Three hundred million! (300,000,000) That's the number of R.L. Stine books sold. Honestly, it's hard to wrap your arms around that number. I'll try to give you a visual. If you placed them end to end, the line would encircle the Earth, and still go half way around again! It's beyond incredible.
Robert Lawrence Stine is nothing short of a literary icon in the publishing industry. With three hundred titles translated into thirty-two different languages, I'm hard pressed to think of a place--anywhere on the globe--where you can't find his work. R.L. Stine is a household name in virtually every country on the planet.
As you can imagine, Bob is an industrious man. He gets dozens of requests for appearances every month and thousands of emails and fan letters. I would imagine many of them are written in foreign languages. The only person on the planet who gets more fan mail is Santa Claus. I have a funny visual of a kid addressing an envelope with simply:
R.L. Stine
Goosebumps, HorrorLand
Amazingly, it probably has a good chance of being delivered to his publisher.
Bob graciously agreed to be interviewed. As I said, he's super busy, so I appreciate him taking the time to do this feature.
As a kid, you read horror and watched horror movies. Why do people enjoy being scared--why do we read horror novels and watch horror films?
We all like to have creepy adventures and face untold horrors--when we know we're safe at the same time. We all have that wonderful feeling of relief when we wake up from a nightmare and realize it was only a dream. Horror movies and books allow us to enjoy the nightmare because we're aware the whole time that we're not experiencing real horrors.
This is a metaphorical question, but do you ever get emails from parents who've caught their kid reading your books under the covers with a flashlight--after lights out? How do you respond?
I receive many letters from parents who tell me their kid never liked to read--and then they caught them reading Goosebumps or Fear Street under the covers late at night. That's always a thrill for me. You know, my career really isn't about terrifying kids--it's all about motivating them to read.
If you could change one thing or aspect of the publishing industry, what would it be and why?
I'd bring cover prices way down so that more kids could afford to buy more books. I'd make sure there were plenty of cheap paperbacks available. Bookstores don't want mass-market paperbacks anymore because they make more money on more expensive formats. I think it's a crime to see the mass-market books shoved into the background.
If you had to pick just one, what is the most rewarding experience you've had during your writing career to date?
I've been so lucky in my career, I could never pick just one. I guess the biggest thrills for me were, not in any order:
1) Being the best-selling author in America three years in a row.
2) Having my own Goosebumps attraction at DisneyWorld for a year.
3) Getting to meet and hang out with many author heroes of mine who have meant so much to my life.
4) The hundreds of thousands of fan letters I receive.
Competition for the attention of today's youth (YA) is fierce, cell phones, computers, video games, CG movies (Avatar, Alice in Wonderland), etc... Do you think there's hope for a new generation of readers?
I'm optimistic about kids reading. Sure, there are lots of other means of entertainment. But, take a look at the children's publishing business today. It's HUGE! When I started out, children's publishing was a tiny business. Today, the children's department is the profit center for many publishers. What does this mean? It means kids are reading, despite all the dire predictions.
You've got a YA anthology project for ITW, could you tell us about it?
It's a wonderful compilation of YA thriller stories, called FEAR. Thirteen stories by 13 authors--some are YA authors, others are adult thriller writers aiming at this younger audience. It's packed with a great variety of terrific stories I think teens will enjoy.
Please tell us about your new series; Goosebumps HorrorLand.
The new books start off in HorrorLand Amusement Park, the scariest place on earth, then take off from there. Lots of the old villains and weird creatures--and a lot of new creations. One of my favorite titles in these new Goosebumps books--Little Shop of Hamsters. Believe me, it wasn't easy to make hamsters scary!
And a couple of lighthearted questions]
If you had to chose one or the other, which would you rather participate in, a paintball fight or an Easter egg hunt?
Definitely an Easter Egg hunt. I'm a peace-loving guy.
What would be the best prank you could possibly play on Jane--without getting in serious trouble!
I could never play a prank on Jane. We both made a solemn vow NEVER to surprise each other. And we've stuck to that vow for our whole marriage. Also, don't forget--Jane is my editor. I have to be nice to her!
And nice he is, not only to Jane, but also to his fans. Bob recently spent two weeks in China, visiting schools, libraries, and bookstores. He met and thanked thousands of young readers, some of whom begged him to write a scary book about dragons someday. Aside from seeing some of the world's oldest culture, Bob said one of the best parts of his trip was being able to eat Chinese food three times a day! Amen to that.
So how does he do it? How does Bob write horror for young readers? There's no easy answer except that he has an instinctive "feel" for what creeps kids out without crossing certain lines. Like he said above, his goal isn't to scare them into having nightmares, his goal is to engage them through reading. I think it's fair to say that Bob has inspired millions of young people to start reading as a true form of entertainment, where they otherwise wouldn't have. It's a worthy endeavor and his legacy is forever secured. And it couldn't happen to a nicer man.
I was fortunate to spend a few minutes with Bob at the 2008 ThrillerFest. He's warm-hearted, charming, and easy to talk to. In others words, he's a great guy! And he has a well developed sense of humor. The following excerpt is from the "Author Bio" page of his website:
R.L. Stine's Life Story:
ROBERT LAWRENCE Stine was born on a pig farm outside Columbus, Ohio. His first word was "oink." His second word was also "oink." By the age of ten, he wanted to leave the pig farm. But what would he do for slops? Luckily, he was kidnapped by little blue aliens from the Planet of Little Blue Aliens. He was taken to their planet and forced to get down on the floor, open his mouth wide, and work as a roach motel. This is where he learned his third word "Help!" If you are still reading this, you probably realize that this is NOT R.L. Stine's life story. You have wasted your time. You should have started right here...
He then goes on to tell his real bio. Don't be surprised, he wrote little joke books as a kid.
People often ask Bob if anything scares him, as it turns out, there is one thing. "I have one phobia--I can't jump into water. I have to step into a swimming pool; I can't jump or dive in. My nephews think it's a riot that a scary guy like me is afraid to jump into a pool!"
He also gets a question or two about writers block, does he ever get it? "I never get writer's block. Mainly because I do so much work before I start to write. I do complete chapter-by-chapter outlines of every book. And I make a list of all the characters--what they look like and their personalities. And I always figure out the ending BEFORE I start the book. That's a big head-start and keeps me from having writers block."
I'm a firm believer in outlining as well, but there's no right or wrong way to tell a story as long as it keeps your reader reading.
To say Bob has been a prolific writer is an understatement. Two of his most notable series are Fear Street and Goosebumps. He created Fear Street in 1989, and it has the honor of being the best selling young adult book series in all of history--it encompasses over 100 titles. Goosebumps started in 1992 and its success made Bob an international publishing celebrity. Goosebumps quickly became a TV show and held the #1 slot for all kids shows in the United Stated for three straight years.
Although Bob mostly writes for young adults, he's also written three scary thrillers for adults: Superstitious, The Sitter, and Eye Candy. So if you like a good "edge of your seat" story, check them out, you won't be disappointed.
There isn't space in this feature to list all of Bob's accomplishments--I'd need several dozen pages! Needless to say, Jane has been an integral part of his success. She's been with him every step of the way. She's also the boss, right? Aren't all wives the bosses? I know mine is.
When you get a moment, check out Bob's website, it's well designed, easy to navigate and his son's music is awesome! www.rlstine.com
I tip my hat to R.L. Stine. Here's to ya, Bob!
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R.L. Stine was born in Columbus, OH in 1943. He currently lives in New York City with his wife Jane, and his dog Minnie--a King Charles Spaniel. His son Matthew is a composer, musician, and sound designer.
Andrew Peterson is the author of FIRST TO KILL, the debut in a series featuring Nathan McBride, a former marine sniper. Andrew is currently finishing FORCED TO KILL, which should be available late summer or fall.
