Hang on a second… Sorry, no. Stephen King is Bachman. Richard Bachman.
If you are a King fan already you almost certainly knew that… However, have you heard the story of Richard Bachman, and why King dropped him?
If it was up to Stephen King, Bachman would probably still exist.
Stephen King invented his pseudonym ‘Richard Bachman’ in the 1977 when publishers would limit copies released per author. Beginning as a way to get around the rules, it soon became an-almost social experiment on himself for King.
In King’s introduction to The Bachman Books, a collection of his short stories written between 1977-1982, he remarks how he used Bachman to find out the answer to the ultimate question in the creative world: is this talent or luck?
Misery was meant to be released as a Richard Bachman novel in 1985 but unfortunately at the same time as it was being written, a man named Steve Brown had the notion that King was Bachman. Brown says:
“When I read an advance copy of Thinner, I was no more than two pages into it when I said, “This is either Stephen King or the world’s best imitator.”
Brown couldn’t shake the feeling he was on to something. After some digging at the Library of Congress, Brown found conclusive proof Richard Bachman’s book were written by King.
Steve Brown wrote to King explaining his work, with an offer to keep quiet if King would rather not come clean, and 2 weeks later he received a reply.
Brown writes:
“I heard a page over the intercom at the big bookstore I worked in. “Steve Brown. Call for Steve Brown on line 5.” I picked it up and a voice said, “Steve Brown? This is Steve King. All right. You know I’m Bachman. I know I’m Bachman. What are we going to do about it? Let’s talk.”
To Brown’s delight, Stephen King offered the bookstore employee an exclusive interview over the phone. Three relaxed and funny phone calls from King later and Steve had his exclusive interview.
After Brown made the news public through Washington Post, the rumour had already been gently gathering steam. Steve Brown’s interview confirmed what many who had read Thinner were thinking: Stephen King writes as Richard Bachman.
New American library (NAL) started publishing copies of Thinner with ‘Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman’ on the cover. Only King himself was not entirely happy with killing off his pseudonym who he thought was just getting established enough to work. In retrospect it seemed King wasn’t giving Bachman enough of his own voice- Thinner and Misery (which would’ve been a Bachman novel) were quintessential Stephen King.
The truth would come to light eventually.
King had such a soft spot for this author he had created, it was as if Bachman had come alive. Thankfully it was nothing like his thrilling 1991 novel, The Dark Half, although he did dedicate that particular book to his pseudonym.
King would never know Bachman’s full potential, sadly, but while he was around it was clear King’s talent shone through with one review stating:
“This is what Stephen King would write like if Stephen King could really write,”
If I was Stephen King, I would find that immensely satisfying.
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