An e-fiction venture aimed at tweens and teenagers is being launched by packager Discovery Books in May. Called Fiction Express, it will invite teenagers to buy books in instalments and to vote to decide the direction of the plot.

The list will launch with four titles on 6th May. Each new episode will be released weekly, on Friday at 3.30pm, and readers will have until 10am the following Monday to cast their vote, giving the author four days to write the next instalment.

Editor Laura Durman said: "We talked to a lot of youngsters aged 12 to 15 years who were often not that interested in reading, but they loved the idea of being able to vote on how the plot develops, and reading a book in 'real time'."

The company has bought serialised e-book rights to each title so other publishers may be approached to print the finished books in partnership with Discovery Books. Authors are paid an advance and royalties on sales.

The first episode can be downloaded for free and subsequent instalments cost 70p, or at 59p if all 10 episodes are paid for. The fiction can be read online at www.fictionexpress.co.uk but will not be downloadable.

The company will market Fiction Express through schools and magazines. Durman said: "If we get 1,000 readers on board, we'd be thrilled, but we think it is going to take time to build a word of mouth following."

The Bookseller