Why did King write one story as John Swithen?

[fredthe3rd]

Much has been said about why he was Bachman. I don't know anything about John Swithen or why he decided to use the name?

[GNTLGNT]

...just a pen name...possibly because he used to contribute to so many "gentlemen's" magazines???...

[bobledrew]

If I recall correctly, there's an explanation in the intro or endnotes to "Nightmares and Dreamscapes." Away from my books right now, sorry.

[GNTLGNT]

In the introduction to the novel Blaze, King (writing about Bachman) claims, with tongue-in-cheek, that "Bachman" used the pseudonym John Swithen for The Fifth Quarter.

...I thumbed quickly through my copy Bob, and didn't find it in either place-though he "credits" old RB for Fifth Quarter...

[Bev Vincent]

Probably because it was a different genre from his other stories at the time. Did you know that Swithen was a character in Carrie? King has said that he feels different when he writes as Richard Bachman. He hadn't yet arrived at that pseudonym yet, so consider him a proto-Bachman.