Don't mess with Stephen King, or his local newspaper's book reviews.
That's the message we should probably all take away from the latest David and Goliath-style social media showdown, in which King took on his much-loved local rag, The Portland Press Herald, and won - armed with just a few tweets.
The Herald, a prominent newspaper in King's home state of Maine, had just announced it was to cut locally written, regional book reviews.
But apparently they'd failed to consult King, and when the horror author found out, he was most displeased.
"Tell the paper DON'T DO THIS," the 71-year-old tweeted, asking his 5.1 million followers to retweet him.
The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram will no longer publish local, freelance-written reviews of books about Maine, set in Maine, or written by Maine authors.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 11, 2019
Retweet this if you're from Maine (or even if you're not). Tell the paper DON'T DO THIS.
Paying tribute to the state of the US (and international) media, King added that it was "all about money and a shrinking income for newspapers".
"Maine writers won't get a boost," he wrote. "Many of them depend on those reviews to buy bread and milk."
It's all about money and a shrinking income for newspapers. They want to go wire service reviews only, so Maine writers won't get a boost. Many of them depend on those reviews to buy bread and milk.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 11, 2019
The paper in question was quick to take advantage of the upswing in publicity, and cunningly attempted to leverage King's fandom to break the stalemate.
"These are challenging times for newspapers," the paper replied, via its Twitter account. It then made him an offer he couldn't refuse: if King could get 100 of his followers to buy digital subscriptions to the Portland Press Herald, the local book reviews would be saved.
These are challenging times for newspapers. But here’s an offer: If you can get 100 of your followers to buy digital subscriptions to the @PressHerald, we will reinstate the local book reviews immediately. Use the promo code KING. Deal? https://t.co/5eoqjQ2psV https://t.co/8QfGJOXdjP
— Portland Press Herald (@PressHerald) January 11, 2019
Challenge accepted. King shared the ultimatum with his loyal following, meanwhile wondering if this was blackmail, or all an elaborate sales pitch, but nonetheless proceeding on his quest to find 100 readers willing to pay $15 (Dh55) for 12 weeks. His initial tweet was shared 9,000 times.
The Portland Press Herald chose the perfect foe when it went into battle with King, because he reached his goal in about 24 hours. And with him coming away victorious, it really meant everyone won.
The Portland (Maine) Press-Herald has agreed to reinstate local book reviews if 100 people subscribe. Sales pitch? Blackmail? Either way, 71 people have subscribed so far. Are there 29 more Twitterheads out there who want to ante up? Just asking.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 12, 2019
Upon hearing the challenge had been so readily overcome, the Portland Press Herald responded jubilantly on Twitter with a hat-tipping GIF and a heartfelt message to its readers: "You all are the best readers anywhere. Sincerely. We're at our goal. Book reviews will return. We love you Maine. We love you journalists. We love you newspapers."
You all are the best readers anywhere. Sincerely.
— Portland Press Herald (@PressHerald) January 12, 2019
We're at our goal. Book reviews will return.
We love you Maine. We love you journalists. We love you newspapers. pic.twitter.com/i5VlQsIs5c
Unfortunately, the feeling wasn't exactly mutual. King mic-dropped the saga thanking the fans, before directing one last barb at the state of journalism in the US.
"Thanks to everybody who subscribed to the Press-Herald. You saved the day," he said. "There are countries where the arts are considered vital. Too bad this isn't one of them."
If you write about this, maybe you can, um, spell my name right?
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 13, 2019
That was before everything almost descended into complete anarchy when King really took umbrage with the paper; mistaking a message to another man named 'Steven' as them misspelling his name. But that's a tale for another day.
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