I've spent the last 15 years building an author business on Web 2 — digital publishing, blogging and podcasting, social media, and more. But as Web 3 begins to emerge through blockchain, NFTs, AI, and the metaverse, I want to make sure I still have a thriving business over the next 15 years. NFTs are an important part of the future business model in the Creator Economy and in this presentation, I explain why they're important and how authors can consider using them. In the intro, I give an update on my first couple of NFTs, minted on OpenSea, the potential impact of President Biden's blockchain and crypto Executive Order [The Verge]; In the main section, I go through: * Who am I, and why am I talking about NFTs? My technical background and how I've embraced technology early in my author career so far* What is an NFT?* Different blockchains — and energy requirements* Why do we need NFTs? Ownership and resale; flexing in the metaverse, and erosion of royalties + paid ads + inflation = we need more income streams from our IP* Six different types of NFTs that authors can consider, and how they are being used in other industries* Why digital scarcity enables more creativity and collaboration* How smart contracts enable easier collaboration and a simplified payment system* How blockchain and smart contracts (and DAOs) could change royalty payments, estate management, and more* What we need in an NFT solution for publishing* How do NFTs fit into the current business model? What is a potential future state once the technology goes mainstream?* What action should you take right now? You can find more resources at thecreativepenn.com/future For a broader look at web 3 and emerging technologies, check out my book, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and Virtual Worlds: The Impact of Converging Technologies on Authors and the Publishing Industry.  If you have any comments, tweet me @thecreativepenn or leave a comment under the video or on the post. Thanks again to my patrons who sponsor these futurist episodes, and if you find them useful, you can support the show at patreon.com/thecreativepenn and get the monthly Q&A coming soon for March.  Or if you don’t want to commit for a monthly payment. you can also buy me a coffee or two at BuyMeACoffee.com/thecreativepenn  Transcript of the introduction I put the main section out as a video on YouTube and on the blog, but I know many of you prefer audio only — I do too! So I wanted to put it out on the audio feed as well, but I also have an extra section upfront, an update — as I mentioned on Monday’s show, I minted my first NFT on Opensea, and it sold immediately, so I minted another one, which also sold immediately! I wanted to talk briefly about this before playing the presentation as things move on apace. First of all,