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How Stephen King Achieved a Net Worth of $400 Million

Stephen King

Stephen King is easily one of the most well-known novelists that has ever existed and as of 2019 has a net worth of $400 million. He's been writing books for decades and many of his books have actually been turned into movies. This is a person that almost everyone instantly knows about, at least by name. It's very rare that you run into someone who doesn't know who Stephen King is. That's something that is almost unheard of when it comes to authors. That fact alone tells you just how popular he really is, as he has become something of a household name. You might be wondering how anyone could reach such a staggering amount of money earned as King has, no matter what they do. For King, it all comes back to being consistent and having more than his fair share of writer’s luck.

Today, Stephen King has sold more than 350 million copies of his books. As previously mentioned, many of them have been made into movies. As a matter of fact, you might arguably say that he has more books that have been turned into movies than any other American author. Some of his more notable works, all of which have been adapted into movies, include titles like Children of the Corn, The Stand, Rose Red, Pet Sematary, so on and so forth. The list could go on for quite some time.

It’s interesting to note that King, who has undoubtedly written some of the most spine-tingling stories that you're ever likely read, got his start as an author because he was scared of a relative’s attic. During an interview several years ago, he admitted that going into that attic scared him like nothing else. When he told his family, they had a rather unique approach to it. They told him to face his fears and do what he had to do in order to stop being afraid. He decided that if he could write stories about it that would scare others, it would give him some type of control over his own fear. Therefore, the author Stephen King was born. Most people don't know this about him and they find it somewhat comforting to realize that the person who's probably been responsible for many of their own nightmares over the years actually has fears of his own.

Exclusive Interview with Stephen King

There's no doubt that he took a very interesting approach when it came to dealing with his anxiety about the attic. That fear has allowed him to weave stories together over the years that can really make your skin crawl, which is exactly why so many of them have been adapted into movies. People like being scared when it comes to that type of situation. It's like going to an amusement park. People find it exhilarating to be able to ride roller coasters and similar rides that make them feel a certain amount of fear in a relatively controlled environment. It's something about that rush of adrenaline that gets most people addicted to both amusement parks and horror films, which is exactly why so many people are familiar with Stephen King's name. Even if they've never read a single book, they still know who he is. That is precisely how he's managed to amass a net worth of 400 million dollars. He's sold hundreds of thousands of copies of his books, and he's benefited monetarily from all of the books that have been turned into movies and television shows.

If you were to take all of the books that Stephen King has written and start trying to read through them one at a time, it would probably take you several years to accomplish your goal. You might even feel overwhelmed at the situation. It's true that he's made a great deal of money, but he's also worked very hard over the course of his life. Very few people turn out the number of novels that he has and it’s almost unheard of to have them made into television and film at the rate that his books have been converted. Some people find the books themselves to be far more interesting in the movies and other people feel that the exact opposite is true. Either way, almost everybody that likes a good scare now and then is a fan of Stephen King.

Stephen King's 10 Rules for Success

10 Memorable Stephen King Quotes

  • “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
  • “Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”
  • “Fiction is the truth inside the lie.”
  • “The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them -- words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.”
  • “The scariest moment is always just before you start.”
  • “I think that we're all mentally ill. Those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better - and maybe not all that much better after all.”
  • “If you liked being a teenager, there's something really wrong with you.”
  • “Alone. Yes, that's the key word, the most awful word in the English tongue. Murder doesn't hold a candle to it and hell is only a poor synonym.”
  • “Speaking personally, you can have my gun, but you'll take my book when you pry my cold, dead fingers off of the binding.”
  • “The thing under my bed waiting to grab my ankle isn't real. I know that, and I also know that if I'm careful to keep my foot under the covers, it will never be able to grab my ankle.”
Garrett Parker

Written by Garrett Parker

Garrett by trade is a personal finance freelance writer and journalist. With over 10 years experience he's covered businesses, CEOs, and investments. However he does like to take on other topics involving some of his personal interests like automobiles, future technologies, and anything else that could change the world.

Read more posts by Garrett Parker

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