James Patterson

James Patterson is the most successful author you’ve never heard of. At best, to the uninitiated the name may ring up alongside Mary Higgins Clark, Patricia Cornwell or similar popular mystery thriller writers. But the fact is that James Patterson has been an unstoppable force in the world of thriller fiction, churning out an impressive catalog of titles stretching back to the 1970s. He has enjoyed a growing reputation for prolific production of best-selling page-turners, and commonly makes the claim to have more #1 bestsellers in recent years than any other author.

James Patterson certainly has the reading habits of a man in the business of creating popular fiction. Citing Elmore Leonard, Michael Crichton and Frederick Forsyth among writers he considers influential on his style, he has hit a sweet spot with his readers, if not with his fellow authors. But high-minded artistes may wish to consider that there are more than 100 million Patterson books in print. Part of this is due to his creation of characters that are reader favorites—such as Alex Cross. A growing series of more than ten books, Patterson has shepherded Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls to box office success.

These books have been published on top of The Women’s Murder Club series and other independent titles. In recent years, James Patterson has turned additional attention to writing books for young people, incorporating speculative science into his thriller repertoire.

James Patterson knows a thing or two about moving merchandise, having worked in advertising for decades, overlapping with his writing career. Born March 22, 1947, James Patterson has put aside advertising since the success of Along Came a Spider, and resides in Florida, publishing at a furious pace. He releases approximately two novels a year, though his pace has been increasing lately. Fans should expect further film adaptations as well as additions to his most popular series.