ReadThe Portobello Bookshop Gift Guide 2025

On Writing

A Memoir of the Craft: 25th Anniversary Classic Edition

Stephen King author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Hodder & Stoughton

Published:17th Jul '25

Should be back in stock very soon

On Writing cover

Part memoir, part masterclass by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have.

'The single best book [on writing]. If you want to write a big, mainstream book that hooks people in, Stephen King's On Writing is great . . . really solid writing advice . . . A great present for anyone that you just want to give them a little nudge to say "you're so talented, why don't you write something this year?"' - Richard Osman

'25 years on, Stephen King's memoir is still the best guide for writers . . . Superlative' - The Sunday Times

King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999 - and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery.

Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, this special edition of Stephen King's critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work.

Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it - fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

'Not only is Stephen King one of the writers whom I credit with making me a novelist, but he was also the writer who, at a key time, gave reading back to me' DONNA TARTT

'King is a visceral writer, and a master of granular detail' MARGARET ATWOOD

'If you dream of writing novels, start with this timeless book' JOHN GRISHAM

'This is the best practical guide I know to a writer's development' VAL MCDERMID

Part biography, part collection of tips for the aspiring writer . . . one of the great storytellers of our time * Guardian *
Absolutely fascinating . . . basic instructions . . . sensible advice * Sunday Times *
The childhood memoir is a triumphant display of wit, story-telling and guts. His advice to writers is hard-nosed, practical and level-headed in the classic journalistic Orwell-Hemingway tradition * Evening Standard *
This is the written equivalent of Delia Smith's How To Cook. And, like British home cooking, the world of popular fiction will be better off for it * The Times *
Stephen King is a genius . . . In this book he tells us what first made him a horror writer . . . his very direct approach to getting his awesome imagination onto a blank page works -- Jeremy Vine * We Love This Book *
I am a life-long fan, and ON WRITING is one of the most important books I've read on the craft and the business -- Lisa Unger

ISBN: 9781399741712

Dimensions: 218mm x 140mm x 34mm

Weight: 499g

416 pages