16 Best Selling Stephen King Books

Bryan:

What are the best selling Steven King books of all time? Hi there. My name is Bryan Collins. Welcome to Become a Writer Today Show. I've been a Stephen King reader for years now. I love the way he can cross genres. Speculative fiction, horror, science fiction, murder, and mystery. He really is the master of multiple genres. So in this podcast, I'm gonna give you an overview of the 17 best-selling books of all time from Stephen King.

Bryan:

Number 1, The Shining. So The Shining was published in 1977, nearly four decades ago. Last time I checked, it had sold somewhere between half a million and 700,000 copies. It tells the story of Jake Tapper, who is living in a hotel with his family, and he goes slowly mad. And, of course, The Shining was turned into a movie of the same name directed by Stanley Kubrick. Fun fact, did you know that Stephen King really disliked the movie version of The Shining? And it's something that he's criticized for years. But not only that. Stanley Kubrick reportedly didn't even read Stephen King's book The Shining when he was filming the novel. He simply came up with the screenplay based on the premise that said, if you would like to film, I guarantee you'll enjoy the book too.

Bryan:

Number 2, Carrie. Carrie was published all the way back in 1974. It was Stephen King's first book on his foray into the world of writing horror. Carry is a great short read. But did you know that when Stephen King finished the first draft, he didn't think it was any good, and he threw it in the bin next to his office where he wrote? It was his wife who fished the draft out of the bin and said to him, Steven, I really think you've got something here. And that encouragement was enough for Stephen King to keep going with Carrie and turn it into something that he could publish.

Bryan:

Salem's Lot is Stephen King's second novel. In his book, its main character, Ben Meyers, heads to Jerusalem last to explore his historic old house in a quaint small town. But while he's there, he observed the aftermath of a deadly event involving two boys, and it launches a harrowing tale of evil arriving to this new England town. It's a fantastic American horror novel.

Bryan:

Number 4, Misery. When best-selling novelist Paul Sheldon is in his serious car accident, he meets his biggest fan, Annie Wilkes. Annie Wilkes seems to take care of Paul as his nurse. But as misery unfolds, we find out that she is something much more than a health care provider and Paul has to escape from the clutches of Annie Wilkes. And, of course, this particular novel was also turned into a film in 1990, which starred Kathy Bates and James Caan. If you're a writer who loves reading horror or loves writing horror, this is definitely a book to check out. It's an intense and claustrophobic read.

Bryan:

Pet Sematary is another popular book by Stephen King. When the Queen family move into a home in Maine, their life seems to be perfect. But something sinister is lurking in the woods. And as the family explores their home, they encountered a grave of pets from the town's children. Are the animals truly gone? That's the underlying question in pet's cemetery. And it's considered a chilling book, particularly for cat and dog lovers. The stand.

Bryan:

The Stand is another 1 of Stephen King's books that I love. When a mutant strain wipes out nearly all of humanity, survivors need a leader. Mother Abigail and Randall Flagg struggle to see who will turn into that leader because one is peaceful and the other is a violent man. This leads to an epic clash between good and evil. Now the plot is a bit different from some other Stephen King books that I've mentioned, and perhaps it represents 1 of King's first forays into the world of horror slash science fiction. 

Bryan:

IT is another best selling book by Stephen King. A clown is living in a sewer and enticing teenagers using a red balloon to tempt them, to come down to the sewer, and to meet Pennyworth. But when teen the teenagers grow up, they're all drawn back to dairy. In Maine, the town where they grew up, and they start discovering the truth behind these murders and those missing kids. Now like any good Stephen King book, it keeps you guessing about where evil truly lies. It was turned into a film in 1986. It became a cult classic, thanks to that creepy clown and those red balloons. And in 20 17, it was remade, followed by the sequel in 2019. That said, I do think that the book is better than any other films combined.

Bryan:

The Gunslinger is a popular series by Stephen King. It tells the story of Roland, of Gilead, a man who was born both a loner and a hero. And in his story, which takes place on a planet that's remarkably like around, he pursues the man in black and meets a colorful cast of characters. The Gun Slinger is the first book in the popular dark tower series, which will have more than enough reading material to occupy your summer read this year and the next. 

Bryan:

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Bryan:

The Green Mile takes readers to call mountain penitentiary, where the men of e block wait for their turn in the electric chair. It tells the story of Paul Edgecomb, a prison guard, and John Coffey, an inmate who may or may not be guilty of the crimes they're charged with. The book like most Stephen King books, has lots of unexpected twists, but the goal is to make you think about the characters rather than shock you with a horror story. Now did you know this was actually published in serial form before it was released as a standalone novel? And it's something that you like if you enjoyed the Shawshank Redemption, which was also written by King.

Bryan:

Under the Dome gained attention when it became a television series in 2013. It explores what happens when an invisible force feels falls on the town of Chester Mills, cutting it off from the west of the world. If you know of science fiction, this is a work of genius. Unlike other Stephen King novels, the main evil in Under the Dome is not a person but the Dome itself. Escapism at its best.

Bryan:

Lisey's story. When her husband Scott dies, Lisey must venture into his private place, and they are while sorting through the possessions of her award-winning novelist/ spouse, she stumbles across the type of madness that plagued her former love. It's not as much a horror story as it is an exploration of what love and affection looks like today even from beyond the grave. Perhaps it represents a foray into literary fiction versus horror from King. 

Bryan:

The Dead Zone is one of my favorite Stephen King books. It tells the story of Johnny Smith. He survived a skateboarding accident as a child and as a young adult, only to find himself in a coma in the town of Castle Rock in Maine, where many Stephen King books are set. But when he wakes up from the coma, he discovers he can see people's futures simply by touching their hands. And the dead zone plays on this premise and asks, is this a gift or is it a curse?

Bryan:

Mister Mercedes is the first of the Bill Hodges trilogy. In this story, investigator Hodges finds himself struggling to find the guilty party when a killer plows over some people in a stolen Mercedes. And through this story, readers learned the identity of the killer and his burning desire to kill again. Only if Hodges can identify the killer in time can he avoid another tragedy. And, of course, there were two popular sequels and a TV series starring Brandon Gleeson. 

Bryan:

Cujo was another popular best-selling Steven King book, set in Maine. It tells the story of a massive Saint Bernard and Brett Camber, his owner. Sadly, in this horror novel, Cujo is a source of violent evil when he gets bitten by a bat and contracts rabies. The book reminded me a little bit of Pet Sematary as Cujo turns into a type of monster. There's lots of vicious fights between the characters in this book and compelling violent climax.

Bryan:

The Shawshank Redemption is a major motion picture, which most people know because it's dark, Morgan Freeman, but it's actually based on Kings Novella, which was called Rita Hayward and the Shawshank Redemption. And it appeared in a Stephen King collection of short stories called different seasons. Most of us know the story behind this one. Andy Dufresne faces acquisition of the double murder of his wife and her lover. And the story unfolds his attempts to break free and eventually bring a friend with him. It's a great book to read, and it's probably not quite as good as the film in my opinion, but still it's something that you'll enjoy if you like King's works.

Bryan:

Firestarter is another popular book from Stephen King. It follows Vicki Tomlinson and Andy McGee, two former college students who were test subjects in a secret government test program. When the two get married later, they give birth to a daughter, Charlie, who is an interesting and uncontrollable power. The story follows Charlie as the government agents who tested our parents seek to harness that power that she has for themselves and is an explosive end, which you'll enjoy if you like King's works. Again, the book is a little bit like Carrie.

Bryan:

And perhaps the final best selling Steven King book worth mentioning is 11/22/63. It's a piece of speculative fiction from Stephen King. It tells the story of Jake Epping, an English teacher who lives in Maine, where else, and what happens when he discovers a time portal. Basically, he uses this time portal to undo one of the defining events of twentieth-century American history, the assassination of John F Kennedy. Those are some of the best selling books from Stephen King.