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Stephen King's first novel would never have been published if not for his wife Tabitha - she removed it from the garbage where he had thrown it. Three months later when he submitted it to Doubleday publishing, he received a $2500 advance on the book that went on to sell a modest 13,000 hardcover copies. The book was Carrie. Reviews were mixed, but when United Artists and Brian De Palma released the film version in 1976, it was a critical and commercial success. New American Library purchased the paperback rights of the book that went on to sell over two and a half million copies.



Stephen King was born on September 21st, 1947 in Portland, Maine to Donald and Nellie Ruth King. His father left when he was three years old; he went out for cigarettes and never came back. But young Stephen did not let that stop him. By the time he was seven years old, he had written his first short-story. He had also become a fan of 50s horror movies. While a teenager, he did things like other teens; he joined the football team, played in a rock band, but he also had two of his short-stories published.



King attended the University of Maine at Orono and earned a Bachelor's degree for English in 1970. He married Tabitha, also a writer, the same year. After graduation, he worked as an English teacher and spent his free time writing and being rejected by publishers. Then came his break with Carrie and things have never been the same.



Today, Stephen King is the world's most successful writer. He has over a hundred million copies of his works in print and that number is climbing rapidly as he is translated into more languages and as he continues to release new books at a rate of almost one per year. At one point, he had an unprecedented five books on the New York Times Best Sellers List at the same time. King is also the richest writer; according to Forbes Magazine, he earned $84 million in 1996...