“I was very conscious that [Dad] was this huge, looming presence…”

—Joe Hill

Today’s story is about Joe Hill.

So you want to be a writer. You’ve picked a tough trade. Many try. Few succeed. But you’ve got an edge. One hell of an edge.

Writer Joe Hill, son of Stephen King.

He’s the world’s best best-selling author. Fifty novels. Fifty-million sales. Stephen King is his name. Most would kill for that “in”. You lucked out. The King of Scream is your dad.

You’re a lucky guy — the son of the King. As an aspiring writer, what do you do to leverage Dad’s name?

A crazy move most would say. You change your name!

What happens? You struggle for years. You write. Submit. Rejection, day after day. You soldier on with your “art.” You try not to get down. You peck away in obscurity. Just like every other writing schmuck.

Then, your stuff starts to catch. On your own, you become a best-selling author. Award-winner. Genre-shaper. Critical darling … before anyone knew you were Stephen King’s son.    READ MORE