Stephen's King's e-book ''The Plant'' seems to be a success, despite initial negative spins that unfavorably compared downloads in the first few days to those of earlier e-project Riding the Bullet. Yet King's criterion was met: over 75% of downloaders paid, insuring that King will post future installments of the novel. Next installment is due August 21.
Andrew Vachss is publishing an early, unsold novel of his, A Bomb Built in Hell, on Amazon.com beginning August 10, for free.
J. Michael Straczynski released novel Tribulations on Bookface.com, for free
beginning August 7. A trade paperback edition will be published by DarkTales Publications on August 21.
Horror writer Douglas Clegg is publishing a novel, Nightmare House, in e-mail installments. Subscribe here:
And R.L. Stine is launching a new series online:
Publisher Random House is launching an e-book unit called AtRandom, with books to be sold electronically online, or Print-On-Demand in bookstores. Debut is early 2001. Time Warner's e-publishing unit, iPublish.com, is due in May 2001.
Holtzbrinck Publishers, the US publishing group which includes SF publisher Tor, as well as St. Martin’s Press, Picador, Forge, Henry Holt, and Farrar, Straus & Giroux, is working with Lightningsource.com to become Holtzbrinck’s primary provider of a comprehensive suite of digital fulfillment services, including “on demand” printing and secure eBook delivery.
A new website, Contentville, was discovered to be offering stories and article for sale that it does not hold rights to, including stories from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. An agreement has been reached with the National Writers Union to award writers 30% of the download fee.
Awards news:
The Japanese Seiun Awards, announced August 5, went to, in the ''Overseas fiction'' categories, Mike Resnick and James Tiptree, Jr.
Prism Awards winners, from the Romance Writers of America (RWA), include Catherine Asaro:
The National Readers Choice Awards were also announced at the RWA conference in July, and again included Catherine Asaro: