Pediapress: "wikiality check" for publishing?

The other day at my other publishing class, we had a speaker who told the class about a new advance in the brave new world of internet publishing: pediapress, the wiki-based, DIY publisher that allows you to post that novel on your hard drive out into the big wide world. Or, at least, the sections of the big wide world that you tell people how to find.

On one level, this is pretty cool, at least a writing exercise; this is your chance to get your writing out there where people can theoretically see it -- for free, natch -- an excellent confidence builder for young and beginning writers. I can't get too excited about it, however, because it presents no real challenge to the publishing industry that needs so badly to be shaken out of its complacency.

Essentially, you enter your magnum opus onto the database as how ever many pages of wiki content, press the button, and hey presto you're published. This has its good points, such as allowing people to practice their writing in front of a virtual audience. It also creates a forum for viable talent to interact and learn from each other.

Now, here's that cynicism you've been waiting for. Pediapress makes you a published writer in the same way that wikipedia makes you an expert, and creates visibility for writers in the same way that an open mic night gives a musician a shot at the big time. Sure, it's theoretically possible that a talent scout from a publishing firm could be logging on, but do you really expect to get that call that changes your life from posting on a wiki?

Of course, pediapress could be a good thing for the pure, who-cares-who-reads-it joy of writing... kind of like writing in this blog (I'm still waiting on Random House to log on, though). In the end, however, nothing substantial has changed, so I can't get too excited.