Stephen King has decided to give Twitter a try. The best-selling horror author can now be followed at the account @StephenKing, the Associated Press reported.

According to messages Friday, December 6 on his Facebook page and his website, the author wanted @StephenKingAuthor, but it was too long. An assistant to King, Marsha DeFilippo, confirmed that King's account was authentic and said that his publisher, Scribner, had encouraged him to go on Twitter.

King has long been open to e-books and other digital innovations but had resisted Twitter. Fans were warned that he prefers books and was unlikely to tweet often, but he still had more than 30,000 followers 90 minutes after the announcement.

His opening words: "My first tweet. No longer a virgin. Be gentle!"