Blockchain in Digital Publishing | Glenn McCreedy

In this episode of the Particle Accelerator Podcast, Ben Johnson sits down with Glen McCreedy, Founder & CEO of Inara (Inara World), to explore how distributed ledger technology is reshaping digital publishing and creator monetization.Glen shares how his background in book publishing led to a new model for digital content: “pay for what you choose.” Instead of forcing consumers into subscriptions or expensive full-publication purchases, Inara tracks content micro-consumption in real time and enables microtransactions so publishers and creators can get paid as consumption happens.We also dig into the bigger industry implications—digital rights management, smart contracts, attribution, and what it would take to build fairer content economics across platforms.Key Highlights:• Why subscription fatigue and paywalls are breaking content monetization• The case for micropayments and “pay for what you choose” consumption• Digital rights management (DRM), attribution, and smart contracts• Why Glen chose Hedera Consensus Service for microtransactions• Lessons learned from early startup missteps and narrowing the right use case• Advice for founders: follow your passion, don’t build too fast, don’t build what nobody wantsExplore Inara:Website: https://inaraworld.comConnect With Glenn:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breakawayglenn/About Ben Johnson:Ben Johnson is the founder of Particle41 and host of the Particle Accelerator Podcast, where he talks with future-thinking leaders about technology, innovation, and building high-performance teams.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction00:38 - Growing Up in Tucson00:58 - First Job: Retail Import Store02:05 - Dad’s Racing Background02:50 - Slot Cars and Performance Thinking03:12 - Tech + Innovation Interests04:14 - Favorite Course: History04:37 - Math as a “Gap”05:20 - Quote: “Between dying and not dying, I chose the guitar”06:03 - The Internet’s Impact06:10 - Staying Current on Tech Trends07:13 - Blockchain’s Impact on Publishing08:14 - Why Micropayments Matter15:00 - Digital Rights Management (DRM)17:30 - Smart Contracts and Attribution24:00 - Inara’s Model: Content Micro-Consumption + Microtransactions30:00 - Gaps Between Vision and Reality38:00 - Startup Lessons + Advice for Founders45:00 - How to Connect with Glen Would you pay small amounts for exactly what you read instead of subscriptions or full paywalls?To learn how Particle41 helps organizations build scalable digital products and modernize systems with elite engineering teams, visit https://Particle41.com.#ParticleAcceleratorPodcast #Blockchain #DigitalPublishing #Microtransactions #CreatorEconomy #Particle41