Writers and business analysts are keen builders of community. They share their work online before taking the traditional print path and eagerly engage audiences in discussion.

Two clever Wired guys are taking that anti-vacuum approach with books scheduled for print in 2008 and 2009:

FREE: Why $0.00 Is The Future of Business: Remember when The New York Times tried to charge us for online content? Those were the days when business tried to reshape a traditional product model into ecommerce revenue. Not anymore. As Chris Anderson (of The Longtail fame) argues in FREE, giving it away is getting business. Anderson hopes to, you guessed it, give away the book for free or practically free. How?: hungry sponsors.

Crowd Sourcing: Another Wired guy, Jeff P. Howe, is peddling his own book (publishing in July 2008) about the online phenomenon of crowds. The theory gives form to an underbelly, grassroots movement that has been successful in open source programming for years: the power of the masses trump the efforts of one. This, according to Howe, can be a powerful force in innovation, business and funding.

Both Anderson and Howe are tapping into more than just collaboration for the sake of collaboration or making the community feel warm and fuzzy. They are creating the ultimate marketing utopia of building a market with the product. How do you say no to purchasing or obtaining something you’ve participated in or donated to? It’s like bringing beef stew to the potluck but not having any. It’s not done.

You don’t have to be a book author to build a market with your product or service. Consider creating a Wiki to discuss your next business venture, marketing project or your take on industry trends. Too scary to open it up to the masses? Then don’t. Create a private Wiki for invite-only access to select clients and colleagues. Good or bad, we’d love to hear about your experiences or ideas so please post away.