The NFT Handbook: How to Create, Sell and Buy Non-Fungible Tokens
Explains why people pay real money for digital tokens when the files can be copied for free. It also walks through buying, minting and selling NFTs on a major marketplace without betting money you need.

Table of Content
1. Introduction
1 min 01 sec
If NFTs still sound like people paying fortunes for pictures anyone can download, the strange part is that the buyers are behaving like ordinary collectors. In The NFT Handbook, former entertainment lawyer Matt Fortnow and growth marketer QuHarrison Terry argue that a non-fungible token is simply a trusted record of who owns a digital thing, and that the record, not the file, is what people pay for.
The logic behind it is centuries old. Provenance makes an object one of a kind, scarcity plus demand pushes its price up, and blockchain has finally given digital files a history nobody can forge. The authors begin in the Louvre and finish inside an online marketplace, so the reasoning arrives with a working method attached. By the end, a skeptic can explain why a Pokémon card and a cartoon ape follow the same rules, set up a wallet, mint a first token and decide how to sell it.
2. Spot what makes an original worth millions
1 min 41 sec
A poster of the world’s most famous painting costs almost nothing, while the canvas itself is insured for a fortune. The gap between them holds the whole logic of digital ownership, and it has little to do with how the image looks.
3. Understand the ledger that makes digital things scarce
1 min 49 sec
The internet made songs, films and photos endlessly copyable, and creators watched their work become nearly free. The fix came from an unexpected place: the problem of stopping people from spending the same digital coin twice.
4. Understand what makes downloadable images worth paying for
1 min 49 sec
Critics say an NFT buyer gets nothing but a certificate, since the image stays online for everyone. A small cardboard card from 1998 suggests the critics are asking the wrong question about what collectors actually want.
5. Know what sells, from cartoon apes to rock albums
2 min 08 sec
A digital artist with no formal training sold one piece for more than many old masters fetch. Basketball fans, rock bands and celebrities are buying in too, and some tokens now work like a key to a private club.
6. Buy your first token without risking money you need
1 min 42 sec
Setting up a wallet and an account takes less effort than most newcomers fear. Deciding what is worth owning is the harder part, and the authors’ advice on it is far more cautious than the hype around them.
7. Turn a photo from your phone into a token
1 min 47 sec
Minting sounds like work for programmers, yet it comes down to a handful of clicks. What decides whether anyone notices the result is a choice most beginners spend seconds on: the name.
8. Price and sell your NFTs with confidence
1 min 39 sec
A unique digital piece has no price tag and nothing to compare it with. Sellers can name a number, let buyers bid, or run an auction whose price only goes down, and each choice carries a different risk.
9. Conclusion
1 min 09 sec
Strip away the jargon and NFTs turn out to be a very old trade in a new place. The same pull that sends a collector after the last missing Pokémon card, or keeps crowds in front of a small painting in Paris, now works on files anyone can copy. What changed is proof. A shared ledger that no one can quietly rewrite gives a digital work the kind of provenance a museum archive gives a masterpiece, and once ownership can be proven, scarcity and demand set the price as they always have.
That gives a newcomer firm ground. When a token’s price looks absurd, ask whether its ownership is proven, how scarce it really is and how many people want it. If you buy, choose work you would enjoy owning anyway, spread small amounts across several projects and never risk money you need. If you create, start with a simple file you have the rights to, give it a name that stands out, and pick your way of selling by the demand you can honestly show.
Anyone can own a poster of the Mona Lisa. What people have always paid for is proof that they own the real one.
About this book
What is this book about?
NFTs can look like an expensive joke: people paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for images anyone can download. Matt Fortnow and QuHarrison Terry argue that the joke misses what is actually being bought. An NFT, or non-fungible token, works as a ledger entry showing who holds a digital work, stored on a blockchain that is very difficult to forge, and that entry plays the same part as the provenance trailing a celebrated painting or a scarce trading card. The authors build the case from the Mona Lisa and a $900,000 Pikachu card to Beeple's $69 million sale at Christie's, the Bored Ape Yacht Club and an album by Kings of Leon. Along the way they explain fungibility, the double-spending problem and how a shared ledger made scarce digital goods possible. Then the book turns practical. Readers learn how to set up a crypto wallet, buy on OpenSea, mint a first token from a phone photo, name it so it stands out, and choose between a fixed price, open offers and a Dutch auction, with sober advice on spreading small bets and risking only what they can lose.
Book Information
Who it's for
Skeptical professionals
Professionals who dismiss NFTs as overpriced pictures and want to understand what buyers are really paying for.
Artists, musicians and writers
Artists, musicians and writers looking for a new way to sell digital work without a paywall.
Cautious first-time buyers
Cautious first-time buyers who want a clear, low-risk way to set up a wallet and start collecting.
About the Author
Matt Fortnow
Matt Fortnow began as an entertainment lawyer, coauthored the seventh edition of the music industry guide This Business of Music, and co-founded the fantasy sports service Commissioner.com, sold to CBS SportsLine in 1999. Since 2016 he has worked in blockchain and has created official NFTs for brands such as The Three Stooges. QuHarrison Terry is an entrepreneur and growth marketer who has advised Mark Cuban and his portfolio of more than 200 companies, a four-time LinkedIn Top Voices in Technology honoree and author of The Metaverse Handbook.
Ratings & Reviews
Ratings at a glance
What people think
Listeners find the quality of the information to be positive, with one listener noting it offers simple practical knowledge and another describing it as an excellent introduction to NFTs. The material is clear and straightforward to follow.
Top reviews
Wow, this served as the perfect bridge for me to finally understand what all the Bored Ape hype was actually about! I’ve been curious about the blockchain space for a while but always felt intimidated by the jargon. This book changes that. The authors explain complex concepts like non-fungibility and digital scarcity with such clarity that even my grandmother could probably follow along. I loved the deep dive into Beeple’s 'Everydays' project. It gave me a much deeper appreciation for the digital art movement beyond just the price tags. The book is incredibly easy to follow and the layout is very clean. Not gonna lie, I was skeptical at first, but the chapter on 'unlockable content' opened my eyes to the utility side of these tokens. If you’re looking for a comprehensive, beginner-friendly entry point into the NFT ecosystem, look no further. This is an absolute must-read for any aspiring digital creator.
Show moreAfter hearing my friends talk about 'wallets' for months, I decided it was time to educate myself properly. This book was exactly what I needed. It’s clear, concise, and doesn’t assume you have a PhD in computer science. The authors take you by the hand and lead you through the entire history of NFTs, from early Vine videos to the Kings of Leon album release. Personally, I found the chapter on choosing the right content for an NFT to be the most helpful part of the whole book. It really makes you think about what gives a digital object value. The advice is practical and the examples are current. It’s rare to find a tech book that is this readable. I borrowed a copy from the library but I’m definitely going to buy a physical copy to keep on my shelf as a reference. Highly recommended for anyone starting from zero.
Show moreFinally got around to reading this handbook after seeing it mentioned in a few crypto Discord servers. For a newcomer, the way Fortnow and Terry break down the basics of Ethereum and smart contracts is actually quite helpful. The truth is, I had no idea how 'gas fees' really worked until I sat down with this. It’s a very accessible primer. Some parts of the 'how-to' sections for specific marketplaces already feel a bit dated since the UI of these sites changes every five minutes, but the core logic remains solid. I particularly enjoyed the sections on how to set up ongoing royalties for creators. It makes the tech feel less like a scam and more like a tool for artists. While some of the marketing hype is laid on a bit thick, the practical advice on choosing content for minting is worth the price of admission. It’s a solid 4-star guide for the uninitiated.
Show moreAs someone who struggles with technical jargon, I appreciated how Fortnow and Terry broke down complex blockchain concepts into digestible pieces. The book functions as a great roadmap for anyone wanting to move from being a curious observer to an active participant. I especially liked the breakdown of different marketplaces like OpenSea and how they compare. One minor criticism: I wish they had spent more time on the legal implications of copyright in the digital space, as that’s a huge gray area right now. However, the section on minting your first NFT is very encouraging and provides a clear step-by-step process. The tone is optimistic without being overly 'moon-boy' crazy. It’s a very practical, understandable guide that demystifies a lot of the 'magic' behind the technology. I’d recommend it to any artist looking to explore new ways to monetize their work.
Show morePicked this up because I was curious about the marketing side of digital assets rather than just the code. QuHarrison Terry’s background in growth marketing really shows through here. The book does an excellent job explaining how to build a community and create value beyond just the image itself. I found the discussion on 'social tokens' and exclusive access—like the Bored Ape Yacht Club community—to be the most fascinating part. It’s not just about the art; it’s about the membership. The writing is punchy and keeps you engaged throughout. There are a few sections that feel a bit like filler, especially the long lists of marketplaces, but the overall strategic advice is quite sound. It’s a helpful resource for understanding the cultural shift we are seeing in the digital world. Definitely worth a read if you want to understand the 'why' behind the boom.
Show moreGotta say, the chapter on the history of digital collectibles was the highlight for me. It’s easy to get lost in the current gold rush, but understanding where this all came from is crucial. The authors do a great job of explaining how scarcity plus demand equals value, whether we're talking about a physical painting or a blockchain token. The book is very well-organized and the narration (I listened to the audiobook version) was top-notch. My only beef is the pronunciation of 'GIF'—it was a bit distracting! Aside from that, the content is very solid. It covers everything from minting to auction strategies. Even though I have no immediate plans to sell my own NFTs, I feel much more confident engaging in conversations about Web 3.0 now. It’s a great introductory text that doesn't overcomplicate things. Very glad I picked it up.
Show moreEver wonder why a pixelated image of a punk could sell for millions? This handbook provides the answers in a way that is both engaging and informative. I appreciated the authors' transparency about the risks involved, even if they are clearly fans of the technology. The book is packed with real-life examples that help ground the abstract concepts of the blockchain. From Christie’s auctions to the Kings of Leon, the variety of use cases presented is impressive. I found the advice on building a collection to be particularly grounded and useful. It's not a 'get rich quick' manual, but rather a thoughtful exploration of a new asset class. The sentence structure is simple and the pace is fast. It’s an excellent introduction to NFTs for anyone who feels like they’ve been left behind by the digital revolution. Definitely a 4-star read for me.
Show moreThe information in here is a bit of a mixed bag, to be frank. On one hand, the theoretical sections about why humans collect things—comparing digital tokens to Pokémon cards or fine art—are genuinely insightful and well-written. On the other hand, a significant chunk of the middle of the book feels like a repetitive manual for setting up a wallet. You could honestly find that same info in a three-minute YouTube video. I also couldn't help but notice the heavy-handed promotion of Three Stooges NFTs, which felt more like a sales pitch than an educational example. In my experience, the book shines when it discusses the future potential of Web 3.0, but it stumbles when it bogs down in technical steps that are already starting to show their age. It’s okay as a starting point, but don't expect it to be the only resource you’ll ever need.
Show moreIs it worth the price of a physical book when the space moves this fast? That's the question I kept asking myself. While the introductory chapters provide a decent historical context for things like CryptoPunks and NBA Top Shots, the middle of the book feels like it's trying to be a technical manual for software that changes every week. I skipped most of the screenshots and step-by-step wallet setup instructions because they’re already slightly different from the current versions of the apps. Frankly, the authors are a bit too bullish on the tech without addressing the rampant fraud in the space. However, the theoretical framework of digital ownership they present is quite interesting. It’s a fine primer for a weekend read, but you’ll need to supplement it with real-time news if you actually plan on investing. A decent 3-star effort.
Show moreLook, if you have spent more than ten minutes on a crypto blog or Twitter, you probably already know 90% of what is covered here. I found the content to be largely superficial. It feels like a rushed attempt to capitalize on the 2021 hype cycle. The authors spend way too much time belaboring obvious points while glossing over the actual risks and the environmental impact of certain chains. To be fair, the writing style is conversational and easy to digest, but the depth just isn't there for anyone looking for serious technical or financial analysis. It felt more like a long-form marketing brochure than a handbook. Also, the practical advice on 'speculative' buying is a bit dangerous in hindsight. If you’re a complete luddite, you might get something out of it. Otherwise, you’re better off just reading a few free articles online and saving your money for actual gas fees.
Show moreQuestions about this book
What is the main idea of The NFT Handbook?
Matt Fortnow and QuHarrison Terry argue that an NFT is a record of who owns a digital work, stored on a blockchain that is very hard to falsify. That record does for a digital file what provenance does for the Mona Lisa: it proves uniqueness. Uniqueness means scarcity, and scarcity plus demand drives value, which is why people pay for tokens even when the image itself can be downloaded by anyone.
Why would anyone pay for an NFT if the image can be downloaded for free?
The authors treat NFTs as digital collectibles, driven by the same instinct that makes people collect stamps, sneakers or trading cards. Collectors pay for documented ownership of the real thing, not for the picture. Their example is a vintage Pikachu card from a 1998 run of just 39 that a collector bought for $900,000, showing how scarcity drives value. Blockchain, they argue, gives digital items an equally firm guarantee of ownership.
How do you buy an NFT according to the book?
Set up a crypto wallet, such as the Coinbase Wallet, ideally with two-step verification, and exchange local currency for Ethereum. Create an OpenSea account and connect the wallet. Then buy at a fixed price, bid in an auction or make an offer with an expiry date. OpenSea charges 2.5 percent per transaction. The authors advise buying what you like, spreading small bets and risking only what you can lose.
How should you price an NFT you create?
If your token belongs to a series, look at recent sales of similar items, the way you would compare house prices in a neighborhood. A unique piece is worth whatever demand supports, so your profile and promotion matter. With strong demand, the authors suggest pricing a little high and lowering later. Without a clear number, accept offers instead, and consider a Dutch auction only when you are confident of demand.
Readers also enjoyed
Digital Gold: The Untold Story of Bitcoin
Nathaniel Popper
Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon
Michael Lewis
AUDIO SUMMARY AVAILABLE
Listen to The NFT Handbook in 15 minutes
Get the key ideas from The NFT Handbook by Matt Fortnow, plus 5,000+ more nonfiction titles.
- 5,000+ titles
- Listen as much as you want
- 7-day free trial
- Cancel anytime



















