Flaming Hydra’s new Kickstarter campaign rethinks e-book ownership and digital lending

A new Kickstarter campaign, The Phoenix Project, aims to revolutionize e-book ownership and digital lending, according to Flaming Hydra's lead editor Maria Bustillos. This initiative seeks to restore the "human internet" by offering a print magazine, an e-book service for libraries, and a newsletter subscription/archiving program, all focused on protecting freedom of information and supporting artists and authors.

Bustillos emphasizes that Flaming Hydra's projects are interconnected, driven by the desire to make information accessible while respecting the rights of creators. The campaign's flagship project, The Phoenix Project, will make human writers' work more accessible to libraries. This is an attempt to address the current system where e-books are merely licensed, not owned, and can be altered or removed at the publisher's discretion.

The Phoenix Project plans to provide libraries with a "library in a box" system called Lenny for Libraries, enabling them to purchase and lend e-books to patrons. Flaming Hydra has already lined up its first five e-books from authors like Tom Scocca and Bustillos herself, with more to follow. This marks a small but significant beginning to the project, which aims to change the conversation around e-books and digital archiving and lending.

In addition, The Phoenix Foundry Archive will make paywalled newsletter content available to libraries, addressing the growing issue of exclusive, non-accessible journalism. By converting selected newsletter posts into EPUB documents, libraries can lend these materials to patrons. Flaming Hydra has already received financial support from backers like Anand Raganathan, Brewster Kahle, and Paul Ford, but the campaign seeks $30,000 to ensure its independence and sustainability.