The idea would be to have a system where Author 1 can reach out to Author 2 whose content they like, offering a chapter trade. I think this would be a good way to help authors keep their stories active, help new authors strengthen their stories, and maybe build some community, at least for those who want it. I believe most of the features would be fairly simple to implement, without needing any major development time, simply by adding a few fields and categories to the site. Features necessary (I think): New tab or section on profile pages containing: "Participant in Chapter Trading Program" [Yes/No] This will allow people to A) avoid being spammed with requests if they have no interest B) avoid wasting time/losing interest in the program when they send requests that are rejected or ignored "Chapter Showcase" [Editable links (or just full text, if that isn't possible)] This allows participants to showcase what they believe is their best work to potential trades "Genre Interest" [Text field] Allows participants to describe types of chapters they're willing to write, if they have a preference New option for story owners within My Stories/Edit Story "Eligible for Chapter Trading Program" [Yes/No] Indicates that the owner is willing to discuss a chapter trade specifically in return for additional chapters of the relevant story. might be cool to have this option for non-owners to apply to specific sub-branches, but that could get difficult to implement, so dunno. New section on the front page: "Recent Chapter Trade Updates" Front page section would help draw attention to the program. Not strictly necessary for the feature, but most people may never even know it exists, otherwise. Just a thought. I realize that, technically anyone could already offer/request a chapter trade on their own, but I don't see it happening much/ever. An actual system might help make this a real thing. I think there would probably have to be some content guidelines too, but maybe not.
