An author is writing hir book. Once sie finishes a certain amount, sie uploads it to its own page on this website. Sie also chooses whether sie wants just proofreading, wording changes or full-blown plot improvement. People online can go onto the website and make improvements to the book. Improvements are logged with IP address/username (like Wikipedia). They can also comment on how it's going so far.
The author can log into the website and see how hir book is going. Sie can choose to either accept or reject changes. Thus the book is improved (in theory).
"What is the point?", I hear you ask. It gives the author free proofreading and checking. It gives people a sneak preview of the book before it is released. And it gives bored people like me something to do.-- dbmag9, May 28 2006 I was just thinking a (free) essay proof-reading service would be useful (this might exist - I'm sure someone will link if it does). However, finding someone who is as/more knowledgeable about the topic than the writer (who has already spent some time researching the topic) might be tricky. [+]-- xaviergisz, May 28 2006 There's a big difference between proof-reading and peer-review (/subject matter expert review). For a lot of topics (the example here is the novel) there's no reason why a good proof-reader couldn't spot/fix the problems.-- neilp, May 28 2006 Wouldn't it be very easy to infringe copyright with this? Would the books be in the public domain?-- nineteenthly, May 28 2006 No, it wouldn't be in the public domain, but very few writers would want their first draft on the net, and very few readers would want to read it. On websites where work can be posted for critique, it's generally understood that the writer can use suggested improvements as his own, just as he would with an editor. (Hir own? It'll never happen.)-- ldischler, May 28 2006 What he said. ^^^
And as you suggest in your subtitle - just put the text on a wiki. Some authors already do this. I don't know if it makes their books better or not.-- jutta, May 28 2006 Wiki music--jam sessions, choral groups...those might work.-- ldischler, May 28 2006 Go on, then. The MediaWiki software (used to run Wikipedia) is free to download. All you need is a little webspace with a database to install it. You even have free publicity in the form of this halfbakery idea to get it started. You could be famous.
Be warned, if I do drop by I will replace all your horrible mangled pronouns.-- st3f, May 28 2006 I was just testing them out. I have decided that I will henceforth be either politically incorrect or use singular 'they'.-- dbmag9, May 28 2006 baked-- epicproblem, May 29 2006 You going to expand on that, epicproblem?-- dbmag9, Jun 01 2006 random, halfbakery