Stephen King The Plant

[bookworm 1]

While looking at Amazon just a few minutes ago I clicked on Mr. Mercedes and in the bought together section The Plant came up as bought with the above book. It is my understanding that The Plant is unfinished and not published. Except according to SK Unpublished and Uncollected as a limited edition for friends at Christmas one year. On the Amazon page it even allowed me use the look inside option and it looked legit. So I am reaching out to the forum and people who are more in the know on this for answers. I do know people have sold counterfeit stuff on Amazon in the past.Thanks all.

[TacomaDiver]

It looks like it was created with Createspace which is used for indie writers to publish their books. So my guess is that it's not official and could me deemed illegal since I highly doubt Stephen King published them himself through Createspace. Could be wrong too ...

[srboone]

A few months ago, PDFs of The Plant were offered free on King's website. I have both of those.

[T-Dogz_AK47]

The Plant is an unfinished serial novel, which was published by Stephen King privately in 1982–85, and in 2000 as a commercial e-book. The story was shelved after the 6th online instalment, so it doesn't currently have an ending and is only around 274 pages long.

I have looked at the ISBN no. for The Plant on the Amazon website (ISBN 978-1470083083) and researched the legitimacy of it, to see if it is fake. It appears that CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform published the first 6 instalments of this serial novel as a paperback edition back in February 2012.

Product Details:

ISBN-13: 9781470083083
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication date: 14th February 2012
Pages: 274
Product dimensions: 6.14 (w) x 9.21 (h) x 0.58 (d)

Although currently, you can only buy a copy of this book through private sellers on the Amazon website, Barnes & Noble are selling new copies of The Plant direct through themselves on their website for around $27:

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-...=9781470083083

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Plant-Step...king+the+plant

However, it should be noted that you can currently download The Plant for free on the Stephen King website, which will save you spending $27 on an unfinished book:

http://www.stephenking.com/library/n...ising_the.html

I hope this helps.

[Theli]

Is CreateSpace a print on demand publisher? If so, would that mean there are no different printings, like a first or second?

[T-Dogz_AK47]

Is CreateSpace a print on demand publisher? If so, would that mean there are no different printings, like a first or second?

Yeah, they are a print on demand publisher.

[Theli]

So I guess this would mean that SK self published it essentially.

[T-Dogz_AK47]

So I guess this would mean that SK self published it essentially.

That's right he did. Stephen King self published each individual instalment as a chapbook through his own small publishing company, Philtrum Press. He sent these chapbook instalments to friends instead of Christmas cards, so original copies of this are worth a fortune.

[Theli]

I think John might have a part of it, I may be mistaken.

But he would also still be getting paid for the sales of the CreateSpace copies. It looks like you pay them to make your books. I wouldn't they would print a copyrighted SK story without his permission, that would be just stupid.

[bookworm 1]

Thanks guys. I do think some people are stupid enough to publish copywritten materials without actually getting permission. .

[Theli]

Yeah it could happen, but you wouldn't think they would sell a big name like that through big name retailers like Amazon or Barnes and Nobles. Unless it's just sellers on the sites and not the Amazon or B&N themselves.

[bookworm 1]

Yea and I would have thought that some kind of BIG announcement would be made due to the history of this project.

[jhanic]

Double post.

John

[jhanic]

I think John might have a part of it, I may be mistaken.

But he would also still be getting paid for the sales of the CreateSpace copies. It looks like you pay them to make your books. I wouldn't they would print a copyrighted SK story without his permission, that would be just stupid.

I have an unsigned ARC of Part 3 of The Plant. I also have the PDF files for the entire "Zenith Rising" that was offered (yes, I paid more than King was asking for each of the six parts.)

John

[Theli]

Yea and I would have thought that some kind of BIG announcement would be made due to the history of this project.

True, true.

I have an unsigned ARC of Part 3 of The Plant. I also have the PDF files for the entire "Zenith Rising" that was offered (yes, I paid more than King was asking for each of the six parts.)

John

Gotcha, thought I remembered aseeing something in your collection.

Is the story in anyway related to the Creepshow story with the meteorite? Is that where it started?