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Stephen King crumpled the opening pages of 'Carrie' into the bin. His wife Tabitha fished them out, read them, and told him to keep going. The hardback earned a $2,500 advance — then the paperback rights sold for $400,000.

Stephen King

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Why it matters

The idea in context

As King tells it in 'On Writing', he was teaching English and living in a trailer, doubting he could write a teenage girl at all. Tabitha's verdict — you've got something here — kept the book alive. The news of the paperback sale came in a phone call on Mother's Day 1973; King says he sat down on the doorstep, needing to. 'Carrie' appeared in 1974 and the trailer years were over.

Türkçe

Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.

Stephen King, 'Carrie'nin ilk sayfalarını buruşturup çöpe attı. Eşi Tabitha sayfaları çıkardı, okudu ve devam etmesini söyledi. Kitabın ciltli baskısı 2.500 dolar avans getirdi — ardından cep baskısı hakları 400.000 dolara satıldı.
Stephen King

King'in 'Yazma Sanatı'nda anlattığına göre, o sıralar İngilizce öğretmenliği yapıyor, bir karavanda yaşıyor ve genç bir kızı hiç yazamayacağından kuşku duyuyordu. Tabitha'nın hükmü — 'burada bir şey var' — kitabı hayatta tuttu. Cep baskısı satışının haberi 1973 Anneler Günü'nde bir telefonla geldi; King oturmak zorunda kaldığını söyler. 'Carrie' 1974'te yayımlandı ve karavan yılları sona erdi.

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Background reading: Carrie (novel)Attribution and context are revised when stronger evidence appears. Corrections are welcome through the editorial page.
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