Written texts are experienced as objects or products rather than as processes. Most written texts hide their processes of production; they are circulated in a final form that does not show obvious traces of the drafting and editing which is part and parcel of the writing process. This also enhances their status and value within a culture (or is it the other way around—their status within a culture requires this careful attention, because more is at stake in the meanings of such texts?). Written texts are subjected to `gatekeeping' processes to various degrees; the more durable the written product is expected to be, the more it is subjected to checking and filtering. Book publishing exemplifies this.