The novella, which is available for $2.50 at publisher Simon and Schuster's web site www.simonsays.com, and for free at Amazon.com, can only be read on a computer.

Its online appearance is "a leap into the digital future," according to Susan Moldow, vice president of Scribner, a co-publisher of the book along with King's own publishing company, Philtrum Press.

The 66-page novella can be downloaded but not printed, and only the first few pages can be forwarded by e-mail for free, Moldow said.

Apart from its unusual format, "Riding the Bullet" is long-awaited by King's vast following as one of the first works he has produced since being hit by a car in a near-fatal accident in June 1999, in Bangor, Maine.

The popular author of "Dead Zone" and "Carrie" said it became very difficult for him to write after the accident.

His newest work recounts the experiences of young Alan Parker as he hitchhikes to a hospital at night to visit his mother, who has suffered a stroke.