Remember Stephen King’s ‘Riding the Bullit’. The story was released in installments, chapter by chapter for download over the Internet. Some say it was a flop, others that it broke new ground and experimented with new ways to sell and promote the download era. Others will point to Charles Dickens and say ‘nothing new here’.
Today we read that Headline will release Simon Spurrier's first book, Contract, in installments over a six week period from May 24 on the website itsallaboutthemoney.co.uk. The book will be available online for a limited period, and from June 4 readers who can't wait to read the whole thing can buy it from the website.
In this age of experimentation this venture is to be applauded if only Bloomsbury could convince JKR to do a Harry Potter in installments or a major author were to take the bold steps again and follow Dickens and King’s lead we may well find the tipping point of consumer demand.
