From the Publisher
"Long live the King" hailed Entertainment Weekly upon
publication of Stephen King's On Writing. Part memoir,
part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time,
this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the
writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every
writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories
from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his
struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident
in 1999-and how the inextricable link between writing and living
spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and
inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone
who reads it-fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well
told.
About the Author
Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine, on September 21, 1947. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Maine at Orono in 1970, he became a teacher. His spare time was spent writing short stories and novels. King's first novel would never have been published if not for his wife. She removed the first few chapters from the garbage after King had thrown them away in frustration. Three months later, he received a $2,500 advance from Doubleday Publishing for the book that went on to sell a modest 13,000 hardcover copies. That book, Carrie, was about a girl with telekinetic powers who is tormented by bullies at school. She uses her power, in turn, to torment and eventually destroy her mean-spirited classmates. When United Artists released the film version in 1976, it was a critical and commercial success. The paperback version of the book, released after the movie, went on to sell more than two-and-a-half million copies. Many of King's other horror novels have been adapted into movies, including The Shining, Firestarter, Pet Semetary, Cujo, Misery, The Stand, and The Tommyknockers. Under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, King has written the books The Running Man, The Regulators, Thinner, The Long Walk, Roadwork, and Rage. King is one of the world's most successful writers, with more than 100 million copies of his works in print. Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages, and he writes new books at a rate of about one per year. In 2003, he received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
About the Book
"Long live the King" hailed "Entertainment Weekly" upon publication of Stephen King's "On Writing." Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999--and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, "On Writing" will empower and entertain everyone who reads it--fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.
