Stephens King's journey into becoming a famous author was followed by years of poverty, rejection, and abuse of substance. When Stephen's dad abandoned his family, he was raised by his mother and was left with financial instability and often moving from place to place living on a limited income. It is shown in his stories later on that growing up poor had a great influence in his writing. Before Carrie was published, King faced numerous rejections from publishers. Stephen's career almost ended before it had even begun because in the making of Carrie he had only made it to page three, and threw the papers away. Tabitha, his wife, was still determined and encouraged King to continue his writing.  These failures exacerbated his depression and self doubt. While his career exploded, King battled severely with alcoholism and drug abuse which almost destroyed his family and himself. King had stated that while writing his novels he was under the influence of cocaine, alcohol, and prescription drugs. After a long recovery he was able to rediscover his creativity. 

Stephen King’s reputation as the “King of Horror” is one of the most influential and successful writers in the history of writers. Since publishing Carrie in 1974, King has written more than 70 novels and over 200 short stories. His novels such as The Shining, It, Misery, The Stand, and The Dark Tower have sold over 400 million copies. Many of his stories have been curated into films and series, including " Stand by Me, The Green Mile, and It. King has been nominated 8 times  and 6 awards. In 2003, King was given the National Book Foundation Medal For Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, this is a prestigious award that highlighted his impact on storytelling. He has also been awarded British Fantasy Awards, World Fantasy Awards, and an Edgar Allan Poe Award for his brilliance of mystery writing. From President Barack Obama, he received the National Medal of Arts which recognizes his contributions to American literature. For his short stories, The Man in the Black Suit Won the O Henry Award in 1994 for best short fiction. 

 Currently at 77 years old, Stephen King continues his writing career, living in Maine with his wife, and staying private. Stephen is releasing a new film The Running Man which is set to release November 2025. He had recently released the novel  Never Flinch in May 2025, and Steven stays involved in the entertainment side of his success with the release of The Institute that had premiered July 2025. On the personal side, Stephen has expressed his concerns with aging and memory loss. Despite that, his daily schedule remains dedicated to writing novels for his audience by staying involved with his community and worldwide. He remains at home in Maine while continuing to support local libraries.