New technology helps Conrad Black sign books in London

Yesterday's London Lite reported on how troubled tycoon Conrad Black was able to sign books at Waterstones Piccadilly despite being unable to leave America.

Using the LongPen device, invented by author and poet Margaret Atwood, Black was able to send an electronic signature using a magnetic pen.

He then sent the signature to a robot arm in Waterstones, which traced the signature exactly as he had written it.

Will it catch on?:

Many authors value travelling and the chance to meet people face to face.

However, many are extremly busy or perhaps to frail to fly long distances.

While the LongPen includes the ability to communicate with the author via video conferencing, this seems somehow less personal.

And what if the power fails in either location?

For those located in Toronto, you can watch British author Kate Mosse sign her novel Sepulchre using Long Pen at the Toronto Reference Library on the 6th December.

More events will be posted on the LongPen website.


The cost of the LongPen has not yet been revealed for booksellers, but publishers must pay $800 per event, according to Wessel and Liberman.