Stephen King gives his fans a nasty shock. And they're horrified

THE HORROR writer Stephen King has stopped writing his chapter- by-chapter online book, The Plant, in the latest illustration of theemerging truth that the internet does not pay.

In a note published on his website, King said yesterday that ThePlant, which was being published in single chapters that could bedownloaded, would "go into hibernation" - and offered no date forwhen it would begin publishing again.

His publisher has been bombarded with angry e-mails from peoplewho have spent $7 on a book that might now never be finished. It alsoputs a huge question mark over the future of digital publishing,since it demonstrates that copyrighted works tend to be unsafe fromwide-scale copying.

In a comment about the postponement of the book, King said: "Thelast time The Plant furled its leaves, the story remained dormant for19 years. If it could survive that, I'm sure it can survive a year ortwo while I work on other projects."

That contrasts with his comment when he launched the project. Thenhe said that The Plant was perhaps "going to be publishing's worstnightmare".

Instead, it is turning out to be a nightmare for would-be onlinepublishers. "It bothers me that readers might think twice aboutbuying instalments from any other authors who might go this routebecause of what King has done. To do this to loyal fans isinexcusable," said Marilyn Nesbitt, chief executive of DiskUsPublishing, which produces online books.

The decision to stop publishing was partly prompted, said hispublisher, by the fact that internet readers did not meet their sideof the bargain. King stipulated when he began publishing the partworkin July that he would only continue if 75 per cent or more of peoplepaid for each chapter. The first three cost $1, and those after $2.Downloading was free - but readers were asked to "return to pay", ata page headlined "Thank you for your honesty".

Alas, honesty lost. By chapter two, only 70 per cent of readerspaid; by part four, only 46 per cent paid. "There is undoubtedly somethievery and bootlegging going on," King said last month. Now it isunclear whether the chapters beyond part five will ever appear.