Has acclaimed author Stephen King not sold a manuscript in two years because he "went woke"? No, neither is true: This claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. The website where this claim originated has a disclaimer that reads, "Everything on this website is fiction."
The claim was made in an article published by The Dunning-Kruger Times on January 11, 2024, titled "Stephen King Hasn't Sold a Manuscript in Two Years: "It's All Woke Garbage" (archived here), which opened:
He has many nicknames, but the one he's known best for is "Master of Horror." He's Stephen King, and for more than four decades, he sent chills down the spines of countless Americans.
Unfortunately, for those fans who liked his old style, he went woke. Sometimes between 2019 and 2021, King joined the woke brigade, and he hasn't sold a new manuscript since.
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Stephen King Hasn't Sold a Manuscript in Two Years: "It's All Woke Garbage"
The master has become a woke jerk.
It is not true that King has not sold a manuscript, which in modern times can now be typed or electronic, since 2021.
In a January 9, 2024, tweet (archived here), King thanks a fan of his most recent work, "Holly," which was published by Scribner, a division of Simon & Schuster, on September 5, 2023. He also has a new book titled "You Like It Darker," with the announced publication date of May 21, 2024.
Further down in The Dunning-Kruger Times article, there is a reference to, "King's former publisher Joe Barron."
Barron was a friend of Christopher Blair, creator of the America Last Line of Defense (ALLOD) online network that includes The Dunning-Kruger Times. Barron passed away and his name appears in Blair's articles as an homage by Blair to his late friend.
There is also no evidence that an "ALLOD Literary Consulterator" named "Tara Newhole" exists; the name is a phonetic pun for the colloquial phrase for an abusive critique.
Lead Stories has reached out to Simon & Shuster and will update this fact check if a response is received.
Additional Lead Stories fact checks of claims related to Stephen King can be found here.
The Dunning-Kruger Times
The Dunning-Kruger Times is a satirical website with an about page (archived here) that has following disclaimer:
About Us
Dunning-Kruger-Times.com is a subsidiary of the 'America's Last Line of Defense' network of parody, satire, and tomfoolery, or as Snopes called it before they lost their war on satire: Junk News
About Satire
Before you complain and decide satire is synonymous with 'comedy':
sat·ire ˈsaˌtī(ə)r noun: The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, OR ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site's pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical. See above if you're still having an issue with that satire thing.
The website is named after the Dunning-Kruger effect, a term from a psychology experiment that describes the phenomenon of being ignorant of one's own ignorance. (That experiment has been disputed by a math professor.)
Other Lead Stories articles on claims published in The Dunning-Kruger Times are here.
