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King's e-book experiment goes this week

Jul 23, 2000 - © Richard Loeffler

This week marks the first installment of Stephen King's novel on the web. "The Plant", available only in electronic format will be issued in monthly installments, each one costing a dollar. Mr. King is asking everyone who downloads an installment to send him a dollar...or you can order it at and use your credit card. The great experiment in reader honesty is being launched. Will readers pay for something on the web if they don't have to? Maybe it will prove if the web (and those that use it) can be civil. I mean most people don't steal from stores even if they think they can get away with it, so why is the web different? Is it because you are alone in your own house and you know no one is watching you? I hope this experiment works but I'm afraid it won't. I think too many people might actually intend to send the dollar but won't "get around to it". And I'm afraid that those who do buy the first offering may be lax in sending in money for the second or third. Personally, I'm going to wait until the whole book is up and then send in my $15 or whatever and get the whole thing at once because I'm not optimistic that the project will ever be completed and I don't want half a book. I'm sure Simon and Schuster, King's publisher wishes him the best but hopes for the worst. Afterall, it's the publishers who have the most to lose if this experiment works.

Speaking of Simon and Schuster, it was announced that it would begin commissioning short novels in the 15,000 to 40,000 words range to publish exclusively in digital form. They will pay $1,000 to acquire rights and initially plan to work only with writers that they have previously published with them in print. The idea is to let their published writers "experiment and test the market with us" said a spokesman for the publisher. Sounds like S&S are a little nervous about authors disintermediating them so they are going to let them test the waters as long as S&S is in the boat with them.

Along the lines of Stephen King, another well-known horror writer is serializing her latest novel on the web. Anne Rice's next novel, "Merrick" will be serialized at Contentville.com . The difference being that the second chapter of "Merrick" will not be available on the web until the p-book is available, so it's really

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