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Show HN: I made wits.io where writers can earn money with book summaries

79 pointsby zaheerbalochalmost 7 years ago

17 comments

rekshawalmost 7 years ago
Why are only 50% of <i>profits</i> (not even revenue) redistributed to contributors? The content creators are the ones adding all of the value to your website.<p>Or am I reading it wrong and that is ON TOP of the revenue they get from engagement?<p>Either way, nice website.
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tw1010almost 7 years ago
&quot;1,337 people have signed up so far.&quot;<p>Is that just boilerplate or was I really lucky?
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tenaciousDanielalmost 7 years ago
I had an idea to do something similar but with the following differences:<p>- publishers could submit either text <i>or</i> audio<p>- publishers could choose between summarizing the entire book, or each chapter<p>- the app would have a kind of &quot;marketplace&quot; where summary writers could link up with audio producers. This would be helpful for (a) people who want to publish both written and audio summaries but didn&#x27;t have audio knowledge, and (b) people who want to monetize their audio capabilities but don&#x27;t necessarily know any books to summarize.<p>Feel free to steal my ideas. I <i>reeaaalllyyy</i> want an app where I can find decent long-form podcast-style summaries of non-fiction books that I don&#x27;t have the time to read.
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ordinaryradicalalmost 7 years ago
If a book&#x27;s ideas can be absorbed in 15 minutes, was it ever really a book?<p>I&#x27;ve seen these business summaries on offer elsewhere--it always struck me as an approach to signaling, not learning. In this model the &quot;reader&quot; can manufacture the appearance of knowledge of a subject without taking the time to invest oneself in it. Or perhaps now the books even manufacture the appearance of knowledge while being tiny ideas unworthy of serious consideration.<p>I think if I was working with anyone who used a service like this though, I would have second thoughts about them. Isn&#x27;t this just trend-chasing dressed up as knowledge acquisition?
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hienyimbaalmost 7 years ago
Holy sh*t. No kidding. I just made <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;booksummaries.me" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;booksummaries.me</a> based on the idea that publishers summaries could also give a good idea especially the videos where they talk about the general idea behind the book.<p>Take it for a spin y&#x27;all - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;booksummaries.me" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;booksummaries.me</a>
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dtujmeralmost 7 years ago
Don&#x27;t know if this is helpful, but Derek Sivers has a giant review page of all the books he has read. Maybe wits.io competes with this by better reviews, maybe not. In any case, I&#x27;m putting this here for all interested parties: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;sivers.org&#x2F;book" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;sivers.org&#x2F;book</a>
Gysalmost 7 years ago
No terms of use, privacy statement ? About us ? So who are you and why would anybody trust you ?
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orangepeel310almost 7 years ago
I’ve been using [Instaread][<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;instaread.co" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;instaread.co</a>]. I find it to be a pretty good source of high quality book summaries, which you can read or listen to.
sebslomskialmost 7 years ago
Awesome idea! Apparently I hesitated as there was no trial or anything. I have no idea what I can expect or how good the quality is. But really good selection of books for HN.
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davidcollantesalmost 7 years ago
I would like to see a sample. I am, also, annoyed a little by the three &quot;Apply to contribute&quot; and the &quot;Write &amp; make money&quot;, all on the same page.
zubairlkalmost 7 years ago
For more context, check out <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;wits.io" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;wits.io</a> and <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.producthunt.com&#x2F;posts&#x2F;wits-io" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.producthunt.com&#x2F;posts&#x2F;wits-io</a><p>From their website:<p>Weekly summaries of great books recommended by founders and makers<p>Cut through the BS and get 10-15 minute book summaries sent to you, weekly. Become a more creative and innovative individual each week.
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kullalmost 7 years ago
UX comments: 3 buttons on a page which do the same, is very confusing. And then the button in the corner, what does it do? Also, what will you do with this content? Examples? I am interested in the project but as a reader, not a contributor writer.
justaguyherealmost 7 years ago
Just curious, how does copyright work in this case? To summarize someone&#x27;s book (especially if we are selling the summaries), don&#x27;t we have to get permission from the book&#x27;s authors?
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gnicholasalmost 7 years ago
Is there a way to contact you directly? Didn’t see anything on the site or in your HN profile.
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rainboiboialmost 7 years ago
&quot;Whenever a wits.io member likes your book summary, you earn money.&quot;<p>What is your business model?
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LukeHoerstenalmost 7 years ago
I love the simple design and look of the site. Did you do that yourself?
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hkndalmost 7 years ago
Where can I buy those summaries?
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