This led to a press release heralding Bachman’s “death”-supposedly from “cancer of the pseudonym”.

His pseudonym was exposed by a persistent bookstore clerk. He picked up the name from the hard rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, of which he is a fan. An alternate explanation was that publishing standards at the time allowed only a single book a year. The idea behind this was to test whether he could replicate his success again and to allay his fears that his popularity was an accident.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, King published a handful of short novels- Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), The Running Man (1982) and Thinner (1984)-under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. In 1976, it was made into a successful horror film. Congrats, Kid – The Future Lies Ahead, Bill.” Carrie set King’s career in motion and became a significant novel in the horror genre. Doubleday editor William Thompson – who would eventually become King’s close friend – sent a telegram to King’s house in late March or early April 1973 which read: “Carrie Officially A Doubleday Book. When Carrie was chosen for publication, King’s phone was out of service. It was written on a portable typewriter that belonged to his wife. Carrie was King’s fourth novel, but it was the first to be published. In 1973, King’s novel Carrie was accepted by publishing house Doubleday. He has been described as the “King of Horror”, a play on his surname and a reference to his high standing in pop culture. National Endowment for the Arts for his contributions to literature. In 2015, he was awarded with a National Medal of Arts from the U.S. He has also received awards for his contribution to literature for his entire bibliography, such as the 2004 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and the 2007 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. In 2003, the National Book Foundation awarded him the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Stephen King has received Bram Stoker Awards, World Fantasy Awards, and British Fantasy Society Awards. He has also written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in book collections. King has published 63 novels, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, and five non-fiction books. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. Stephen Edwin King (1947 – ) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels.

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