# Stephen King Reading His Own Books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 27, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425 "2017-09-27T14:30:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Greathouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greathouse/32/2992_2.png) [@Greathouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greathouse)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/1 "2017-09-27T14:30:47Z")
I happen to have all Stephen King audio book up to 2011. I enjoy listening to them in my truck while I do my daily commute to and from work. A couple of the books are read by King himself and he is absolutely fucking shit at reading his stories. I’m unsure if he is a severe allergy sufferer or otherwise holds his nose during his book readings, but it sure fucking sounds like it. He also is clearly not a voice actor and should stick to just writing the stories. He is completely unable to convey emotion while reading the story and his monotone delivery is super annoying. I’m wondering if this was an attempt to try and keep more of the money since he would be able to pocket the money that would otherwise be used to pay real voice talent, or if he is so vain to think he actually does this type of thing well. I wish the publisher would release other versions of these books read by real voice talent so I can enjoy them. One other unrelated thing about some of the books that sucks is when they try to put high tension music sounds in random spots of the story. For instance someone will be thinking about dinner recipes or the narrator is describing some random part of the scenery and out of nowhere really high pitched violin screeches overpower the voice actor and seriously distract from the story. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/2 "2017-09-27T14:36:50Z")
Hee! The part about wondering if he holds his nose is a great set up for all the SK haters out there:p I’m not partial to audio books in general and I have heard his speaking voice so I can imagine it’s not a great experience. It does make me giggle to imagine him reading Delores Claiborne, though. Not sure why he chooses to do it but I can’t imagine it’s about the money. \ Could he _be_ any richer? \ It’s a good question. BTW, which ones does he read? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/3 "2017-09-27T14:37:57Z")
I worship the ground Mr. King walks on, but I agree with you that he doesn’t have what you might call a pleasant voice. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/4 "2017-09-27T14:39:26Z")
Stephen King is from Maine, which is New England intensified. He has a Maine accent, which is basically talking through your nose. I had to explain this? ---
**Author:** ![Greathouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greathouse/32/2992_2.png) [@Greathouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greathouse)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/5 "2017-09-27T14:42:38Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Hee! The part about wondering if he holds his nose is a great set up for all the SK haters out there:p > > I’m not partial to audio books in general and I have heard his speaking voice so I can imagine it’s not a great experience. It does make me giggle to imagine him reading Delores Claiborne, though. > > Not sure why he chooses to do it but I can’t imagine it’s about the money. \ Could he _be_ any richer? \ It’s a good question. > > BTW, which ones does he read? The one I am listening to now is Desperation, but he also read Needful Things and The Wind Through the Keyhole. ---
**Author:** ![Greathouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greathouse/32/2992_2.png) [@Greathouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greathouse)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/6 "2017-09-27T14:47:31Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Stephen King is from Maine, which is New England intensified. He has a Maine accent, which is basically talking through your nose. > > I had to explain this? No. Thanks for the snark though. Anyway, it is like he is _trying_ to talk through his nose, but can’t get any air to pass through it… ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/7 "2017-09-27T14:51:55Z")
I’ve listened to some Stephen King audiobooks. I agree that he’s not the best reader, but he’s far from the worst. I could listen to him at length. Art Buchwald recognized that he wasn’t the best voice (I’ve heard him lecture). For one of his audiobooks, he read only one item – obviously his favorite – then turned the reading duties over to someone else (for which I was grateful). Other writers who aren’t all that great to listen to: Michael Lewis (_Liar’s Poker, The Big Short, Moneyball,_ etc.) – sounds very amateurish John McPhee _Control of Nature_, etc.) – sounds as if he’s reading aloud stuff that he’s seeing for the very first time. Ernest Hemingway – I was surprised when I listened to a recording of him reading his own works. Somehow, you thought it’d be easy to read those short simple sentences. But there’s more to it than that. T.S. Eliot – I once heard a recording of him reading “The Wasteland”. It sounded like a soulless robot reading. Actually, that’s an insult to soulless robots. Readers who are surprisingly good Spider Robinson – Amazingly good voice and inflection. I’ve never heard him read his own work, but the recording of him reading Heinlein’s _Rocketship Galileo_ really broght it to life. James Doohan – I’ve listened to him read some of the Star Trek novels on audio. Not only is he a good reader, he does a great job of mimicking other characters’ voices. He had utilized this skill on the Star Trek animated series, years before. John Lithgow – I’d expect him to be good, but I didn’t realize how good he could be until I heard him reading Tom Wolfe’s _Bonfire of the Vanities_. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/8 "2017-09-27T14:57:26Z")
Ha! My mom was in a play with him in college. She said he was a terrible actor back then. And kind of a wierdo, too, which is not too surprising. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/9 "2017-09-27T14:59:01Z")
> [@Greathouse](#): > > The one I am listening to now is Desperation, but he also read Needful Things and The Wind Through the Keyhole. Does he do the voices? I mean, I know his native accent is Maine but does he pile it on or change it in any way when he’s speaking in the person of one of the “old timers” or goofier characters? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/10 "2017-09-27T15:02:36Z")
Sidebar: If you can find it, there exists a version of “The Mist,” done as a radio play. William Sadler (“Shawshank Redemption,” “The Mist” [movie]) plays the hero, David Drayton, and it’s 95% of an excellent job. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/11 "2017-09-27T15:04:26Z")
Douglas Adams and Neil Gaiman are great at reading their own material (well, Douglas Adams _was_ great, anyway). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/12 "2017-09-27T15:15:32Z")
King’s voice isn’t bad, but it is an acquired taste, and yes, he isn’t a professional voice actor. He read the audio version of _On Writing_; it was perfectly appropriate for him to do so, and he did just fine with it. I’ve also enjoyed his readings of at least a couple of his short stories. I would love to have a recording of Charles Dickens or Mark Twain reading their own works, even though there are perfectly good modern audio versions. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/13 "2017-09-27T15:35:18Z")
As far as his voice being nasal, didn’t he have a serious cocaine habit at one point? Maybe that’s part of why. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/14 "2017-09-27T15:40:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **CalMeacham** : > > T.S. Eliot – I once heard a recording of him reading “The Wasteland”. It sounded like a soulless robot reading. Actually, that’s an insult to soulless robots. I dunno, “The Wasteland” kind of calls for a soulless reading, wouldn’t you say? I mean, the whole poem is very carefully designed to be barren and lifeless. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/15 "2017-09-27T15:46:31Z")
I think King did a good job on _Needful Things_ and a couple of other of his books, though I can’t remember which. There are definitely worse voice actors working. Is there such a thing as a non-serious cocaine habit? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Dope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@The\_Dope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Dope)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/16 "2017-09-27T15:57:16Z")
i’d rather read his books than listen to them i did listen to the shining audiobook from Audible read by a really good voice actor (forgot the name) and it had like eerie music playing in the background - actually creeped me out ! ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/17 "2017-09-27T16:02:28Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Sidebar: If you can find it, there exists a version of “The Mist,” done as a radio play. William Sadler (“Shawshank Redemption,” “The Mist” [movie]) plays the hero, David Drayton, and it’s 95% of an excellent job. Is this from the 80s? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/18 "2017-09-27T16:06:30Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > Ha! My mom was in a play with him in college. She said he was a terrible actor back then. And kind of a wierdo, too, which is not too surprising. Being labeled a weirdo in Maine is very surprising, though not so surprising about Stephen King. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/19 "2017-09-27T16:07:36Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Is this from the 80s? Yes. I’d supply you more detail, but my only copy is on–I believe they were called–“cassette.” No player. My only gripe was a tendency to slip into “radio description” in the middle of a monster skirmish. Other than that, well worth a listen. I did see it on CD once in some library, several years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Osiris\_the\_1st](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9de0a6/32.png) [@Osiris\_the\_1st](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osiris_the_1st)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425/20 "2017-09-27T16:10:30Z")
I have to say I disagree. I really enjoy hearing him read his own books. I particularly enjoy the parts of _Hearts in Atlantis_ that he voices. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-reading-his-own-books/797425.md?page=2)