Electronic Literature Publishing and Distribution in Europe

ABSTRACT/ THE ORIGINAL RESEARCH PLAN (Raine Koskimaa)

In this individual project, an investigation into organized European electronic literature publication and distribution will be undertaken. This means that self-publication by authors will be excluded. However, the investigation will cover all other forms of publication and distribution, including:

* electronic literature magazines and portals online
* electronic literature competitions
* collections
* online art sites including literary digital works
* offline presentations in galleries, museums, etc.

The investigation will begin with a systematic survey of the European publication fora. The initial data will be collected using the expertise within the research project (covering six European countries) and existing resources such as ELiNor – Electronic Literature in Nordic Countries Portal, Hermeneia Research Network of Electronic and Innovative Literature located at the University of Barcelona, the contributors’ network of the Cybertext Yearbook, and the ELO Literary Advisory Board. Based on this survey, a representative sample of cases will be selected for more thorough investigation. Through interviews with responsible publishers and editors, the following issues will be clarified:

* The beginning and history of the activity
* Institutional background and financing scheme
* Main forms of activity
* Publication criteria
* Intended audience
* Collaboration networks

Alongside the interviews, content analysis will be conducted on selected issues of the publications.

As a result, a useful report on European electronic literature publication will be produced. The report will detail the main actors in the field and give a comprehensive view of the state of the art. The main innovations behind the most successful cases will be identified and, on this basis, best practices will be identified and proposed.