In 1974 Stephen King published Carrie, which was his first novel to find a publisher, when he
was 26 years old. The book was made into a highly successful film the following year, and King's
career took off in a way that has no parallel. While J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter
books has amassed more wealth overall, King earned his fortune through a prolific career
spanning nearly half a century, producing dozens of standalone horror novels, co-authoring a
handful of them, and writing just one major series, The Dark Tower, which is a well-regarded
high fantasy epic which represents a significant divergence from his trademark supernatural
stories set in Maine.
Carrie was the fourth novel King wrote. The three previous books, Rage, The Long Walk, and
Blaze were all later published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The former two, along
with the novels The Running Man and Roadwork, were published individually through the late
1970s and early 80s and in 1985 were published together in The Bachman Books: Four Early
Novels by Stephen King. King later published The Regulators and Blaze under Bachman's name
as a literary device to relate the books to other works penned under King's own name.
King has experimented with different publishing models and technologies, serially publishing
the horror novel The Plant through his website, and publishing a digital novella for sale in
bookstores, both in 2000. In 2015 he released a short story, "Drunken Fireworks," as an
audiobook (a format King has expressed a strong fondness for) months before it was available
in print or eBook.
More than 20 of King's books and stories have been adapted to the TV series and movies at
least once.
While primarily associated with the horror genre, King has won the Grand Master Award from
the Mystery Writers of America, as well as a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement.
King has written a number of non-fiction books, including his highly-regarded On Writing, which
is both a memoir and a reflection on his craft as an author.Read moreRead less
