I am a Stephen King fan and was entranced by the idea of his publishing a book, in segments, on the Net. You had to pay for each section. He said that if 70% of people were honest and paid for it, he'd carry on posting the sections on his site, if not, he wouldn't carry on. He thought that, bypassing the big publishers and publishing in chapter form could be a great development. Anyway, I duly paid by money per section and was looking forward to the latest installment. Fans of King will know what a page-turner storyteller he is and I was as excited about each new bit as I was as a kid waiting for the Bunty to come through the postbox so I could find out the denouement of the latest Four Marys story. Anyway, as only 40% have paid, he has pulled the book saying he'll publish in the usual way in due course. THE AGONY. Anyway, question: are the 60% who didn't pay any less dishonest than King who is leaving those of those who have paid a fiver (about 2 quid less than his hard copy books normally cost) dangling with about 3/4 of the book left still to be written?

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

Answers

It was a bit optimistic to expect people to just pay out of honesty, especially over something as anonymous as the internet. Why wasn't access restricted until he could be assured of payment?

On a slightly different tack, the publishing chapter by chapter harks back to the Victorian (and earlier) novels, like Dickens. And of course more recent incarnations like Greenspun Place ;-)

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

When do you find the time to read with your many commitments Dougal?

It's a shame if you've followed it thus far. King is surely rich enough to have written this one off to experience and finished the job for the loyal and honest 40%.

Is Bunty still published? You could always console yourself with that (and a midnight feast). ;-)

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

Jonno, Bunty is still published and the Four Marys are still saving St Elmo's every week although they have had their hair updated.

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

Morning television killed the comic. Both were devised to allow tired parents to sleep in a bit longer on Saturday mornings ;-)

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

There was a discussion about King's experiment on NPR the other day. They figure he was a couple of years ahead of his time. Both in the administrative headaches of setting up and running a payment/password system to ensure collection of money, and because technology isn't quite up to the point of having a good computerized reading device yet. They figure in 2-3 yrs technology will have caught up(and be affordable to enough people) to make it viable. They also said he was probably more unhappy about the low numbers downloading the installments. I think they said it was only 40,000 or so. He'll reach more people and make more money when it's published on paper and sells millions.

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

Not into his books ,at present on Maureen Lipmans biography and battlefield Korea, but I read a piece on the above in the local rag alongside a photograph , Jeez he aint half an ugly sod , nae wonder he writes horror.

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

Re the Four Marys. Something has bothered me for a while. At regular intervals during their wizzo life at St Elmos, they appear to have slap up feasts in the dorm to celebrate a Mary birthday. This has been going on for years. At a conservative estimate I would suggest that each of them is now 47 years old yet they are all STILL in the fourth form. If this is not a condemnation of the private education system in this country I don't know what is.

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2000

Jacko LOL!! A further indictment has to be the poor financial running of the school - despite having such pupils as Lady Mary Radcliffe and Mabel and Veronica, they are continually having to save the school from receivers. Have you seen the Bunyty very recently? It's such a reflection on the way times have changed. When I was a bairn, there were the Four Marys, a pony story, a ballet story, a story about a Victorian maid/orphan with a cruel Victoral pater familia to contend with. Now it's all girls with single parents trying desperately to keep the family together or get her parents back together.

-- Anonymous, December 04, 2000