Introducing the medium, not the app
The open standard for conversational publishing.
Books shouldn't end when curiosity begins. Publish living works that readers can interrupt, explore, and return to — without ever losing their place.
Open Source Runtime · HeartBadge Publisher · Self Host or Cloud
The Demo
This wasn't a chatbot.
This was an Aside.
A reader interrupts the narration, asks what they need to know, and the publication answers in the author's voice — then resumes exactly where it left off, remembering what was just learned.
Becoming Her
Ch. 11 — The Faja Matters
Anya
…the swelling usually peaks around day three, love. Your body is doing exactly what it's supposed to do…
You
Wait — can I sleep on my side yet?
Anya
Not yet. Give it until your surgeon clears you — usually a few more weeks. Back elevated, pillows under your knees. I'll remind you when we get to the sleep chapter.
The Medium
What is a Converse?
A Converse is a publication that can hold a conversation. Instead of leaving your book to search Google, your readers stay inside the experience. They ask. They explore. They understand. Then they continue exactly where they left off.
Book → Google → Reddit → Lost context
The old way
Publication → Aside → Understanding → Resume
The Converse way
Open Source First
Built in the open.
The runtime powering Converse is open source — because publishing should be interoperable, not locked inside one company. Build your own player. Host your own runtime. Extend the protocol. Create new experiences.
- MIT License
- Community Driven
- Self Host
- Portable Sessions
- Open Specification
Publisher Identity
Connect your HeartBadge. Unlock your Publisher Workspace.
No subscriptions to remember. Your publisher identity travels with you. HeartBadge isn't DRM — it's a creator passport.
- Conversation Studio
- Analytics
- Voice Management
- Agent Policies
- Knowledge Sources
- Team Collaboration
- Desktop Studio
- Publishing Cloud
Conversation Studio
Every question your readers ask becomes an opportunity to improve your publication.
Repeated low-confidence Asides queue as tickets. You answer once — every future reader benefits. GitHub Issues, for publications.
Becoming Her
Publisher Workspace · PWA
1,248
Readers Today
8,421
Questions
91%
Completion
12
Pending Reviews
Review Queue
- Sleeping Position143 readersNeeds review
- Flying Home84 readers63% confidence
- Massage Timing52 readersNeeds clarification
- Compression Stages41 readersSuggested Moment
Beyond Books
One runtime. Infinite publications.
- Books
- Courses
- Research
- Documentation
- Museums
- Training
- Government
- Healthcare
- Games
The Architecture
Every experience is built from open primitives.
01
Publication
The canonical authored work. Immutable.
02
Session
The reader's live experience. Position, context, memory.
03
Aside
A temporary conversational branch, anchored to position.
04
Moment
An authored conversational node readers discover.
05
Rejoin
Resume exactly where you left off, remembering what you learned.
06
Completion
The journey, exportable and owned by the reader.
Manifesto
Publishing has always been one-way. An author speaks. A reader listens.
When the reader has a question, they leave. They search. They lose context. They forget why they came. We think curiosity deserves better. We believe every publication should be able to pause, listen, respond, and continue.
We're standing on the shoulders of the pioneers of hypertext, interactive fiction, and nonlinear publishing. Our contribution is simple: make it practical, make it beautiful, make it open.
We didn't invent nonlinear publishing. We made it conversational.
Open Core
The runtime is open. Professional publishing is the business.
Community
Free forever
- Open Runtime
- Player
- Sessions
- Asides
- Moments
- Self-Hosting
- Open Specification
Publisher
HeartBadge required
- Conversation Studio
- Hosted Publishing
- Analytics
- Voice Management
- Desktop Studio
- Team Collaboration
- Review Queue
The future of publishing is conversational.
Experience the first Converse — live now at iamtaylin.com.
Becoming Her