Press release for Riding The Bullet
Posted: February 22, 2000, 20:45
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TO PUBLISH NEW STORY EXCLUSIVELY ON EBOOK
Riding the Bullet Available Worldwide on March 14th to eBook and PC Users
New York, March 8, 2000-- Simon & Schuster announced today that a new story by best-selling author Stephen King will appear exclusively as an eBook on March 14th (12:01 AM EST). Riding the Bullet, a story described by King as "a ghost story in the grand manner," will go directly to readers electronically, who will pay $2.50 for the 16,000-word story. The story will be a co-publication between Scribner and Philtrum Press, King's own press, and electronically published through Simon & Schuster Online. The announcement was made by Jack Romanos, President & Chief Operating Officer of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and Susan Moldow, Vice President and Publisher of Scribner.
"Riding the Bullet is yet another example of how Stephen King and Simon & Schuster continue to embrace new possibilities in every facet of their relationship," said Romanos. "This innovative publication strategy takes the eBook from the realm of novelty and directly into the very mainstream of today's culture. And it reaffirms the publisher-author relationship at a moment when it is fashionable to predict its demise."
"What an exciting opportunity this is for both us and the author," said Moldow. "From the issue of adapting traditional book design to an e-friendly format to creating instant alliances for making the story available to as many of our customers as possible, Riding the Bullet is an exceptionally apt title for this leap into the digital future." The concept of an original eBook was presented to Scribner by Ralph Vicinanza, King's longtime agent for foreign rights. He also initiated King's innovative 6-part book serial of The Green Mile.
"I'm curious to see what sort of response there is and whether or not this is the future," said King, who wrote Riding the Bullet shortly after his near-fatal accident in June 1999. King has since written several works. Riding the Bullet is his first work to go directly to readers via eBook.
The distribution of Riding the Bullet as an eBook bypasses the traditional yearlong publishing cycle. "What's exciting is that we are able to go from Stephen King's computer to the reader in a fraction of the print-book publishing arc," said Kate Tentler, Vice President and Publisher of Simon & Schuster Online. "And, we can offer this wonderful story to readers in whichever electronic format they are comfortable with: on an eBook device, a handheld Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or on a computer."
EBook vendors participating to date include: Glassbook, Inc., netLibrary, Nuvomedia Inc.'s Rocket eBook, Peanutpress.com, SoftBook Press, and SoftLock.com. SoftLock.com provides a complete technology and service solution that will enable any retailer or bookseller with a website, whether simple or sophisticated, to sell Riding the Bullet.
Stephen King is the author of more than thirty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, The Green Mile, and the audio-only release, Blood and Smoke. In August, Pocket Books will release the paperback edition of Hearts in Atlantis, followed by the October publication from Scribner of On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Information about Stephen King and his writing can be found at the official King website: http://www.stephenking.com/
In support of Riding the Bullet, Simon & Schuster and Scribner marketing activities, including press releases, review copies, newsletter and consumer bulletins, and business-to-business promotional materials will be produced and transmitted electronically. An excerpt from Riding the Bullet can be read at www.SimonSays.com.
CONSUMERS: Click here to purchase the eBook:
http://www.SimonSays.com/ebooks
RETAILERS: Contact your regular eBook vendor or click here to become an eBook affiliate:
http://www.softlock.com/
Simon & Schuster, the publishing operation of Viacom Inc., is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed and multi-media formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Trade Publishing, Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster New Media, Simon & Schuster Online, Simon & Schuster U.K., and Simon & Schuster Australia. For more information about Simon & Schuster, visit our website at http://www.simonsays.com/.
CONTACTS: For Business Press, Adam Rothberg, Vice President, Director of Corporate Communications
212-698-1132; adam.rothberg@simonandschuster.com
For Feature Press, Patricia Eisemann, Vice President, Director of Publicity, Scribner212-632-4945; pat.eisemann@simonandschuster.com
Title: RIDING THE BULLET
Author: Stephen King
ISBN: 0-7432-0467-0
Word Count: 16,000
Pub Date/Time: March 14th at 12:01 AM, EST 3/8/00
