Independent writing, social reading and publishing without intermediaries: self-publishing and the tensions between the publishing field and the literary system

Abstract

This article addresses self-publishing as a phenomenon that, thanks to its boom, allows us to understand the literary system under the notions of independent authorship and social reading. Through the analysis of some recent figures on self-publishing and the study of some key concepts, it is proposed that self-publishing generates an overlapping of the editorial field in the literary system in three senses: 1) editorial disintermediation accentuates a digital writing model; 2) it limits the field of formal literary experimentation in terms of the materiality of the book; 3) it diversifies the contents and experiences available to readers. It is concluded that although self-publishing presents challenges for the traditional publishing sector and literary studies, it is a fact that in the face of the cultural demands of rapid consumption and under a digital economy model, these products evolve the writer-reader relationship, modify the perception of the value of books and promote contents that stimulate reading in young audiences.