The Guardian reports that rather than write his first novel himself, unpublished author Phil McArthur has a better plan:

A first-time author has bypassed the traditional route of getting an agent, and is publishing a collaborative thriller on eBay. The novel is being written one page at a time, one writer to a page. As each installment is finished, the chance to create the next is offered for auction on eBay. So far, 17 pages have been completed, with 234 to go, and while the quality of the writing might charitably be described as variable, there is no shortage of plot.

McArthur, 31, thought of the project, called Novel Twists, while he was recovering from cancer and all profits will go to charity. Which made us feel kind of bad about rolling our eyes.

Author Turns to eBay in Search for Collaborators [Guardian via Galleycat]