The author now can map out a story, but cannot force the reader to follow the path. As I said above, writers may have trouble mapping out a story in a way that it is easy to follow. With no real linear storyline it is very easy to get lost. Many writers have an aspiration for their work to outlive their bodies. For example, many would argue that Shakespeare is alive and well in today's society, even though the Bard has been dead for centuries.
Many authors aim for similar rewards from their writings.
While currently hypertext writing has a home online, nobody knows how permanent any work done in the new technology is. The lack of a strong-standing, everlasting base causes many writers to shy away from the medium, not wanting to waste their time and effort on a passing fad. There is no sturdy library to house the works of such writers. The writer of hypertext must remember that, as of right now, the reader must be sitting in front of a computer to read the story. It is currently not plausible to curl up in bed with a hypertextual document.