An interesting self-published book was released this fall and has hit the Hidden Gems list: There’s Treasure Inside by Jon Collins-Black. The premise: The author, apparently a Bitcoin millionaire, has hidden somewhere in the US five treasure chests that include a long list of valuables—Bitcoin, antiquities, shipwreck bounty, rare Pokémon cards, sports memorabilia, gold, precious metals, and rare gems. To find the treasure, you have to of course buy the book and read for clues. Do the treasures really exist? Some Amazon reviewers don’t think so; meanwhile, mainstream media have been covering the author and book.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
