I’m writing a book, and I’m looking for the right agent or publisher to support it.
If you know someone in publishing—especially someone interested in systems, strategy, political economy, or institutional design—I’d welcome an introduction.
Reach me at richard.martin@alcera.ca or just reply to this email.
The State of Business: Sovereignty, Constraint, and the Future of Enterprise
A forthcoming book by Richard Martin
Free enterprise is a myth.
Modern business doesn’t operate freely. It operates under constraint—rules, structures, and permissions granted (or revoked) by sovereign authority.
Corporations, platforms, and markets are not autonomous actors. They are sovereign-dependent institutions: enabled by law, enforced by courts, backed by currency, and bound by jurisdiction. Their legitimacy isn’t natural. It’s issued—by the state.
But we are entering a new era.
Parasovereign systems—Bitcoin, open protocols, distributed networks—are introducing new forms of constraint. These systems don’t eliminate rules; they reengineer them. They operate outside of sovereign authority but enforce compliance through voluntary code, cryptographic trust, and network consensus.
This book maps enterprise across three strategic orders:
- Sovereign – where constraint is imposed by territorial monopoly
- Sovereign-Dependent – where constraint is licensed and regulated
- Parasovereign – where constraint is engineered and voluntarily enforced
The central claim:
Freedom isn’t the absence of constraint—it’s the ability to choose your system of constraint.
Who it’s for:
- Founders operating in gray zones
- Executives navigating geopolitical and legal uncertainty
- Institutional designers rethinking legitimacy and coordination
- Strategists, investors, and advisors who see that business isn’t “just business” anymore
If you can help me connect with the right agent or publisher, I’d be grateful.
Thank you for reading—and for helping bring this work into the world.
Richard
richard.martin@alcera.ca
About the Author
Richard Martin is the founder and president of Alcera Consulting Inc., and the creator of The Strategic Code—a doctrine for leaders navigating volatility, constraint, and conflict.
His mission is simple: equip leaders to exploit change and achieve strategic coherence. Through his advisory work, writing, and tools, he helps senior decision-makers see clearly, understand deeply, and act decisively in high-stakes environments.
Richard is the author of Brilliant Manoeuvres: How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles, and the developer of Strategic Epistemology and Worldview Warfare—frameworks that decode the beliefs, values, and power structures shaping strategic action in a contested world.
www.thestrategiccode.com
www.exploitingchange.com
© 2025 Richard Martin
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