At 73, the bestselling author of horror and suspense, who has adapted his 2006 novel for Apple TV, talks about what his early success with "Carrie" meant for his mother; and how a box left behind by his late father changed the course of his life.
Preview: The bestselling author talks with "Sunday Morning" anchor Jane Pauley about the writing process; his new Apple TV miniseries, "Lisey's Story"; and why he's not a fan of roller coasters.
Stephen King used paperback advance from first novel to make sure his mother never had to work again
June 11, 2021 / 1:04 PM / CBS News
Stephen King, who grew up poor but whose writing has made him a very wealthy man, praises his mother for giving him the room to become a writer. He reveals now that he used the paperback advance from his first novel, Carrie, to allow his mother to stop working, he tells CBS Sunday Morning anchor Jane Pauley in an interview to be broadcast June 13.
King s mother, Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King, died at age 60 of cancer. However, she did get to see Carrie published. The hardcover advance was small, but the paperback advance just bowled us over – it was, like, $400,000 in 1974, King told Pauley. It was a huge amount of money.