Book to be written by Wiki

The book called "We Are Smarter Than Me" will look at how businesses can use online communities, consumer-generated media such as blogs, and other Web content to help in their marketing, pricing, research and service.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the project is being controlled through the WeAreSmarter.org web site. Chapter headings and a few starter pages were penned to direct the project. The big idea is that the community writes the information and provides more anecdotes.

No one will get paid for the work and when it is finished the final results will be turned over to paid ghost writers to turn into something a bit more professional. All the profits will go to charity.

Pearson's big idea is to try and adapt publishing so that it is not whacked like the music business was by the rise of the internet.

Most authors think that the publishers would be better off looking at the outrageously priced distribution networks which currently account for 60-70 per cent of a book's cost before outsourcing the creative side of the business as a way to improve things. Authors are usually the ones in the publishing business which get shafted.

More here. µ