TORONTO — It turns out the LongPen isn't just science fiction. Author Margaret Atwood successfully completed a transatlantic book signing yesterday, using the device she invented to sign copies of her book in Toronto all the way from Edinburgh.

It was redemption of sorts for the author, as technical issues ruined the LongPen's debut last March, when Atwood attempted to sign from London, England to Guelph, Ont.

"Do you believe it now?" a jubilant Atwood said, speaking on a video monitor at the LongPen tent at Toronto's Word on the Street literary festival. The first signature was "To Mona," in black ink. "I was horribly, horribly nervous [this morning]," she admitted. "I'm extremely relieved. This was a good moment."

Atwood was not involved in the real Marconi moment, however. That honour fell upon British novelist Kate Mosse earlier in the morning, at 11:50 E.T., when Mosse completed the world's first transatlantic signing from London.

"It's quite nerve-racking," said Mosse. "It feels like a moon landing."

The recipient of the first book signed by the LongPen was author Patrick Boyer, who had won the right at a charity auction for PEN Canada. The initial attempt resulted in a spelling mistake -- To Patrick Voyer -- but it was rectified moments later. The first inscription read: "To Patrick Boyer. Love From Kate Mosse. X."

Mosse said the device would transform the relationship between authors and readers.

The LongPen allows writers to forsake the tried-and-true book tour and, theoretically, sign from anywhere in the world, including the comfort of their own homes. The author writes on a tablet and the signature is electronically transmitted to a robotic arm holding a pen that signs the book.

The LongPen on display yesterday was sleek and metallic, resembling a futuristic sewing machine. There is a video monitor on which the author appears, as well as a built-in microphone and speakers so the author and reader can talk.

Inspired after signing for a FedEx package, Atwood first scrawled the design of the LongPen on a napkin.

Bruce Walsh, vice-president of marketing for Unotchit -- You No Touch It -- the company Atwood formed in 2004 to launch the device, said the LongPen would help the publishing industry.

"It's going to sell books," he said, adding that it would attract young readers. "It's not just a long-distance signing device -- it's a marketing machine."

Walsh said there will be 14 LongPens installed in bookstores across North America this fall, with 100 installed by December, 2007. Bookstores pay $300 a year to lease the machine. For publishers, the cost rises to $2,500, plus an additional fee, which varies, every time they want an author to use it. The encounters between author and reader are recorded, and for $10 the reader can download the video footage and upload it to websites such as YouTube or Myspace.

Walsh would not reveal the cost of the prototype that was on display.