It did not surprise author Stephen King in the least when, during a recent conference call with reporters, the first question asked was how he would do things differently if starting his writing career today. (It’s a popular theme to ask him to compare his past life to a hypothetical current or future one, he explained later.)

King, 65, and the author of more than 50 books of horror, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy, began his answer by saying, “First of all I’d have to imagine myself starting young instead of in my mid-60s. That would shorten my career considerably!”