British comics author Simon Spurrier (2000AD) sold his novel Contract to Headline Books. Headline has decided this is the perfect novel with which to enter the world of online publishing, and will be releasing Contract starting 24 May in six weekly installments. The novel will be available for free from this web site.
While this publishing model has been showing growing success in the genres (most notably, perhaps, is Baen Books ongoing webscriptions and free book downloads), Headline and its parent company, Hodder, may be the first British mainstream publishers to attempt it.
Peter Blofeld, the Headline editor who bought the book, said “Contract is hugely exciting, unflinchingly candid and blackly comic and promises to be one of the notable debuts of 2007.”
Headline Publicist Becky Fincham said “Simon Spurrier already has an established cult following. Spurrier has written stories for 2000AD since he was 17 and was voted top new writer in the 2004 UK Comic Industry Awards. Contract is his first full-length work of [non shared-world] fiction; a brilliant portrayal of a character who is both morally repugnant and extraordinarily engaging as well as in the throws of total meltdown.” Contract is the first of a two-book deal.