I discovered this nifty site (leanpub.com) when it transpired that someone was writing a textbook on a subject I was researching for a client. Authors can put up and sell work-in-progress and completed books (fact or fiction), and readers can get early access to in-progress texts on new or rapidly evolving topics.
The WIP aspect is interesting, as it means that an author can be funded while completing their text, allowing them to spend more time on it, rather than having to go earn a living elsewhere simultaneously. Additionaly, authors set the price, keep the rights, and earn a decent royalty (90%, minus 50c per sale). It sounds like this should also make writing for a niche audience more practical – and if the topic goes mainstream later on, then the enthusiastic author has a headstart.
Given that the time overhead of traditional publishing (writing, editing, printing, marketing, …), and the need for a sizeable audience and ROI for publishers, too many technology texts either don’t make it to market, or are almost obsolete by the time they do. This site is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
