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Just to respond to some of the comments that have been made (which I appreciate, incidentally):
There's actually ways to cut the costs of making an app down quite a bit, but it's not free -- that's why the app would need to be a paid app. I was thinking $2.99 or something like that. The content would need to be constantly added to in order to really add value, and that comes down to authors interest in taking the time to make product, which is what I'm tying to get a sense of in terms of interest. Personally, if someone else was doing what I'm suggesting, I'd write a short story and submit it. After all, it's very hard to get exposure of any kind, and this could only help.
This idea is different than a formal magazine, as they can be very restrictive as they build a particular brand within a particular genre. I think part of the value of this app would be to not focus the kind of material that would be submitted -- to provide content to as wide an audience as possible. The only real filter would be a quality control over the craftsmanship of the work (spelling, grammar, etc.) since a shoddy product would be counter productive.
I think the idea that people can just go to a website and get samples of writers' work really puts a lot of faith in the amount of effort that people will place in finding a new author. The thought here is basically to say: hey, come look at this app while you are traveling on the train to work or during a break during the day. You can read a story in a short period of time and really get a sense of the value of an author with not much effort. If you think about it, a lot of apps are for things that you can simply find on the web, but the value they bring is to simplify the experience so there's very little effort involved.
Anyway, that's just a few of my thoughts.
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