How about Phillip K. Dick.
Garrison Keillor. His storytelling and writing ability. to me, are superb.
SMM
Crichton is definitely a hack, but he’s become somewhat of a Mendoza line for novelists: this is as bad the writing can be and still have a strong following. I don’t think he’ll be a classic though. As much as I love Stephen King, all of his main characters are Stephen King clones: writers with drug problems from Boston. When he tries a different character, the novel fails.
My picks:
Anne Rice
J.K. Rowling (on a technicality, I think. There’s always at least one novel in every reading list to demonstrate “local color,” e.g. accents.)
Thomas Harris
No love for Khaled Hosseini? I think the Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns are as worthy of study and assignment as anything I read in high school. Especially Suns.
Also, what about Paulo Coelho? The Alchemist would be an excellent thing to assign to high schoolers. It has some real depth, but the story and writing is so approachable. And even entertaining.
You mean “The Giants.” [/geekpicking]
<-- Hangs head in Geek-shame.
So, if I like O’Connor and King, then I’m stupid, low, and common enough for King and too dense to understand what I’m reading in O’Connor? Just checking.
Off the top of my head, a few names worth adding to the list:
John Banville
John McGahern
Colm Toibin
(OK, I’ve been been reading a lot of Irish writers lately).
Also worth mentioning: Donald Barthelme (and maybe his brother Frederick)
Brian Moore
Two who I think are already there:
Terry Pratchett
Patrick O’Brian.
Andy Dufresne
“Red”
Stu Redman
Randall Flagg
Roland
Dolores Claiborne (I agree with someone earlier, I think this is one of his best)
Annie Wilkes
Those are just a few of what I think are very successful characters that King has written that do not fit the description of drugged out writer. I don’t believe all of his work is noteworthy, but I do believe some of his work will survive for a very long time.
Although, reading through this thread again, I’m surprised I’m the only one with love for Larry McMurtry (so far), I’ve never read a stinker of his- he is consistently great IMHO, and I’ve read plenty stinkers of King’s. Both authors are very prolific as well.
Kurt Vonnegut and Ray Bradbury. Yeah, I know Vonnegut’s dead and Bradbury’s pretty much retired but I figured they were close enough to merit a mention.
Read into whatever you want. Or . . . you can take my criticism of a writer’s works for, get this, criticism of a writer’s works. Unless you’re the writer in question, taking it personally is solipsistic and paranoid.
Jose Saramago for sure. Nobel Prize winner for literature in 1998 and a wonderful novelist.
Pat Conroy
Don’t feel badly. I had to go on IMDB to make sure I got the quote right. 
Ones that have been mentioned that I hope become classics - David Sedaris and Chuck Palahniuk. I also think Philip K. Dick will be there. How about William Gibson?
For those who think JK Rowling won’t be there, you’re fooling yourselves. Millions and millions of kids had those novels begin their love of reading. She will be held in the same esteem as JRR Tolkein in fifty years.
I’ll add WP Kinsella for consideration.
While I wouldn’t have thought of him I’ll second the motion. I remember being stunned when I realized that Lonesome Dove and Aurora Greenway came from the same writer.
Usually what makes the “Classics” classic is the emotion they inspire.
For everyone who loves Dickens, there is someone who think pay-by-the-word was the most horrible thing invented.
It is the same ofr all the “Classics” authors…you either love them or hate them. Sallinger, Twain, Fitzgerald (trying to stay American here), Hawthorne, Poe, they all have as many haters as fans.
If the venom and vitriol, as well as the admiration and adoration (oh look , alliterive) on this thread are any indication, I belive King will some day be in the “Classics”
I’m going to suggest Dennis Lehane. His Patrick Kenzie novels are some of the most creative, literate modern detective novels to come out in quite some time. I really think he’ll be ranked among Hammet, Chandler and Christie. And his non-detective work stands up as well. I wasn’t a fan of Shutter Island, but Mystic River was a great read, and I thought his most recent, The Given Day, was his best yet.
Rowling definitely, Her stuff stands up OK, compared to a lot of the other YA classics. I think Twilight will be forgotten pretty quickly, but maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
King probably will, but his stuff is very variable in quality, I have difficulty in believing that anyone will ever see the Tommyknockers as a classic. I’d be interested in knowing how many of the people who don’t think he is a good writer have read his short stories? The guys main problem seems to be that he can’t finish his longer works off to save his life.
I’d like to see Pratchett go down in the classics, but I think there might be too many people who just won’t take his work as seriously as it deserves.
ASOIF possibly, but only if Martin finishes it, which is looking less and less likely.
Gaiman I think has plenty more good books in him, but the thing I really do think should be a classic is Sandman, and I don’t see comics being embraced as literature for a good while.
That said, if anyone is going to get there, it will be Alan Moore, Watchmen, From Hell, and V for Vendetta might have a shot