Listen to audio clips from the interview
Prolific thriller writer and self-confessed techno-peasant Frederick Forsyth is embracing the concept of e-publishing and releasing his latest book exclusively online.
Veteran, a dark tale of violent crime in London, is the first of five short stories, collectively called Quintet, which Forsyth will publish through ebook publishers Online Originals. For £1.99, fans can download the book directly to their PC or through the hand-held software packages, Palm Pilot, Rocket PC and Rocket ebook.
Forsyth, who does not own a PC and still composes his work on a typewriter, decided to join the ebook revolution after talking to his agent Ed Victor about Stephen King's novel The Plant, which is being released in instalments exclusively over the internet.
He expressed doubts to Books Unlimited about King's project: "I didn't think that format worked because I don't think a lot of people want to wait ten months to find out the climax of what they're reading".
He believes that short stories work better because they are a "one browse, one select, one decision, one pay, one download, one reading experience".
Forsyth is enthusiastic about the potential benefits of publishing online, believing that his work could reach a whole new audience of people "who do not habitually go into bookshops to buy books but do surf the net looking out for new and interesting items".
In addition, Forsyth is positive about the immediacy of the internet and the way in which it enables the traditionally long publishing process to be bypassed: "With cyberspace there's no stitching, no binding, no printing, no glue... The whole English speaking world [can be reached] in one hour... That's challenging".
However, the collection is also due to come out in print later next year, for the benefit of more traditional readers, and Forsyth is keen to stress he will not be turning into an internet-only writer, commenting, "this is not a substitute way of reaching the public but an alternative way... We're just reaching different people in more ways than we used to".
Forsyth's online publishers, Online Originals, have been publishing ebooks since 1997. Set up by the American writer and editor David Gettman, the company wanted to create a more welcoming environment for first-time writers, who can find it very difficult to get published in print without an agent or a proven sales record. Pioneers in the ebook industry, Gettman persuaded the industry to allocate ISBN numbers to ebooks, and they were also the first ebook publisher to pilot the Palm Reader, a screen that can be held in the palm of your hand.
Managing director Phil Rance believes that Forsyth's short stories suit the ebook medium perfectly. "In traditional publishing, it isn't economically viable to publish just one short story, you have to have a collection... but with online publishing, each short story can be published separately for a relatively small cost of £2", he remarked.
Rance hopes that the publication of Forsyth's stories will bring ebooks to a new audience and will encourage other established authors. "We are currently in negotiations with some other well known authors", he said, but was reluctant to name them.
The second story in the collection - The Miracle - will be published online on November 22. Three further short stories (The Citizen, The Art of the Matter and Draco) will appear every 21 days after that.
Online Originals website
Merchandising on the internet (30 secs)
Reaching a new audience (35 secs)
"The whole English-speaking world in one hour": speed-publishing on the internet (1min)
"Not a substitute, but an alternative": the net's new audience (20 secs)
