London, March 6 (AP): Margaret Atwood has had enough of long journeys, late nights and writer’s cramp.

Tired of gruelling book tours, the Booker Prize-winning Canadian author unveiled her new invention: a remote-controlled pen that allows writers to sign books for fans from thousands of miles away.

Some fear Atwood’s Longpen could end the personal contact between writers and readers. Atwood says it will enhance the relationship. “I think of this as a democratising device,” said Atwood, whose appearances in North America and Europe draw hundreds of fans willing to stand in long lines for a word and an autograph.

Yesterday, Atwood’s democratic device underwent the most universal of experiences ? the last-minute technical hitch. Its first-ever public demonstration, at the London Book Fair, was delayed as project director Matthew Gibson and his crew engaged in some frantic tinkering.