ALLi: Blockchain the missing link

The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) is exhibiting at LBF for the first time and has launched a white paper which claims that the development of blockchain technology could revolutionise the book industry.

Blockchain technology enables a piece of digital property to be transferred from user to user securely, with its contents unable to be modified. In the financial world, it was used to develop cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

ALLi’s study shows blockchain could create “a new ecosystem which places authors at the head of the payment chain” through direct tracking of intellectual property and monetary rights, leading to “true independence” for self-published writers. It would enable them to supply digital products direct to readers, and could bring an end to them “relying on a single outlet”, said ALLi director Orna Ross (pictured), who claimed the move offers creatives “control over their work, their rights, and how they get paid”.