T h e P l a n t
by Stephen King
part one of a novel in progress
p h i l t r u m p r e s s
Bangor, Maine 
cCopyright ©1982,s2000,gbynStephenfKing.pAllqrightsireserved.e
dddddddddddddddddddddddd
January 4, 1981
Zenith House, Publishers
490 Park Avenue South
NewYork, New York 10017
Gentlemen:
I have written a book that you might want to publish. It is very good. It is all scary
and all true. It is called TrueTales of Demon Infestations. I know all the things in it from
first hand. Contents include stories from “The World of Voodoo,” “The World of the
Aether,” and “TheWorld of the Living Dead.” I include recipes for some potions as well,
but these could be “censored” if you felt they were too dangerous although for most peo-
ple they won’t work at all and in a chapter called “The World of Spells” I explain why.
I am offering this book for publication now. I am willing to sell all rights (except
for movie rights; I will direct the film myself). There are photos if you want them. If you
are interested in this book (no other publisher has seen it, I am sending it to you because
you are the publishers of Bloody Houses, which was quite good), please answer with the
“SASE” I have enclosed. I will send the manuscript with return postage in case you
don’t like it (or don’t understand it). Please respond as soon as possible. I think “multi-
ple submissions” are unethical, but I want to sell True Tales of Demon Infestations as
soon as possible. In this book there is some “scary s**t!” If you know what I mean.
Yours sincerely,
Carlos Detweiller
147 E. 14th St., Apt. E
Central Falls, R.I. 40222
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interoffice memo
to: Roger
f r o m : John
r e : Subm issions / January 11-15th, 1981
A n e w y e a r , a n d t h e s l u s h i n t h e s l u s h p i l e g r o w s e v e r d e e p e r . I d o n ’ t
k n o w h o w t h e r e s t o f y o u r t o i l i n g e d i t o r i a l m i n i o n s a r e d o i n g , b u t I c o n t i n -
u e t o r o l l t h e e x i s t e n t i a l r o c k o f A m e r i c a ’ s u n p u b l i s h e d a s p i r i n g — a t l e a s t m y
s h a r e o f i t . A l l o f w h i c h i s o n l y t o s a y t h a t I r e a d m y s h a r e o f c r u d t h i s w e e k
( a n d n o , I h a v e n ’ t b e e n s m o k i n g w h a t W . C . F i e l d s c a l l e d “ t h e i l l i c i t s p o n -
d u i x , ” e i t h e r — I ’ m j u s t h a v i n g a p r o l i x d a y ) .
W i t h y o u r c o n c u r r e n c e , I ’ m r e t u r n i n g 1 5 b o o k - l e n g t h m a n u s c r i p t s
w h i c h a r r i v e d u n s o l i c i t e d ( s e e Returns, n e x t p a g e ) , 7 “ o u t l i n e s a n d s a m p l e
c h a p t e r s ” a n d 4 u n i d e n t i f i a b l e b l o b s t h a t l o o k a b i t l i k e t y p e s c r i p t s . O n e o f
them is a book of som ething called “gay event poetry” called Suck My Big
Black Cock, a n d a n o t h e r , c a l l e d L’il Lolita, i s a b o u t a m a n i n l o v e w i t h a fi r s t
g r a d e r . I t h i n k . I t ’ s w r i t t e n i n p e n c i l a n d i t ’ s h a r d t o t e l l f o r s u r e .
A l s o w i t h y o u r c o n c u r r e n c e , I ’ m a s k i n g t o s e e o u t l i n e a n d s a m p l e c h a p -
t e r s o n 5 b o o k s , i n c l u d i n g t h e n e w b o d i c e - r i p p e r f r o m t h a t b a d - t e m p e r e d
l i b r a r i a n i n M i n n e s o t a ( t h e a u t h o r s n e v e r s n o o p i n y o u r f i l e s , d o t h e y , b o s s ?
O r d i n a r i l y i t w o u l d b e a f l a t s u b m i s s i o n , b u t t h e p o o r p e r f o r m a n c e o f His
Flaming Kisses c a n n o t b e j u s t i f i e d e v e n b y o u r h o r r i b l e d i s t r i b u t i o n s e t - u p —
a n y w o r d o n w h a t ’ s h a p p e n i n g w i t h U n i t e d N e w s D e a l e r s , b y t h e w a y ? ) .
S y n o p s i s f o r y o u r f i l e s ( b e l o w ) .
4
L a s t , a n d p r o b a b l y l e a s t , I ’ m a p p e n d i n g a n o d d l i t t l e q u e r y l e t t e r f r o m
one Carlos Detweiller of Central Falls, Rhode Island. If I were back at
B r o w n U n i v e r s i t y , h a p p i l y m a j o r i n g i n E n g l i s h , p l a n n i n g t o w r i t e g r e a t n o v -
e l s , a n d l a b o r i n g u n d e r t h e m i s a p p r e h e n s i o n t h a t e v e r y o n e w h o p u b l i s h e s
mu s t b e b r i l l i a n t o r a t l e a s t “ r e a l s m a r t , ” I ’ d t h r o w M r . D e t w e i l l e r ’ s l e t t e r o u t
at once. (Carlos Detweiller? I ask m yself even now, a s I r a t t l e t h e k e y s o f t h i s
ancient Royal— can that be a real nam e? Surely not!) Probably I’d use tongs
t o h a n d l e i t , j u s t i n c a s e t h e m a n ’ s o b v i o u s d y s l e x i a w a s c a t c h i n g .
But two years at Zenith House have changed m e, Roger. The scales
h a v e f a l l e n f r o m m y e y e s . Y o u d o n ’ t r e a l l y g e t h e a v y w e i g h t s l i k e M i l t o n ,
S h a k e s p e a r e , L a w r e n c e , a n d F a u l k n e r i n p e r s p e c t i v e u n t i l y o u ’ v e l u n c h e d
a t B u r g e r H e a v e n w i t h t h e a u t h o r o f Rats from Hell or helped the creator of
Gash Me, My Darling t h r o u g h h e r c u r r e n t w r i t e r ’ s b l o c k . Y o u c o m e t o r e a l -
i z e t h a t t h e g r e a t e d i f i c e o f l i t e r a t u r e h a s o n e f u c k o f a l o t m o r e s u b b a s e -
m e n t s t h a n y o u e x p e c t e d w h e n y o u s n e a k e d y o u r f i r s t s t r o k e - b o o k u p t o y o u r
b e d r o o m u n d e r y o u r s h i r t ( n o I h a v e not b e e n s m o k i n g d o p e ! ) .
So okay. This guy writes like a m oderately bright third-grader (all
declarative sentences— his letter has the panache of a heavyset guy walking
d o w n s t a i r s i n c o n s t r u c t i o n b o o t s ) , b u t s o d o e s O l i v e B a r k e r , a n d c o n s i d e r i n g
o u r c r e a k y d i s t r i b u t i o n s y s t e m , h e r Windhover s e r i e s h a s d o n e q u i t e w e l l .
The sentence in the first paragraph which says he knows all of these things
“ f r o m f i r s t h a n d ” s u g g e s t s h e ’ s a d i n g - d o n g . Y o u k n o w t h a t . H i s a s s e r t i o n t h a t
h e ’ s g o i n g t o d i r e c t t h e m o v i e s u g g e s t s t h a t h e ’ s a d i n g - d o n g w i t h d e l u s i o n s
o f g r a n d e u r . I t h i n k w e b o t h k n o w t h a t . F u r t h e r , I ’ d s t a k e m y l a s t p a i r o f
s k i v v i e s ( I ’ m w e a r i n g t h e m , a n d m i g h t y g r a y t h e y a r e ! ) t h a t , d e s p i t e h i s d i s -
c l a i m e r , e v e r y p u b l i s h e r i n N e w Y o r k h a s s e e n True Tales of Demon
Infestations. L o y a l t y t o o n e ’ s c o m p a n y c a n g o o n l y s o f a r , c h u m ; n o t e v e n a
m o d e r a t e l y b r i g h t t h i r d - g r a d e r w o u l d start at Zenith House. I’d guess this
l e t t e r h a s b e e n p a t i e n t l y r e t y p e d a n d s e n t o u t b y t h e i n d e f a t i g a b l e ( a n d p r o b -
a b l y o b s e s s e d ) M r . D e t w e i l l e r a t l e a s t f o r t y t i m e s , s t a r t i n g w i t h F a r r a r , S t r a u s
& G i r o u x , o r m a y b e e v e n A l f r e d A . K n o p f .
B u t I t h i n k t h e r e ’ s a p o s s i b i l i t y — a l b e i t a n e x t r e m e l y t h i n o n e — t h a t M r .
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