HAPPY ENDING TO TWEET APPEAL: Horror author Stephen King reacted with horror when the largest daily newspaper in his home state decided it was going to stop publishing regional book reviews.

The best-selling author from Bangor, Maine, tweeted that it was taking away the publicity that writers needed "to buy bread and milk".

He called on his more than five million followers to take action. "Retweet this if you're from Maine (or even if you're not)," he urged. "Tell the paper, don't do this."

The Portland Press Herald responded with a challenge. If King could get his followers to buy 100 digital subscriptions, it would bring back the reviews."Sales pitch? Blackmail?" King wrote back. "Either way, 71 people have subscribed so far. Are there 29 more Twitterheads out there who want to ante up? Just asking."

By Sunday, The Press Herald had doubled its goal, with about 200 new subscriptions in less than 48 hours. It pledged to continue the reviews of books about Maine or by Maine authors.

"It's a Stephen King story with a happy ending," Ms Lisa DeSisto, chief executive of MaineToday Media, which publishes The Press Herald, said.