Stephen King mistaken for vandal in Aussie Outback

Stephen King, the bestselling author, was mistaken for a vandal in the Australian Outback while secretly signing copies of his own thrillers in a book shop, according to local media reports.

A customer at the Dymocks store in remote Alice Springs raised the alarm after noticing a man walk in off the street and begin writing in several books, manager Bev Ellis told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"As the owner of a bookshop, when you see someone writing in one of your books you get a bit toey [touchy]," Ms Ellis said.

"So we immediately ran to the books and lo-and-behold here was the signature in several books.

"We sort of spun around on our heels, [saying] 'where did he go, where did he go'?"

Ms Ellis said she found the American horror writer standing in the fruit and vegetable section of the supermarket across the road in the small desert town and went over to introduce herself.

"He was lovely, very nice, charming," she said.

"He introduced me to his friends and we had a talk and then I said, 'Well, I'll leave you to the tomatoes'."

Ms Ellis said five of the six books King signed will be given to community groups for fund-raising auctions.

The sixth was bought by the customer who mistook King for a vandal.

King, 59, has written more than 50 bestselling horror and fantasy novels, including Carrie, The Shining and The Green Mile.