Forget pocket paperbacks. The latest trend in trashy lit is books on phone. The Japanese novel that ignited the craze is Deep Love, the melodramatic tale of Ayu, a teenage girl who dabbles in prostitution. The story's author, who goes by the nom de plume Yoshi, published installments of the tearjerker as downloadable text files on his Web site in May 2000. To attract readers, Yoshi plied high-school students with promotional flyers in Tokyo's Shibuya district. News of the serialized story spread SMS-fast, earning the book a level of ardor usually reserved for the latest Gackt album. Soon, fans were suggesting plot twists (Yoshi incorporated many along the way). And yes, the novel was later printed; it's sold 1.8 million copies to date. The film adaptation hit theaters in April. Are you listening, Random House? The future of publishing is on the line.
Where to Get Lit
These sites offer ebooks optimized for your cell or PDA. If you can't find text in the format you need, you can convert it yourself with document viewer software like RepliGo (www.cerience.com) and Orneta Reader (www.orneta.com).
Fictionwise (www.fictionwise.com)
This one-stop eshop offers a comprehensive catalog of best sellers, from The Da Vinci Code to Quicksilver. Downloads average $7.
Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.net)
The Net's oldest etext purveyor specializes in classic literary works from the public domain. All downloads are free.
MemoWare (www.memoware.com)
Comb through the site's 14,000 unique documents, including literature, maps, and technical references. Most downloads are free.
- Eric Steuer
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