Chart Of Darkness

by Kevin Quigley

For nearly forty years, Stephen King has been making history on the bestseller charts.

CHART OF DARKNESS is a surprisingly exciting jaunt through that history, from the quiet early success of Carrie through recent chart triumphs Under the Dome and Full Dark, No Stars. You'll learn what books hit the number-one spot, which ones didn't, and why. Along the way, you'll discover secrets of King's career, like why King switched publishers — twice — and the weird way the general public first heard about the Dark Tower series.

A unique, compact, and intriguing journey through the storied career of the only author in history to have written over thirty number one books.

Genres: Nonfiction

159 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2009

Reviews

[Maria Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book originally came out as an ebook. The printed version I read was one of the limited printed editions. What this book covers is the different paths that Stephen King in getting his works published, through various publishers and different presentations. I remember buying all the individual publications that composed the entire Green Mile novel, which he insisted on putting out that way to test the waters by imitating how Dickins put out Great Expectations. One thing I found strange was the constant reference to the NYTimes reading list as if that was a true assessment of an author. That specific list is merely a list of current best sellers of that specific week, plus their critics have a selective view of what consists of a "proper" book. Twice mentioned as a negative by these critics is the several big (in pages) books by Stephen King because the horror genre should be always short and concise. I guess they really never read James Mitchener's books. Stephen King has written in multiple genres but the critics refuse to accept his different writing as acceptable. It reminded me of arguments in English Composition classes of the limited reading choices for extra reading because only certain authors' works were considered acceptable reading for the writing style in composition and descriptive words, which could be discussed without negative reactions to the discussion of the composition of the wording. I did learn why it has been so hard to find hardback copies of Stephen King's earlier works because his publishers thought/classified his works as paperback sellers because horror didn't belong on the bestseller NYTimes list. We all know the answers to that argument, especially when people claim James Paterson has so many more books published. This book also clarified that fiction, which is why I always buy the cheapest copy of any Paterson book, unless it is one I know he wrote. The book he wrote with Clinton, was offered as a first signed edition for $139, but $39 as just a first edition book. Lastly, Stephen King is going back to publishing in paperback in his latest books but if you buy them with a slipcase, you will be able to keep them in good condition.

[Wayne's · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does what it says, charts Stephen Kings commercial success.

[Michael Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting essay of King's mostly successful chart history.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent chronology and analysis of Stephen King's performances on best-sellers lists. The sheer amount of chart topping books he wrote, often in the same year, is simply stunning. It's also amazing to witness the incredible power film adaptations have on books. Many of Mr. King's novels had a second life on the charts once their adaptation hit the theaters, often peaking higher than on their initial publication. I wasn't surprised to learn this about his early works such as Carrie, but it was unexpected with his later works. Considering Stephen King had already established himself as a best-selling author I would've thought most of the people interested in his books already had them by the time the movie came out. All in all Chart of Darkness is quick and interesting read for anyone interested in Stephen King's publishing career.

[Phil Zimmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting little essay on the chart topping success of Stephen King. This is really just a narrative of chart positions but I did enjoy the extra tidbits of who unseated King in certain situations and the tale of the NYT changing the charting rules based on the Green Mile.

A fun read.