I would like to propose that wannabe authors sell their unedited books for a fraction of the price. Then, if so many people buy it and like it, it could fund the author the opportunity to hire an editor. If the author wants to stop there, release the new, edited version for a little more.
I think this has potential. Books are so expensive these days. Editors are so expensive these days. I would absolutely pay $1-3 for an aspiring writer's messy first/second/third draft. Getting a full story for just a few bucks is pretty decent, even if it's not groundbreaking or perfectly cohesive. As long as I'm entertained, I think it's a good deal.
Plus, just because they're not edited properly doesn't mean they won't be good. Anyone who's spent some time on AO3 knows just how amazingly and beautifully written some stories can be even without editor, beta reader, or even any semblance of a plan before starting to write. So, yeah, you might spend a dollar or two on a story that's not all that great, [But hey, it was only a dollar or two. That's better than spending $7-35 on a physical book you might think is trash.], but you might also spend a dollar or two on what turns out to be a gem that would otherwise have not been published at all because it's simply too expensive.
Furthermore, as someone who has a few writer friends [and is very nosy], I've seen the wild ways stories will change and grow over time. And it's so cool. I would love to get the opportunity to see all the drafts of writers. And I would be more than willing to pay a small price for them. It's just fascinating~
[I know some people might read this and think $1-3 is quite low, but given that these drafts would be digital, I'm using ebook prices for reference. Generally, I see them for around $7-12, and after taking out fees for editing, artwork, publishing & distribution, I can't imagine these authors are left with much of anything. $1-3 dollars is my lazy estimate.]
I think this would be better for writers in terms of just getting their book out there [skipping the editors and publishers], as well as marketing their books by themselves. [I think a lot of people would be willing to try out a newbie's book if it were significantly cheaper, and therefore, less of a loss if they don't like it.]
However, rest assured, I'm not encouraging cutting out authors completely. As I said earlier, if so many people but the unedited book and like it, and would like a properly edited copy, then the authors could do that. The properly edited book would be funded by the unedited copy's success. Rather than an author shelling money out for an editor for a book that will never take off, the author is using the editor with guaranteed future sales to at least make that money back, and potentially more.
[Regarding physical copies of these books, I suppose the writer may later on get an offer from a publisher, or [my preference] we will see beautiful things happening in the bookbinding business. [I cannot lie. I love watching those videos.]
