MacKenzie Scott Releases Free Novel After $26B in Giving

After quietly donating $26 billion to nonprofits over seven years, one of the world's most generous philanthropists is sharing another kind of gift with the world.

MacKenzie Scott announced she's releasing her third novel, "Last Days in Two Nations (A History in Eighteen Minds)," as a free serial publication on Substack throughout August. The 80,000-word book continues Scott's literary career that began long before she became known for her record-breaking philanthropy.

Scott studied creative writing at Princeton University under Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison, who supervised her 168-page senior thesis. The mentorship stuck. Scott published her debut novel "The Testing of Luther Albright" in 2005 to critical acclaim, winning an American Book Award and landing on the Los Angeles Times Best of the Year list.

Her second novel "Traps" followed in 2013, but since then Scott has largely stayed out of the public eye. She's communicated mainly through occasional posts on her personal blog, making this new release a rare chance to hear her voice again.

The timing feels significant. While Scott's net worth sits at $33.8 billion today, she's proven that wealth doesn't have to mean hoarding. She's donated to more than 2,500 organizations since her 2019 divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, focusing on historically Black colleges, environmental groups, and economic equity nonprofits.

Why This Inspires

Scott is showing that generosity comes in many forms. She's giving away billions to change systems and structures, while also offering her creative work freely to anyone who wants to read it. In an era when artists increasingly struggle to make ends meet and billionaires face criticism for their wealth accumulation, Scott's choice to publish for free rather than profit speaks volumes.

She could easily command a major book deal and donate those proceeds. Instead, she's removing every barrier between her art and her readers, asking nothing in return.

The world's 22nd richest person is proving you can hold onto what made you you, even as everything else changes.