown into more than just presentations of short-fiction.
- Socials
- Nostr publishing
- Blog (fiction, opinion, reviews)
- Podcasts
- Film project
- Audiobooks
- Merchandise
21 Futures has become a story universe built to defend and spread freedom.
We have become a multi-media fiction imprint.
Being honest, I hadn't posted too much on Stacker News before this year. I've always kept an eye on this territory, but never thought of the platform as an outlet for fiction. Besides, I was busy trying to grow socials, build a website, and sell books.
@Scoresby got in touch for a video chat one day.
He suggested running a fiction competition and somehow it snowballed into a whole month!
Now, as I said in the beginning, I really do like GETTING paid for my writing, but over the course of running 21 Futures, I've gotten more and more pleasure out of paying writers.
I know what it takes to put yourself out there by submitting. Your heart is in your work.
Rejection sucks. But when you get paid, it is sweet vindication.
(I think my first paid fiction was $10 for a story published in 2017)
- 21 Futures paid each contributor for our first anthology $100.
- Our second anthology was a competition, with the top five entries splitting a prize fund of $1,850.
- We publish on Nostr and split zaps with authors.
- We pay contributors to our blog $10 per entry.
Now I can say paying writers is my favourite part of the job.
Anyway, I greatly appreciate @siggy47 and @Scoresby for facilitating this competition.
And I'm thankful so many of you are reading the entries, commenting, and submitting stories.
This really feels like my ambition of 'more stories, less 'study bitcoin'' coming to fruition.
So as well as zapping entries, I'm contributing 50k sats to Fiction Month.
And I can't wait to start the judging process at the end of August.
A small request (and a big reveal)
As well as giving back, I wanted to donate my time and sats to Fiction Month to spread the word about 21 Futures.
Building a network that cares about freedom fiction is the way that Konsensus will be able to continue supporting creative writers and artists.
Here's a few ways your can help:
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Check out our books. The BIG REVEAL is that 21 Futures is republishing @FmpPerspective's legendary novel about free-market cypherpunks' epic battle with the FBI. The defintitive edition (with illustrations) is available for pre-order now.
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Support our film funder. We are looking for sponsors, especially bitcoin companies, who want to be a part of bringing bitcoin entertainment to the screen. The Noderoid Saga: Dreamers, our short animation, is slated for 2026 release.
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Read and share our stories via our fiction blog or on nostr.
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Submit your book. If you are working on the next great libertarian sci-fi saga, or cypherpunk thriller, we want to hear from you. 21 Futures provides author services (editing, covers, marketing, typesetting etc) for books we care about. This is a paid service for authors who want their book to be the best it can be without spending thousands of hours learning the ins and outs of self-publishing.
If you have any ideas for partnerships or any questions about writing and publishing, I'm always open to chat.
In fact, a spontaneous Zoom chat with @Scoresby is the very reason I'm writing this post.
Anyway, so long, and thanks for all the sats.
Keep writing, keep reading, and keep zapping.