Making a physical copy of a book involves photocopying it page by page, or printing it from a file, again page by page.The result is a bunch of paper with a relevant physical space. And it's the same for magazines: editors have to select their content much more carefully now, because of the huge amount of free content available on electronic networks. Furthermore, electronic networks have also affected personal publishing, with so much self-produced stuff that cries out to be cited or reviewed in print so the printed paper space is, again, more precious. (Alessandro Ludovico)
Designers and writers are using digital publishing tools to grow their own content and grapple with the materiality of text. Web distribution and print-on-demand technologies offer accessible channels for short-run, low-risk publishing. In the age of self-publishing and social media, the author function has splintered and multiplied. Society has changed, and so have the means of composing, consuming, and spreading the written word. "Author" is now a role that anyone can play. (Ellen Lupton)