Stephen King 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 Portl