Asterion: Read & Tip Novels on Farcaster

Asterion is a Farcaster mini app that lets users read web novels for free and tip authors directly—on-chain, transparently, and with creator-first economics. Built for the Zora Coinathon, Asterion reimagines the web novel experience by leveraging Zora v4 coins, wallet-based tipping, and deep Farcaster integration.

Motivation

Current web novel platforms are expensive for readers, restrictive for authors, and lack transparency:

• Reading a full novel can cost $300+
• App stores and platforms take large revenue cuts (up to 80%+)
• Authors are locked into daily publishing contracts, often at the expense of quality

Asterion solves these problems by making every novel a Zora v4 coin, enabling direct, transparent tipping, and giving authors more freedom and a larger share of earnings.

Key Features

• Read Novels for Free: Browse and read novels directly in the app.
• Zora v4 Coin for Each Novel: Every novel is a Zora v4 coin, enabling on-chain tipping and ownership.
• Wallet-Based Tipping: Users tip authors by sending a "love" reaction to chapters, using their in-app wallet.
• Supporters Tab: Each novel displays its top 100 supporters, with perks for major supporters.
• Clip Sharing: Capture and share clips from chapters directly to the Farcaster feed.
• Notifications: Get notified when new chapters are released for your favorite novels.
• In-App Reading Tools: Enhanced reading experience with built-in tools.
• Farcaster-Native Comments: Novels are posts, and comments are Farcaster-native.
• Profile & Tipping History: Users can view their tipping history and bookmarks in their profile.

User Flow

1. Add Asterion to Farcaster: User opens the app and adds it to their Farcaster account.
2. Configure Spend Permissions: User sets up wallet permissions for tipping.
3. Browse Popular Novels: Home page displays trending and popular novels.
4. Read & Tip: Open a novel, read chapters, and double-click to send a love/tip.
5. Track Support: View your tipping history and bookmarks in your profile.
6. Engage: Share clips, comment, and interact with the community.

Data Model

• User
  • Farcaster username
  • Novels (array)
  • Tips (array of objects)
    • Novel ID
    • Amount tipped
  • Bookmarks
• Novel
  • Title and details
  • Tips:
    • Username
    • Tip amount
    • Date

Tech Stack

• Frontend: Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS, Radix UI
• Blockchain: Zora v4 coin SDK, Minikit
• Backend/Data: MongoDB, Prisma (planned)
• Other: Farcaster integration, custom hooks, reusable UI components

Getting Started

1. Install dependencies:

   pnpm install
   # or
   npm install
   # or
   yarn install

2. Run the development server:

   pnpm dev
   # or
   npm run dev
   # or
   yarn dev

3. Open in browser: Visit http://localhost:3000

Extending the Project

• Integrate real blockchain and Farcaster APIs
• Add more reading tools and personalization features
• Expand notifications and supporter perks
• Enable real-time comments and social features