Stephen King began his actual writing career in January of 1959 when his brother and he decided to publish their own local town newspaper named Dave's Rag. David bought a mimeograph and theycreated a paper that sold for five cents an issue.

Stephen King made his first actual published appearance in 1965 in the magazine "Comics Review" with his story "I Was a Teenage Grave Robber."

In 1966, Stephen King graduated from high school and took a scholarship to attend the University of Maine.

During his first year at college, King completed his first full length novel, "The Long Walk." He submitted the novel to Bennett Cerf/Random House only to have it rejected. King took the rejection bad and filed the book away. Stephen King made his first small sale of his story "The Glass Floor" for an amount of thirty-five dollars.

In June 1970, Stephen King graduated from the University of Maine with a Bachelor of Science degree in English and a certificate to teach high school.

King took a measly job of pumping gas earning $1.25 an hour.

On January 2, 1971, Tabitha Jane Spruce and Stephen King were married. And in the fall of 1971, King took a teaching job at Hampden Academy earning $6,400 a year.

In January 1973, King submitted "Carrie" to Doubleday. In March, Doubleday bought the book. On May 12, Doubleday sold the paperback rights of Carrie to New American Library for $400,000. Based on the book contract, Stephen King would get half of that. King quit his teaching job. And the rest, as they say, is history.