Imprint

  • Hodder Paperbacks

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Formats & Editions

Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in the vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999 - and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery.

There is a reason why Stephen King is one of the bestselling writers in the world, ever. Described in the Guardian as 'the most remarkable storyteller in modern American literature', Stephen King writes books that draw you in and are impossible to put down.

Read More

Praise for On Writing

  • Absolutely fascinating . . . basic instructions . . . sensible advice - The Sunday Times

  • The childhood memoir is a triumphant display of wit, story-telling and guts. His advice to writers is hard-nosed, practical and level-headed in the classic journalistic Orwell-Hemingway tradition - Evening Standard

  • This is the written equivalent of Delia Smith's How To Cook. And, like British home cooking, the world of popular fiction will be better off for it - The Times

  • Stephen King is a genius . . . In this book he tells us what first made him a horror writer . . . I find King fascinating because he writes in the least florid way possible, yet his very direct approach to getting his awesome imagination onto a blank page works. - Jeremy Vine in We Love This Book

Read More

Discover more

Latest Articles Videos
Halloween Haunts | 2025
Halloween Haunts | 2025
Hachette's House of Horror
Hachette's House of Horror
Spooky Stories: Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Spooky Stories: Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Halloween Book Recommendations | 2023
Halloween Book Recommendations | 2023
Halloween Book Recommendations | 2022
Halloween Book Recommendations | 2022
Stranger Kings
Stranger Kings
Eight of Stephen King’s scariest tales to terrify you this Halloween
Eight of Stephen King’s scariest tales to terrify you this Halloween
Maximum Sentence: What We're Watching, Reading and Listening to
Maximum Sentence: What We're Watching, Reading and Listening to
The Outsider Trailer | Stephen King
The Outsider Trailer | Stephen King
The Outsider Trailer 2 | Stephen King
The Outsider Trailer 2 | Stephen King
Maximum Sentence: Winter Reading Guide
Maximum Sentence: Winter Reading Guide
The Dark Tower (2017) | Trailer 2
The Dark Tower (2017) | Trailer 2
IT by Stephen King | Movie Trailer
IT by Stephen King | Movie Trailer
Sleeping Beauties | Stephen King & Owen King
Sleeping Beauties | Stephen King & Owen King
The Dark Tower
The Dark Tower
TRAILER: End of Watch by Stephen King
TRAILER: End of Watch by Stephen King
Revival by Stephen King
Revival by Stephen King
Meet Mr Mercedes
Meet Mr Mercedes
Wind through the Keyhole - Stephen King BOOK TRAILER
Wind through the Keyhole - Stephen King BOOK TRAILER
11.22.63 by Stephen King
11.22.63 by Stephen King
Fair Extension - Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King | Future Shorts
Fair Extension - Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King | Future Shorts
1922 - Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King | Future Shorts
1922 - Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King | Future Shorts
A Good Marriage - Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King | Future Shorts
A Good Marriage - Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King | Future Shorts
Big Driver - Stephen King's 'Full Dark, No Stars' | Future Shorts
Big Driver - Stephen King's 'Full Dark, No Stars' | Future Shorts
Halloween Haunts | 2025
Halloween Haunts | 2025
Hachette's House of Horror
Hachette's House of Horror
Spooky Stories: Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Spooky Stories: Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Halloween Book Recommendations | 2023
Halloween Book Recommendations | 2023
Halloween Book Recommendations | 2022
Halloween Book Recommendations | 2022
Stranger Kings
Stranger Kings
Eight of Stephen King’s scariest tales to terrify you this Halloween
Eight of Stephen King’s scariest tales to terrify you this Halloween
Maximum Sentence: What We're Watching, Reading and Listening to
Maximum Sentence: What We're Watching, Reading and Listening to
Maximum Sentence: Winter Reading Guide
Maximum Sentence: Winter Reading Guide
The Outsider Trailer | Stephen King
The Outsider Trailer | Stephen King
The Outsider Trailer 2 | Stephen King
The Outsider Trailer 2 | Stephen King
The Dark Tower (2017) | Trailer 2
The Dark Tower (2017) | Trailer 2
IT by Stephen King | Movie Trailer
IT by Stephen King | Movie Trailer
Sleeping Beauties | Stephen King & Owen King
Sleeping Beauties | Stephen King & Owen King
The Dark Tower
The Dark Tower
TRAILER: End of Watch by Stephen King
TRAILER: End of Watch by Stephen King
Revival by Stephen King
Revival by Stephen King
Meet Mr Mercedes
Meet Mr Mercedes
Wind through the Keyhole - Stephen King BOOK TRAILER
Wind through the Keyhole - Stephen King BOOK TRAILER
11.22.63 by Stephen King
11.22.63 by Stephen King
Fair Extension - Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King | Future Shorts
Fair Extension - Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King | Future Shorts
1922 - Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King | Future Shorts
1922 - Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King | Future Shorts
A Good Marriage - Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King | Future Shorts
A Good Marriage - Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King | Future Shorts
Big Driver - Stephen King's 'Full Dark, No Stars' | Future Shorts
Big Driver - Stephen King's 'Full Dark, No Stars' | Future Shorts
Stephen King

Stephen King

Stephen King has been described by the Guardian as 'one of the greatest storytellers of our time', by the Mirror as a 'genius' and by The Sunday Times as 'one of the most fertile storytellers of the modern novel.' In 2003, he was given the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives with his wife, the novelist Tabitha King, for most of the year in Maine, USA.

More about Stephen King

Related books

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.