Unless someone is setting out to be a professional author (very hard), nobody should write a book to make money. When I set out to write Broken Money, it was because I *had* to, not because I wanted to. Spending a thousand hours on something that I get a profit of $5/copy for is not my best use of time. Any time I spent on my research business revenue generation content, or leaning harder into my venture capital partnerships, would have been better on an hourly ROI basis. I have to sell 40 books to equal each newsletter subscription on my website; clearly the latter is better financially. Almost regardless of how many copies I sell, it's a bad ROI for me. I'm overworked and the fact that I wrote a book while maintaining my existing business stressed my relationship and social life. And further, I am reinvesting most of my initial profits; the first 1,000 copy profits go to the Human Rights Foundation Bitcoin Development Fund, and the next 4,000 copy profits will go towards making a video about money and why it's broken. And all of it was worth it. When a creator has something in their head, it's painful until they get it out into the world. I wrote this for bad ROI but because I wanted it to be out there for people to read, period. Will I make a profit? Yes. But at a much lower hourly rate than I make on other work I do. It's a negative profit compared to having reinvested that thousand hours into my other existing work. But I consider it to be more important, which is why I spent the time. I wrote Broken Money because I had to. The book concept formed in my head after many years of writing and research regarding money, and it would have been increasingly distracting to *not* write it. I didn't realistically have a choice. I felt compelled to write it. Part of it was altruistic; I wanted people to learn from my total monetary framework thoughts over five years of research. Part of it was egotistical; I wanted to timestamp something in the world, in physical form, and put it out there. Maybe it's the low time preference part of me; I'd like something of me to be mentionable to people in the distant future who look back at this time. My background has been a blend of engineering and finance, with both ironically pointed toward bitcoin. I don't care where you buy it from, and you can pirate it if you want, but it benefits bitcoin and @Saifedean Ammous if you buy it from his website. Circular economy rather than big fiat business. We've introduced a special edition hardcover with a cloth cover and dust jacket for those that prefer that premium format, only on his website. And you can buy it in fiat or sats.

Replies (57)

Most authors don’t get anywhere near $5 per book sale. The compulsion to write is real, to avoid it is to court madness. The Midnight Disease by Alice W. Flaherty explores that topic.
There’s more than one way to define “profitable”. Mind share, legacy, gratification are not measured in money. It’s on my bucket list to write and publish at least one book, likely fiction… and I really don’t care if it makes a penny. Congratulations, sincerely. I bought the hardcover. I’m only about a quarter of the way through. It’s massive. 🫡
I’m going to buy another one from @Saifedean Ammous‘s website in support of our circular economy AND because of what you wrote above. To sacrifice is most valuable when it is highly valuable to the the one who offers it. I know you had to write it but it was still a sacrifice. Thank you.
Josh's avatar
Josh 2 years ago
It meant so much to me, I carried it up a trail over 11,000’ of elevation… It’s also a tiny bit possible I forgot it was in my pack before the hike. Either way, I appreciate the hell out of it!
In your profession, writing books is like creating a high-effort Curriculum Vitae, and while you yourself Lyn likely don’t need it…I suspect its energy well spent. Much respect for the immense effort, srsly! Now back to my Bitcoin-themed erotic fiction….
A good book can last a hundred years. Congratulations on publishing Broken Money before the financial crisis.
Clippy's avatar
Clippy 2 years ago
It looks like you're writing a letter!
ROI doesn't need to be financial. The best ROI is the one that affects many in a positive way. Thank you for that! 💜🫂🧡
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Sawzall 2 years ago
I've purchased 5 copies, gave away to co-workers & friends. Plan to continue buying and dropping into free little libraries as I'm able to. Thank you for your efforts in this great work, it was most certainly "worth it" to your many appreciative fans
Lyn, thank you so much for your great work always and the efforts you put into the book. You left a stint in the universe. The book is too early for the masses, as many won’t understand. It’s difficult to get mass adoption if you are at the forefront of understanding, very similar to #bitcoin
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deleted 2 years ago
Thank you Lyn! I unfortunately couldnt wait and bought it on amazon 😞 How is the audio book coming along ?
I bought the 5 hardcovers from his site. Since I had already purchased your book off Amazon a few weeks ago, I plan on donating that copy of Broken Money to the local library (never done that before, hoping they’ll take it).
Love it! Thank you. Waiting for my copy. Purchased with BTC 🤙🏼 "I h ad to" sounds like it's spirits purpose (whats beating your heart)
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Legion XXI 2 years ago
But taking away a cold metric like ROI, the value it provided to your reputation and brand is incalculable. Everyone knows it’s hard to write a book!
For what it’s worth I’ve learned more from reading this than I have from ten years of listening to podcasts and watching YouTube videos about bitcoin. Your book has changed my life and has opened my eyes in an almost religious way. Your writing is so clear, concise and accessible about a subject that so few understand that I feel like I can see the matrix. I want everyone I love to read this book and I hope you understand that what you’ve done is worth more than the money that it’s making you. Thank you
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Chako Chino 2 years ago
Thanks for all your efforts Lyn. I hope that one day you write about ancient Egypt and what it can teach us today. I also hope that you write more about how the martial arts can make us better people.
Actually, people are profit maximizing agents so this can't be true. Kidding! Thanks for spending the time 🙏I'm really enjoying the book although had to buy it from Amazon with dirty fiat 😢
Thank you for writing it. I am loving reading your book and marvel at how easy to understand you made complex issues. I have no history in economics or anything financial (apart from just living and having to deal with the day to day of it) but find myself wanting to understand it all better. Thanks for helping me (and others) do just that.
Thanks Lyn. I can only aspire to write as precisely, concisely, and as engaging as you. Chapter 15 is a veritable masterpiece. Being an engineer myself, I appreciate the no-nonsense diagrams like the one below that conveys the overall dynamics of the system. And your simplified model of Mary, Sara and their two banks succeeded in loading the model into my working memory so I could work with it conceptually in my mind as a whole. You’ve done a great service to society. image
Thank you for everything you're doing and all of the personal sacrifice that comes with it. Sometimes I stop and think about the incredibly profound time we are living through and wonder how I'll reflect on moments like these.. like being one of the very few who will read a Nostr note from the author of a book that will have helped change the lives of so many who read it. I'll do what I can to help get books like yours in front of more people. Here is the first drop of Broken Money in a Little Free Library in Washington, DC ☺️ #StudyBitcoin #BitcoinBookDrop image
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Bitcoin 2 years ago
Well done! Keep spreading the word. 🫡#teachbitcoin
I think your work is great, I’ve learned a lot from it! Bought and read the book and will probably buy more copies when xmas comes around. That said, I think donations to HRF is a better way of spending the profit than video production, as there is so much good content out there. But that’s just my 2 sats ✌️and when I watch the video I may need to eat my own words 😅
Bitcoin's avatar
Bitcoin 2 years ago
Can’t wait to get my hands on it. Thank you for all that you do for #bitcoin and following through with your compelling thoughts. Proud of you to put it out there, even though you thought it might be egotistical. #teachbitcoin #brokenmoney #fixthemoneyfixtheworld Well done Lyn!
Sats, waiting not so patiently for my hard copy. Not a trader, but for me, your news letters are gems, yesterdays a much appreciated dot connecting lecture. Your daily insights, mostly over my head, explains why I needed you to write your book. Thinking all good things are generated through selfless care. Thanks, much peace to you and yours.
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pieceofdebri 2 years ago
Need an audiobook version so I can listen at work. No longer have the time to read, unfortunately.
🙏 for bringing what you create to the world 📜 thank you for sharing your voice 🧡 “The impulse to write things down is a peculiarly compulsive one, inexplicable to those who do not share it, useful only accidentally, only secondarily, in the way that any compulsion tries to justify itself. I suppose that it begins or does not begin in the cradle. Although I have felt compelled to write things down since I was five years old, I doubt that my daughter ever will, for she is a singularly blessed and accepting child, delighted with life exactly as life presents itself to her, unafraid to go to sleep and unafraid to wake up. Keepers of private notebooks are a different breed altogether, lonely and resistant rearrangers of things, anxious malcontents, children afflicted apparently at birth with some presentiment of loss.” ― Joan Didion
"I wanted to timestamp something in the world" That part of your post gets all the feels. A written time capsule if you will. Congrats. I look forward to reading your work.
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Splintern 2 years ago
Books that are written because the author *had* to write them are the only ones worth reading.
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DracheTech11 2 years ago
Your a voice of reason in this crazy world. #btc Helping others understand the financial system and why it is failing is critical. Looking forward to adding your book to my collection. Just got to get through the “Fiat standard” first by Saifedean
Hey Lyn! I'd like to hear an expert on an idea about the Triffin dilemma (currency appreciation vs. trade deficit and industry offshoring). 💡 Has anyone considered dumping? As in tax credits based on exports... This would be a measure to export deflation, a possibility to counter the export of inflation. I know WTO AD agreement (Marrakesh 1994) bans it, but what if? Interesting sequence of historic events though: *Breton woods (44), gave birth to Triffin dilemma. *WTO (47), with a framework that pushed US to have trade defcits ("protectionism" bad). *gold default (71) as natural result of deficits, followed by petrodollar system, *plaza accord (84) to devalue USD, with lots of unintended, or unadvertised, consequences. *WTO AD agreement (94), basically planted the seeds for plaza 2.0, since antidumping rules prohibits the US to export dollars WITH goods (keeping industry and jobs alive while reducing deficits).
Somethings you do for money and some for legacy. After all we only have a short period of time to make an impact.
dmeista's avatar
dmeista 2 years ago
Lyn as shallow economists dont understand, but you certainly do, you also know that a book gives a lot of indirect not measurable ROI. It gives credibility which will lead to a good reputation which will lead to influence.
You gave 1000 hours of your time you will never get back. But you will get the blessings of the1000.000 prayers back of the lives you impacted. My 1 prayer is one of them for sure.