Leave it to James Patterson to figure out a whole new way to market books. The author. who has sold over 300 million copies of his books, is the leader in issuing the world’s first self-destructing book.

In the age of digital technology, Patterson is offering the first 1000 of his fans, the chance to get a free digital copy of his new book. Private Vegas. The big surprise is that the copy of the book will only be available for 24 hours. Then it gets electronically erased.

Readers will literally see a countdown clock on the top of their screen. It reminds me of the TV show, “Beat The Clock.” It’s going to be very interesting to see how the public reacts to this marketing ploy. I’m sure there are plenty of good readers who will love getting Private Vegas as a gift and then challenge themselves to read faster then the ticking clock.

It becomes a whole new game for book readers. In fact, I think Patterson may even gain some new fans just because they want to take on the challenge of racing against time.

The hard cover version of the book will be available to the general public on January 26th. Fans who want more information on the digital copies, can reference Mashable’s article on the subject.