We would need ISBNs, an editor, and a cover art designer. I don't know what other associated costs are involved when it comes to self-publishing, but that is something the team can all work toward finding out.

If you actually just sell e-book it isn't that hard. All you need is those ISBNs, an editor, a cover art designer ( these are the least cost of them all). Marketing takes up majority of the costs.

I am currently running a physical library and is working on an e-catalogue. With the Service I am using, to have an e-book listed too, It'll cost $500/year ish to have the online catalogue up and running and these are the fees for the custom domain as well as the options like check-out, and e-book to purchase ( the only problem is that this site will re-direct to sites like amazon etc)

So far with the free version this is how it looks https://tbmsrikandi.librarika.com/

But if you have bigger funding, here's the free idea. You can have built in OPAC, create a kindle like system payment, maybe let's say 6 hive for x amount access to e-books and the printed version would cost different and when you review, you get the chance to get rewarded. It creates a circular economy that benefits both ways.

Maybe you can also vibe code something similar to that and that'll cost starting from US$10,000 with 1 or 2 engineers, minimal UI, mostly open source library and no advanced DRM nor mobile apps.

With Hive writers only, we have removed a lot of barriers on publisher contracts and legal side of it. However, we must also retain their DRM which can be done either through watermark or this is where Hive can enter as the blockchain that tracks traceability.

When someone buys an e-book, the platform generates a personalized EPUB or PDF containing subtle identifiers like hidden watermark tied to that specific user. At the same time, the backend calculates a cryptographic hash of the original file and stores that hash together with ownership metadata on hive blockchain (this should be doable)😂

But we have to ensure that the user experience is simply they sign in / browse around, buy books, and read them without dealing with wallets, random fees, or visible crypto mechanics.