Datafication and algorithmic processing in digital writing and self-publishing: A case study of Inkitt/Galatea

This article explores how automated, data-driven practices and algorithmic procedures are reshaping content creation and distribution in digital writing and publishing, with a particular focus on self-publishing. The transformations brought about by datafication, algorithmic evaluation and curation within platformized media environments have significantly influenced digital self-publishing – affecting both modes of writing (e.g. data-driven, AI-supported, and co-creative practices) and publishing (e.g. platform-dependent models tailored to mobile media apps). To discuss these dynamics, the article examines the case of Inkitt, a startup originally founded in Berlin and now headquartered in San Francisco. Using the conceptual lens of ‘imaginaries’, the analysis considers how Inkitt deploys data-extractive mechanisms and how these, in turn, shape users’ practices of digital writing and self-publishing. The article examines Inkitt’s reading and writing platform in conjunction with its mobile media app, Galatea. Drawing on a single case study that explores the potential of automated, data-driven and algorithmic practices within a specialized domain of digital writing and self-publishing, the analysis therefore offers only tentative reflections on broader, emerging dynamics.