Has anyone ever actually written a letter to Stephen King--past or present? I thought it would be cool to create a thread where we post if we sent any letters to King and if we received a response.
Post away!
Letters to, and encounters with, Stephen King
Has anyone ever actually written a letter to Stephen King--past or present? I thought it would be cool to create a thread where we post if we sent any letters to King and if we received a response.
Post away!
A NEW GAME BEGINS
I wrote one several years ago and received a response from Julie Eugley (one of his assistants). The reply was something like "King can't reply letters now".
Wanted list:
Ubris
That's why I decided I wasn't going to write a letter. I think I would just end up being disappointed.
A NEW GAME BEGINS
I wrote him a letter a couple years ago offering to make a generous donation to his charity in return for a couple of signatures. I got a form letter back saying King stopped signing years back. It did not even address my donation offer. I felt like they did not even read my letter based on the curt response I received.
Wiz
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
It's my understanding that someone (usually not King) reads every letter. I've no idea why they wouldn't have at least addressed your donation offer though...unless their automatic response to ANY requests for autographs is the form letter now.
I wrote him in 1982, my first ever fan letter, and received a personal response on a postcard that responded to my comments and closed with hopes that I would enjoy his new book, Different Seasons.
I wrote again after The Gunslinger was revealed in the ad card at the front of Pet Sematary and received a signed form letter on cool letterhead (reproduced in The Road to the Dark Tower) telling me how I could get a copy of the second printing.
I'm sure it's a standard form letter now...there's no advantage to make any exceptions and no upside to his assistants to have to pick and choose which request to forward on and which to ignore...makes more sense to ignore them all. He can sell 100 copies of a book on Haven (which he hasn't done lately unfortunately) and make at least as much, probably much more, than an individual donation.
It's just really disappointing that 99% of the fan letters (from real fans!) never are received by Stephen. It really pisses me off that part of the problem is that he's bombarded with autograph requests more than actual fan letters.
If I knew that he read what I wrote, and didn't receive an autograph, I'd be happy as a clam.
A NEW GAME BEGINS
I write letters to King every day. Instead of mailing them, I crumple up the paper and swallow it.
He can never know my true feelings.
I would rather King wrote stories than looked at or answered fan mail.
John
I don't know.. my sister was 9 and sent her copy of The Shining to him. 2 years later she got it back and it was signed by him...
So he has to see some of them, right?
This is my blog/page:
www.facebook.com/thespermwhaleandbowlofpetunias
This is my donation page:
https://www.razoo.com/br/causes/Maje...h-Resorption-1
That's what he used to do, sign books through the mail...but he hasn't done it in quite awhile...Originally Posted by LadyHitchhiker
Remember that somewhere in his library is a
book signed by many of us from back in the .net days
I only wish I had signed it. Or kept the photos in my computer
of him opening it.
The answer is within
all matter is energy, all energy is GOD
When I was young I wrote him a letter expressing my disappointment that I did not have raw amazing talent like he did. I included a self addressed stamped envelope with Harold Lauders Boulder Colorado return address.
He replied with a hand written note " Thanks for your letter, and good luck with your writing. " along with about ten photo copied pages of articles written by him and published in Writers Digest.
I still have those but forgot that I had stashed the hand written note in my 1st edition of Eyes Of The Dragon, which I sold when I was hurting for cash along with forty some out books signed by Dean Koontz.
"The Constitution shall never be construed....to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms" (Samuel Adams, Debates and Proceedings in the Convention of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 86-87)
AArrrrgggghhhh. That hurts.Sorry that happened.
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
After 2 years?
So now that he is even much more popular fans can get back something in 20 years.
It means there is hope.
Roland would have understood.
I'd say there is no hope in getting him to sign a book that is mailed to him. He just doesn't do it anymore. I was fortunate enough to get on that bandwagon back in the '90s. I mailed him Gift Editions of the Zeising Insomnia dn the Grant Desperation and got them both personalized. He quite doing this a few months after I got my copies back in the mail! :-)
DT Spoiler - Enter at your own risk!
Spoiler:
I have never really tried and assumed it would be an exercise in futility. However, I thought that about getting him to sign something for the giveaway so you never know.
The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket
Well the giveaway is in conjunctino with His Charity! ;-)I have never really tried and assumed it would be an exercise in futility. However, I thought that about getting him to sign something for the giveaway so you never know.
When I got my DT Poem published in Lighthouse VI I sent King a copy (Stu Tinker told me I should) - I am sure he would never see it otherwise - it's not a very populous type publlication!
I included a letter to Marsha (his admin) and I included a letter to King tucked into the page where the poem starts. I was really hoping to hear from him but have no idea if Marsha ever gave it to him or not! I was hoping as it was a Dark Tower related publication that he would take a gander at it!
Wishful thinking on my part, I guess!
DT Spoiler - Enter at your own risk!
Spoiler:
I can only imaging how much mail he gets (or did when responding). It would have to be overwhelming.
Geoff
The only piece of mail that I sent him was some cash for downloading The Plant and a thank-you for signing my book in D.C.
Marsha asssured me that it arrived safely but she wasn't sure if Stephen had read the thank-you.
Believe me, I could be a stalker if I really set my mind to it.
A NEW GAME BEGINS
I would hope he'd at least SEND BACK someone's book that they sent him, signed or not.
I sure wouldn't want to send him one of my copies of his books (not that I plan to) and then never get it back.
If they sent along return postage, the office staff probably sent the books back. If not, they may not have done so.
I like Joe Lansdale's approach: "Books, magazines, etc., containing Mr. Lansdale's work, sent without return postage, will be designated a gift and will be kept or disposed of in the manner Mr. Lansdale chooses. Selling the items is a favorite choice."
I am bumping this thread, and wondering what member's thoughts are about retitling the thread to include actual meetings with Stephen King.
Something like: Letters to, and encounters with Stephen King.
I havent written him a letter or anything, I wanna send him a copy of my book when it comes out because his stories have had such a profound impact on my imagination that it seems right for him to get a copy, but I dont think it would get through
if the worlds gonna end then let's get it over with, i got shit to do
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