R.L. Stine Reflects on the “Goosebumps” Craze He Created in the '90s: 'Almost None of It Was My Idea' (Exclusive)

The famed young adult author first launched the beloved book series in 1992 and has written more than 300 books since

At 80 years old, R.L. Stine is as busy as ever.

The famed young adult author was the stuff of legend with his Fear Street and Goosebumps franchises, which took over the Scholastic book fairs in the 1990s and early aughts.

And while Stine is a giant in the space, the author believes he simply got lucky.

"Everything that ever happened to me was an accident, almost none of it was my idea," he tells PEOPLE exclusively. "Seriously, it's embarrassing. My story is embarrassing," he jokes.

Related: Goosebumps Author R. L. Stine on Being a Fearful Child: ‘A Terrible Way to Grow Up’ (Exclusive)

The Columbus, Ohio, native moved to New York City in pursuit of a writing career right after college. He soon realized, however, that his intended audience was not interested in what he had to offer.

"I came to New York to write funny novels for adults, but nobody wanted funny novels for adults. Adults don't read funny novels," he says. "So I needed to get a job and I ended up at Scholastic writing history and geography for Junior Scholastic Magazine."

After working for the publication, Stine realized he found the niche audience he had been looking for. "I never planned to write for kids. That was the first time I did it, and then I just realized what a great audience they are," he shares.

He wrote several children's books — How to be Funny, Blind Date — before launching the Fear Street franchise with The New Girl in 1989.

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After seeing the success of Fear Street, Stine's publishers suggested he do a follow-up series.

"I said, 'No thanks.' I didn't want to do it," he admits. "I didn't want to screw up Fear Street. They kept after me and kept after me, so finally I said, 'All right if we can think of a good name for it, we can try two or three.' "

Of course, Stine and his publishers landed on the title Goosebumps for the new series — and the rest is history.

The first book, Welcome to Dead House, was released in 1992 and immediately became a bestseller. He followed up with Stay Out of the Basement, Monster Blood and Say Cheese and Die!, making him a household name in YA literature.

At the peak of the Goosebumps craze, the seasoned author churned out one book every month.

The blowout success of Goosebumps, Stine says, has everything to do with the 7- to 12-year-olds he continues to write for.

"There was no advertising, nobody really knew me. Just, kids found them and brought them in, and showed them to their friends in school. It was this secret kids' network — kids showing kids, and then somehow it just took off all over the world just because of kids."

With his head down frequently, it was often easy for the author to overlook the gravity of his work. But one moment changed that.

"I was in my hometown Columbus and I had a book signing," he begins. "I'm driving to get to the book signing and I'm in a horrible traffic jam ... and I hate being late. I hate it. I don't want to disappoint people."

He continues, "So, I'm really nervous and I'm just stuck in this traffic. I look out at all the other cars and they're filled with kids. They're all here to see me."

"It was my traffic jam!" he realizes. "That's when I knew things were different."

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In his personal life, nothing really changed. Outside of being able to make a better living for his wife and his son, the rest of his close family and friends are "not too impressed" with his legendary status, he shares.

In fact, despite having formed the childhoods of many kids across the globe, his son, Matt has never read his books!

"He bragged in the New York Times that he never read Goosebumps," the author jests. "I think if you're an author, your kid won't read your stuff. [They're like] 'It's only Dad, why should I read it?' "

Though kids are no longer clamoring to the bookstores for Goosebumps, the impact of the hit series still remains. To date, the franchise is the second-best-selling children's book franchise behind Harry Potter.

It's been adapted into TV series: Netflix currently houses a season of the older series, which originally aired in 1998, while Disney+ premiered a fresh batch of horror and humor, starring Justin Long, just last year. In 2015, Jack Black also played Stine in a movie adaptation of the same name.

Despite his incredible success, R.L. Stine shows no signs of slowing down. Earlier this year, he announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that there is a new Fear Street movie titled The Prom Queen currently in the works.

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He is also writing another young adult graphic novel series called The Graveyard Club, which comes out in September. The same month, he'll be releasing the graphic novel for The Haunted Mask, which was first published in 1993.

At this point in his career, he works because he enjoys it.

"What else would I do all day? I wouldn't know what to do at this point," he says. "I get up, I have coffee. I walk the dog and then I sit down and start writing. I wouldn't know. I'd be lost."

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