Electronic Fiction: A New Means of Publication

The most difficult task of a writer is publication. A writer may write a brilliant piece of work that never reaches the public simply because it is so difficult to get work published. Because so many writers concentrate on writing fiction, the field is large but extremely selective and difficult to enter into. As a fiction writer myself, I constantly worry about finding a way to get my work published. Entering the field of written fiction publication, especially in print, is difficult to say the least. However, as technology has grown and progressed rapidly in the last couple of decades, writers are finding a new way to make themselves known in the fiction world.
Electronic fiction, or hypertext, is becoming more and more widespread in the world today. As technology progresses, more and more people are using electronic sources like the Internet to access information. Because of this, many people fear that the actual printed novel will eventually be obsolete. Robert Coover, in an article entitled “The End of Books,” discusses this matter. He argues that originally, the novel’s appeal came in “the line,” or the regimented task of reading words on a page from left to write, top to bottom. Further, he states, “True freedom from the tyranny of the line is perceived as only really possible now at last with the advent of hypertext, written and read on the computer, where the line in fact does not exist unless one invents and implants it in the text” (3). Coover is suggesting that hypertext gives both the writer and his or her audience more freedom. This freedom can be translated more effectively to the reader.
Writing electronically gives an author more creative freedom visually as well as artistically. Instead of plain black words on a white piece of paper, a writer can add visuals, graphics, sounds, and colors to his or her work in an electronic publication. This keeps the reader interested. Many people dread reading simply because they find it boring to stare at the same words on the same page through an entire novel. If readers are given graphics and animations, they may possibly be more focused, interested, and intrigued by the piece they are reading.
Publishing electronically makes it easier for writers to get their work out into the world. When writers finish a novel in print, they have to send it to publishing companies and hope that a company accepts their work enough to publish it. If a writer finishes a work they hope to get published in today’s society, they can upload it to the Internet and begin advertising their site. This makes it easier for the writer to begin to make a name for himself or herself and still allows the writer to begin sending their written work to publishing companies in hopes of being published.
Submitting work both in print and electronically is the safest and most technologically savvy way for today’s writers to make a name for themselves. If writers want to keep up with the fast paced technological world, they must learn to write electronically. The benefits of electronic publication are numerous and the possibilities are immense.

Imaged obtained from http://www.wunderland.com/EBooks/Ebooks.html