The Patterson Publishing Machine

If you like to wander the aisles of what's left of physical bookstores, browse Amazon or Barnes & Noble Web sites, or follow the New York Times best seller lists, you will recognize what a publishing machine James Patterson is. For example:

• According to today's NYTimes "Combined Print & E-book Fiction" list: His works occupy the No. 8 and 34 spots.
• According to a Reuters story on him today: He has authored or part-authored 45 No. 1 best sellers that have resulted in around 230 million sales. Whats more, "Last year Patterson outsold Stephen King, Dan Brown, Stieg Larsson and John Grisham combined, and already in 2011 he is outselling all four combined, according to his publisher Little, Brown & Co."
• From his official web site, "He is the first author to have #1 new titles simultaneously on The New York Times adult and children's bestsellers lists and is the only author to have five new hardcover novels debut at #1 on the list in one year ..."

If you missed it, there was an amazing article about him in January 20, 2010 issue of the New York Times Magazine, called "James Patterson Inc." Some tidbits from that article:

• "... with the help of his stable of co-authors, he published nine original hardcover books in 2009 and will publish at least nine more in 2010."
• "Since 2006, one out of every 17 novels bought in the United States was written by James Patterson."
• His "breakout book" was published in just 1993 ("Along Came a Spider")

In a publishing world where author platforms, e-books, and self-publishing are hot topics, the most important thing to remember is that he helped create his success. To promote "Spider," he developed and paid for his own advertising spot for the book. In an age of free Twitter and YouTube accounts, the self-promotion opportunities abound, though the ability to get heard amidst all the noise is the tough part. It will be difficult to get noticed using Patterson-like techniques, but it's not because of the lack of services and channels.

So while I doubt there will be another publishing machine that is like Mr. Patterson, those who want to succeed in the current environment should learn from his self-promotion activities and the way he tackles writing as a business. Sure, for those writing for art or who feel above such commercial activities, Patterson may represent all that is wrong with the book business; and while many may find his writing like filling up on empty calories, he is responsible for many people reading.

At the very least, aspiring authors who dream of making a full or partial living off their output should know the Patterson story.