Hi, Ergo! It's great to see you back here after a long time. Regarding your question, I'll answer from my personal situation. As an editor, I have a certain ease in getting the texts I publish online to appear in a book. Not all of them, of course, but those that I see have greater literary value.

It seems to me that, more than measuring ourselves by the value others give us—which is important in the craft, I won't dispute that—it's about being very clear about what we want to achieve as artists. I know writers who are very good but have no interest in publishing books, because the whole meaning of their art resides in writing and publishing online. That's enough for them. And, at least for me, they are no less writers because of that. In fact, I've learned a lot from them, and I've told them so.

There's also another group of writers—among whom I include myself—who do aim to publish books. So far, all the books I've published contain texts that I first published on my blogs. Back in 2013, I even had my main Blogger blog very active, where I published all my literary texts (at that time I wasn't publishing articles), and most of them I included in my books. When I opened my Substack account, I didn't publish those texts here again. And I plan to do the same with the texts I share on this account, because, although I'm currently working on my first novel, I don't rule out publishing a new book of poetic prose in the coming years.

I don't believe that what one writes has more or less value if it stays online or is in a book. Literature is indifferent to that: when a text is good, the format in which it is read doesn't matter. But it's true that, at least for me—and for many people—the reading experience in a physical book is superior. This doesn't mean one should publish books just for the sake of it. I've always argued that readers shouldn't be given just anything. To publish a book, one must work a lot on what they write, at all levels. And as an editor, I believe that the aesthetics of a book are just as important. Together, the literary and editorial work enhance the value of a book. And a well-made book becomes more than a simple product: it becomes part of the life of whoever reads it; that sentimental value it acquires gives it a much greater worth.

Publishing online, on the other hand, has its advantages: you reach more people, your work is shared faster, it's more accessible. Therefore, even if I publish books, I will never stop writing on the web. Creating a space, making a name for yourself in this vast virtual world is already difficult, and it's necessary to be consistent. But I also see it as a prelude. Publishing on the web is the first step to gaining visibility, and that, over time, can make the work of publishing a book later more manageable. Because as I see it, we shouldn't settle for leaving everything on the web, especially if our goal is to make writing a craft or profession, since a book will always be great support for our work.

I hope I've answered your questions. And welcome back!

A hug.