The book that Stephen King threw away is the one that made him famous!

18 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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In this short video, Dan Novaes recounts the pivotal moment early in Stephen King's career when, working as a teacher and facing financial hardship, he wrote a novel about a bullied teenage girl with telekinetic powers—later titled Carrie. After facing rejections, King doubted the story and threw the manuscript away. His wife rescued it from the trash, encouraged him to finish it, and the book was eventually published. The paperback rights alone provided enough money to transform his family's financial situation overnight, launching King into best‑selling author status. Novaes uses this anecdote to illustrate that inspiration often persists despite doubt, and that a single extra draft or a supportive person can be the difference between an abandoned manuscript and a breakthrough work.

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Stephen King threw away the manuscript that would eventually launch his career. In the early 1970s, King was working as a teacher and struggling financially. He began writing a novel about a bullied teenage girl with telekinetic powers. After multiple rejections, he doubted the story. He threw the manuscript in the trash. His wife retrieved it. She encouraged him to finish it. The book was titled Carrie. When it finally sold, the paperback rights alone brought in enough money to change his family's situation overnight. King went on to become one of the best-selling authors in history, but it almost ended before it began. Sometimes inspiration is not unstoppable confidence. It is continuing even when doubt feels reasonable. The difference between abandoned work and breakthrough work can be one more draft or one person who believes in it when you don't.