Will 'The Plant' grow?

Part two of serial Internet novel released Monday

By Todd Leopold
CNN.com Books Editor

(CNN) -- Stephen King is about to find out whether "The Plant" will continue to entangle readers.

The next installment of his Internet-only serial novel came out Monday. As with the first part, which was released on July 24, each download will be available only through King's Web site (www.stephenking.com) and will cost $1 -- readers will again be on the honor system. The first chapter was downloaded more than 152,000 times, and about 76 percent paid for it.

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King had said originally that unless at least 75 percent of readers paid for "The Plant," the book would come to an end with the second chapter. Given its initial success, he has since written on his Web site that he plans to write a third installment, and possibly make ensuing installments longer as well -- though perhaps at a higher price.

Amazon.com is providing the online payment system for "The Plant," but King and his staff are the ones tallying and issuing the official numbers.

"The Plant" fits right in to King's classic horror vein. It's an epistolary story of a "vampire vine" that takes over a struggling publishing house, and includes at least one oddball character as well as the kind of gruesome tale King seldom indulges in anymore. If the book seems like a throwback, that's no accident: it was originally begun in the early 1980s and then put away in the proverbial desk drawer.

Though King exhorts readers on his Web site that "we have a chance to be Big Publishing's worst nightmare," few observers are concerned "The Plant" means the end of publishing as we know it. "This is a Stephen King special," PJ Mark, a books reporter for Inside.com, told Reuters last month. However, more publishers are jumping on the e-book bandwagon, most recently Random House, which plans to issue several original titles this winter.

King himself isn't forsaking the old-fashioned publishing world; his new book, "On Writing," is due out from Scribner in October.

"The Plant" isn't even King's first foray into e-publishing. In March, he released the story "Riding the Bullet." That one was handled through his publisher, which made the work available through several outlets. "Riding the Bullet" was downloaded more than 500,000 times. King has said that though the earlier work reached more people, he expects "The Plant" to have a longer shelf life.

If the pattern for "The Plant" holds, the majority of downloads will probably occur during the first two days. King fans can then expect the third installment in September.

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