James Patterson, the Mega, Mega, Mega

Are there enough adjectives to describe his publishing presence?

Oct 12, 2023

I’ve written two stories about mega thriller author James Patterson recently. He granted me an interview for my upcoming book, My First Time, about authors getting their first novel published—a book that is being serialized in CrimeReads.com, the largest website for crime novel readers. Patterson agreed to participate in my book if I would also interview him about his novel, 12 Months to Live, co-authored with famed New York sports columnist (and much more) Mike Lupica.

The first interview was a bit difficult. I’d ask Patterson a question and he’d start to answer and then go off on a tangent elsewhere. I kept coming back to the original question, which he would eventually answer. He wasn’t dodging the question and I never got frustrated. Instead, I had a window into how his mind works, the way it goes in different directions as ideas are spawned. His creative side is always revved up to reckless-driving speed and going places others don’t venture, even when he’s being interviewed. It’s fascinating to be a participant in his conversation. You can lose your breath just trying to keep up with him.

Patterson is famous for having file cabinets full of plots and story ideas. That’s why he works with so many writers to pump out more than a dozen books a year. Your first thought is he just slaps his name on some author’s book so that writer can have an instant bestseller. But that’s not how he works. Patterson is deeply involved in every book, especially it’s plotting. He does leave most of the writing to his fellow authors, but not always. I have to read between the lines from our conversations, but I believe he’s done most of the writing—or rewriting—on novels he's written with famous subjects who aren’t writers. (You figure out who they are.) That’s conjecture on my part, but I bet I’m right.

In our second interview, which included Lupica, we spent 45 minutes laughing out loud. These guys love each other and their craft, and it shows. It was the funniest interview I’ve done for my book. I didn’t want it to stop. I was having too much fun.

It showed another side of Patterson’s personality. How he handles his close friendships, his quick, self-deprecating wit, and the pure joy he derives from writing. He’s no teddy bear, but he can be quite kind. He also understands exactly who he is, his faults, and his strengths. But the most important thing I discerned is he’s always in control. There’s no doubt he’s the boss and things are done his way. And, well, he’s earned that (and his publisher thinks so too).

Patterson is a one-man publishing machine. No, that’s not enough. He’s a publishing empire, so much so, that his publisher, Hachette Book Group, has an entire staff devoted just to him. No other author in the world is so prolific. To learn more about Patterson, read my stories about how he got his start, and on his novel 12 Months to Live.

James Patterson, the Mega, Mega, Mega

Are there enough adjectives to describe his publishing presence?

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