The Story Behind How Stephen King’s Secret Pen Name Got Revealed 40 Years Ago

Through the first half of the 1980s, Stephen King maintained a closely guarded secret. The author had firmly established himself as one of the most popular of the era, annually producing hits like Firestarter, Cujo, and Christine… but those weren’t the only books that he was writing. At the same time, he was also operating within the literary world with an alternate identity: producing dark, original works under the name Richard Bachman. King had success as Bachman, and he even sold the film rights to one of the novels baring the name without the truth being exposed – but all things in this world must come to an end, and it was actually 40 years ago this week that he got outed for his furtive publishing.

To celebrate this strange and unique anniversary, I’ve put together this special edition of The King Beat to dive into the full tale of Richard Bachman, examining why the secret identity existed in the first place and how the truth was eventually exposed. Between that story and a deal that you can take advantage of now to further add to your personal Stephen King collection, there’s a whole lot to discuss, so let’s dig in!

It Was 40 Years Ago This Week That Stephen King Got Outed As Richard Bachman

“You know how when you’re carrying home some groceries in the rain and the whole bag just kind of falls apart? Well, that’s how it’s been with Bachman lately.”

On February 9, 1985, that quote from Stephen King led the Bangor Daily News article that was headlined “Pseudonym Kept Five King Novels A Mystery,” and it concluded a clandestine publishing run that began in 1977 with the release of the notorious book Rage (which has been taken out of print at King’s request). A total of five Richard Bachman books were published before the “outing” – including Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, The Running Man, and Thinner – and credit for the reveal went to Steve Brown, a bookstore clerk living in Washington DC who confirmed the pen name after researching the copyright holders for the novels.

So, why did Stephen King publish books under the pen name when he was experiencing such massive success at the start of his career? The answer to that question has changed over time. When he first started openly discussing his work as Bachman, the author claimed that he was experiencing a volume problem. Simply put, he was writing novels faster than they could be released, as publishers were hesitant to put out too much too quickly out of fear of oversaturating the market.

Later, however, Stephen King acknowledged that having too many books waiting to be published wasn’t the only motivation. In an essay titled “Why I Was Bachman,” published in the October 1985 omnibus The Bachman Books, the author admits that the duplicity was a reflection of unsteady confidence in his own abilities. He had become a best-selling author thanks to the success of Carrie, Salem’s Lot and The Shining (his work certainly boosted thanks to film and TV adaptations), but he was unclear if his popularity had reached a point of being self-fulfilling: were his novels selling because of their individual quality or because of his name?

Within the canon of Stephen King’s work, the Bachman books are among some of the darker entries, and they are notably some of the first novels that he ever finished. The Long Walk is recognized as the first one that he wrote, having started it when he was a freshman at the University of Maine. The author “killed” Bachman in the aftermath of his true identity being exposed – saying that he died of “cancer of the pseudonym” – but he hasn’t wholly disappeared from existence. In 1996, King published a pair of mirrored novels, and while he put his name on Desperation, he gave credit for The Regulators to his alter ego. A little over a decade later in 2007, he rediscovered his trunk novel Blaze and had it published as a Bachman book.

As alluded to earlier, Hollywood came knocking for the work of Richard Bachman when producer Rob Cohen purchased the film rights to The Running Man without knowing the author’s true identity (by the time the movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger was released in 1987, though, the secret was out). To date, the only other Bachman novel to arrive on the big screen was director Tom Holland’s Thinner in 1996… but that bit of trivia will become obsolete in the coming months. Later this year, fans will get to see writer/director Edgar Wright’s new remake of The Running Man starring Glenn Powell (which is said to be much more faithful to the source material than the ’87 movie), and filmmaker Francis Lawrence completed production last year on the first film adaptation of The Long Walk (which is expected to be a grueling cinematic experience).

To date, The Regulators, Blaze and Road Work are three titles that remain on the limited list of Stephen King novels that haven’t been adapted yet, but if the upcoming Bachman adaptations turn out to be massive successes, that could easily change in the near future. All three have been in development as movies and/or TV projects in the past, so it may just be a matter of time before someone figures out a way to bring them to live action.

Looking To Pre-Order Stephen King’s Never Flinch? Barnes & Noble Has A Deal You Should Check Out

That’s enough looking into the past; let’s take a brief gander into the immediate future, shall we?

In just a few months, Constant Readers will be able to enjoy the newest title from Stephen King when Never Flinch arrives in stores. The novel is the latest to follow the adventures of detective Holly Gibney – previous stories including Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, End Of Watch, The Outsider, the novella “If It Bleeds” and Holly – and it promises to be an exciting tale about a dangerous stalker and a murderous mission of revenge. Pre-orders have been available for a few months now (the tome was officially announced last October), but if you haven’t already committed to buying the book, there’s a new deal available for a limited time of which you might want to take advantage.

For a limited time, both Barnes & Noble premium and rewards members can get a special deal on upcoming books thanks to the store’s on-going pre-order sale. If you use the code “PREORDER25” on purchases of qualifying titles set to be released in the coming months, you get 25 percent off of your order (and if you’re signed up for the premium plan, you'll get that additional 10% savings). This deal applies to physical media, eBooks and audiobooks, but because this is a Stephen King-centric column, I’m highlighting his works specifically.

Set to be published on May 27, Never Flinch features a dual narrative from Stephen King, and both see the investigative skills of Holly Gibney well employed. The book will see the detective working as a bodyguard for a woman’s rights activist and helping her deal with a situation involving a dangerous stalker, but she will also simultaneously be aiding the police in the search for an individual who has a list of 14 specific people they are aiming to murder following a perceived miscarriage of justice. The novel is available for pre-order in hardcover, eBook or audiobook form from Barnes & Noble.

It’s not just Never Flinch that Stephen King fans can get at a lower price, however. There are new paperback editions of King books including the aforementioned Holly, Misery, Firestarter, The Dead Zone, You Like It Darker, and Full Dark, No Stars that are on the way in the coming months, and the B&N coupon should apply to those titles as well. While you’re at it, you can also put in an order for a discounted copy of The End Of The World As We Know It – the new collection that features a number of authors writing short stories set within the world of King’s epic supernatural pandemic novel The Stand (which arrives in stores on August 19).

The pre-order deal ends on February 7, 2025 so if you want to take advantage of this offer, you should know that it’s not one that you can sit and think about for a minute.

On that note, this week’s edition of The King Beat has come to its conclusion – but news about the works of Stephen King never cease, so you can be sure that I’ll be back here on CinemaBlend next Thursday with a fresh column covering all of the biggest goings-on involving the beloved author. Meanwhile, you can learn about the full history of King in film and television by checking out my series Adapting Stephen King and learn about all of the various Hollywood projects in the works with our Upcoming Stephen King Movies and TV guide.