In 1973, Stephen King debuted his first novel, Carrie, the story of a tormented teen who gets revenge on her peers. The book became a huge success after it was published the following year. It was later adapted for the big screen and thus, begun the start of a new career for King. 

More popular yet terrifying novels soon followed, including Salem's Lot (1975), The Shining (1977), Firestarter (1980), Cujo (1981) and IT (1986). Stephen King has written at least 80 books novels, although the actual number is unknown. His latest novel, You Like It Darker, (2024) is available now.