# James Patterson: Like him? Love him? Hate him?



## A.D.Seay (Dec 24, 2011)

I must admit that I'm relatively new to the phenomenon that is James Patterson (I've been buried in texts books for the past few years), but now that he's on TV every 45 minutes, he's pretty hard to ignore. I recently bought "Witch & Wizard: The Fire" when it went on sale for 99 cents on Amazon, and so far it's pretty good. I personally think the really short chapters are annoying (I like having a sense of accomplishment after finishing a chapter. It's hard to get that when a chapter is two pages), but other than that, I find this book to be quite enjoyable (though I'm far from finished).

So what do you guys think? Do you guys think his body of work is particularly strong? Will it stand the test of time? Is he a great author in your estimation or Dan Brown a product of a well oiled hype machine? I'm especially curious how you guys feel about his practice of coauthoring every blockbuster thriller in sight. So there you have it. What say you?


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## Nickmiles74 (Jan 14, 2012)

I think he's good at what he does, which is write an entertaining book that has the ability to keep people interested, but I certainly don't feel that he should be considered great. I think great should be reserved for a select few like that of James Joyce. I mean comparing Along Came a Spider to something like Ulysses is like comparing apples and elephants, but that's just my opinion.


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## HeidiHall (Sep 5, 2010)

I've always enjoyed books by James Patterson. If nothing else, they are almost always guaranteed to entertain. The short chapters don't bother me so much, but it seems the more titles he puts out, the shorter the chapters _and _the entire books get.


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## sarahsbloke (Sep 24, 2011)

His older thrillers are good, The Quickie, Swimsuit.
The fantasy I don't like.


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## Jen Black (Oct 17, 2011)

Isn't Patterson the author who hires a team of writers to write the chapters to his outlines? Am I thinking of the correct author?
Jen


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## A.D.Seay (Dec 24, 2011)

Is that what he does? I know nearly every book he puts out is coauthored by someone else, but if he simply outlines the book and doesn't even write it himself, then *WOW*. I just assumed that he was at least writing half of the book. I understand that he wants to make as much money as possible, but I'm not sure churning out outlines and leaving the actual writing for someone else is the way to go. That sucks if it's true. Does anyone know for sure?


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## PatrickWalts (Jul 22, 2011)

I can't hate on him.  He's writing books that people like and making money from it.  More power to him.  I don't read them, but many people do, so whatever.


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## JScott (Dec 3, 2011)

A.D.Seay said:


> Is that what he does? I know nearly every book he puts out is coauthored by someone else, but if he simply outlines the book and doesn't even write it himself, then *WOW*. I just assumed that he was at least writing half of the book. I understand that he wants to make as much money as possible, but I'm not sure churning out outlines and leaving the actual writing for someone else is the way to go. That sucks if it's true. Does anyone know for sure?


I hope that is not what he does. Then you start wondering if other authors do the same, or have other writers write their entire books for them. I feel that if an author's name is on the front cover, then that is who we should expect to have written the story. I feel cheated if this is true.


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## Jen Black (Oct 17, 2011)

I got myself worried in case I was maligning the wrong man, so I checked! Here's a link to a long article in the NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/magazine/24patterson-t.html?pagewanted=all which is pretty detailed. A long way in (you can skim most of it if you want) it describes how he and his writers work.

Jen


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## padowd (Jan 14, 2010)

I like him but I only read the books that has his name on it. I love his womens murder club series. I hated they took it off tv but I think it was on about the time of the writers strike and it went off the air. I agree his earlier books are very good. I have most of them in hardcover.


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## A.D.Seay (Dec 24, 2011)

Thanks for the article Jen! I'll definitely be reading the entire thing when I'm through with class for the day.


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## Todd Trumpet (Sep 7, 2011)

Not my taste.

Picked up a Patterson at a library sale once just to check him out.  Don't remember the book, didn't finish it.  It had something to do with a body being found on a Hollywood hillside...

...but I suspect that may not narrow it down much.

Todd

P.S.  Your strike-through of Dan Brown, however, did interest me.  I don't think anyone, not even Dan Brown, would label him a "great author".  But I also don't think "a well-oiled hype machine" is accurate, either.  IMO, Dan Brown earned his rep - and his money - as a best-selling writer.  When someone explodes on the world-wide book scene the way Dan Brown did with "THE DAVINCI CODE", there will always be people who take potshots.  But he obviously struck a chord with a LOT of people.  Myself included.  I enjoyed the read.  I enjoyed "ANGELS AND DEMONS" (the prequel) equally well.  "THE LAST SYMBOL", not so much.  That one did feel like "cashing in" to me.  But I still give him his due for finding a way to engage, entertain - and even enrage - such a large portion of the population.  It usually doesn't happen by accident.


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## SawyerKing (Jan 12, 2012)

The short chapters really REALLY annoy me. I feel like I'm skimming a book when there is a new chapter every other page...


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## 4eyesbooks (Jan 9, 2012)

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas made me cry out loud while reading it and not many books have made me do that


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## A.D.Seay (Dec 24, 2011)

Todd Trumpet said:


> Not my taste.
> 
> Picked up a Patterson at a library sale once just to check him out. Don't remember the book, didn't finish it. It had something to do with a body being found on a Hollywood hillside...
> 
> ...


What I was trying to do was juxtapose the concept of the popular writer who relies more upon plot and action to produce a large readership (Dan Brown) vs the quintessential literary genius whose prose is their primary claim to fame (James Joyce). Like I said, I'm very new to Patterson's work, and while it didn't really seem like he was trying to be this high-brow, highly sophisticated style of writer (at least in the 1/8th of the one book I've read already), I was wondering if perhaps he had anything like that in his body of work.

I don't think Dan Brown is a horrible writer, I'm just not a fan. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that when The Da Vinci Code came out, I was still in high school, and I spent like two weeks allowance on the Hardcover expecting it to be the best writing I've ever read. However it wasn't and I didn't even make it halfway through the book, which made me pretty upset (as you may well imagine). I just felt like the hype around the book was better than the book itself. I guess when all you've ever read are classics, Contemporary literature in general can be quite the disappointment. That's not really specific to Dan Brown, it just so happens that Dan Brown is the one who taught me that lesson. lol.

Now that I'm older and have read more contemporary books, I understand that classics are classic for a reason, and I think that's what I meant. I don't think anyone is going to care much about books like The Da Vinci Code in 50 years. That's not an indictment on Dan Brown. Very few books stand the test of time. I just wanted to know if Patterson has written anything (in your estimation) that will last 20, 30 years.


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

I like his young adult books and his romance books but I'm not really into his mystery/thriller type books; which isn't all that surprising considering I'm not interested in mystery/thriller books in general.  I downloaded one of his when it was for free ( I think the title is Tick Tock) but I just can't get into it.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

I used to really enjoy his books.. back when he wrote "Jack and Jill" - and all the Alex Cross books.  But in the last 10 or so years - I lost interest.  I understood that he doesn't write anymore - just puts his name on a co-author's book.  Hasn't been the same.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

I read four Alex Cross novels in the late 90s, then gave up. They were entertaining airplane novels, but nothing else. I just wasn't interested enough to read more.

If I read the article linked above correctly, he can largely be blamed for the mass produced for books as a commodity:



> There were, of course, blockbuster authors before Patterson, among them Mario Puzo, James Michener and Danielle Steel. But never had authors been marketed essentially as consumer goods, paving the way for a small group of writers, from Charlaine Harris to Malcolm Gladwell, to dominate best-seller lists - often with several titles at a time - in the same way that brands like Skippy and Grey Poupon dominate supermarket shelves. "Until the last 15 years or so, the thought that you could mass-merchandise authors had always been resisted," says Larry Kirshbaum, former C.E.O. of the Time Warner Book Group, which owned Little, Brown until 2006. "Jim was at the forefront of changing that."


My big question is: Why do people like this stuff so much? Maybe that's like asking why do people eat at McDonalds.


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## kaotickitten (Jan 9, 2011)

I like James Patterson.  As to his using co authors to write his books from outlines, well if you were or are a fan of V.C. Andrews ( Flowers In The Attic), than you would be used to it.  I don't blame him for doing that.  He is getting his stories out there with final approval before he dies.  Not having his family audition writers to make stories out of his ideal's after he dies like V.C. Andrews family did.  

One other thing Witch and Wizzard: The Fire is the third book in a YA series.  Alot of the types will have shorter chapters.  While you may not like that it is the style of  the series.


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## Jen Black (Oct 17, 2011)

i don't know about the Flowers in the Attic author, but I think a similar thing has happened with Dick Francis. His son has taken over the writing, and the most recent books are nothing like as good. I tried a McCaffery Pern story where I think a son had joined forces with the author, but again, there was little  of the imagination that made the  pern seeries so great. Call me cynical, but I can see publishers saying Oh, we can get a few more sales out of the name by doing this.... It makes you realise just how special some of the original authors really were!

Jen


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## JEV (Jan 7, 2012)

Jen Black said:


> Isn't Patterson the author who hires a team of writers to write the chapters to his outlines? Am I thinking of the correct author?
> Jen


Yeah. It's factory work.


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## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

I read James Patterson a few years ago an enjoyed his books but I seem to grow tired of series before the author grows tired of writing them. So, I quit reading Patterson before his books became "Patterson and ??". The constant partnering would have probably turned me off, anyway.


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## ChadWilliamson (May 31, 2011)

Personally, I LOATHE Patterson. Like "white hot passion"-level loathing. I think he's the worst sort of pop writer (though Nicholas Sparks is running neck-and-neck there). He produces books the way Warhol produced art: assembly line. It's not that it's formula so much as it's BAD formula. No imagination, no inspiration, just outlines he passes off to other writers.

And I know he says he does very detailed outlines and he'll rewrite some of his collaborators, but the fact that he sells himself as "an idea man" rather than a writer is insulting to those of us who stare at blank screens every day and try to create something of our own. 

I've gotten into BIG fights with his fans, and I'm not ashamed to say that as soon as someone says "Oh I LOVE his books," yeah, I start re-evaluating how much I want to associate with this individual. I've read more than my fair share of crap, sure, but his stuff is just such garbage from word one than it boggles my mind how people can tolerate his brand of swill.

So yeah, don't care for him LOL


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## kaotickitten (Jan 9, 2011)

I don't think it is all the publisher.  I think partly its the family, and fans when a particular author has died.  Yet when the original author is no longer writing the story just the idea's or outlines you do miss that particular story telling. 

Wow Chad to reevaluate wither to associate with someone based on their likes of ligature is kinda harsh isn't it.  I mean everyone has their own opinions.  Some of us like the stories.  Even if they aren't literary genius, they do what we paid for.  Which is to take us away from our own lives for a moment.  Plus what is crap to you is genius to others and whats genius to you could be crap to others.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Geemont said:


> My big question is: Why do people like this stuff so much? Maybe that's like asking why do people eat at McDonalds.


Since you ask... I liked his earlier books because they moved fast (I enjoy that pace in a book) and because I also enjoyed the Alex Cross character (Psychologist/Detective) - as portrayed by Morgan Freeman in Along Came a Spider. And yes - I also enjoy McDonalds every so often.

I've been on this board for a long time - and sometimes - I sense that some posters look down at the mainstream (NYT Best Sellers) book market. I spent too many years in Graduate school reading books I had to read.. Once I got out - I decided I was going to read what I wanted to read and would enjoy. No apologies for that.


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

bordercollielady said:


> I've been on this board for a long time - and sometimes - I sense that some posters look down at the mainstream (NYT Best Sellers) book market. I spent too many years in Graduate school reading books I had to read.. Once I got out - I decided I was going to read what I wanted to read and would enjoy. No apologies for that.


MTE

And as for Chad...deciding to no longer associate with someone because you find out they like a book you do not just seems childish and stuckup to me.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

bordercollielady said:


> I've been on this board for a long time - and sometimes - I sense that some posters look down at the mainstream (NYT Best Sellers) book market.


There is also a crowd who pooh-pooh the Booker Prize as pretentious tosh. So it works both ways. I've read Booker Prize winners and Patterson. I'll probably read more Booker Prizes in the future, but the chances of reading more Patterson are slim to none. I gave him a shot, sort of enjoyed them for what they were, but it's hard to get real enthusiastic about his works.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Geemont said:


> There is also a crowd who pooh-pooh the Booker Prize as pretentious tosh. So it works both ways.


And to that group - I would also respond negatively. But right now we are discussing this thread and this subject. Maybe its the way I was raised - but I just don't understand - even if one feels that way - the need to state it on a public forum. It only serves to upset people and - in my mind - reflects negatively on the poster. Lets get back to discussing the subject at hand - rather than the worth of anothers' reading choices.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

bordercollielady said:


> Maybe its the way I was raised - but I just don't understand - even if one feels that way - the need to state it on a public forum.


The title of the thread is "Like him? Love him? Or Hate Him?" so, in my mind, that gives free reign to pile on Patterson if you're in the less than favorable camp. There are some who say "If you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing at all" and that's all well and good, but when it comes to book or author reviews, you should be honest. If you think the book and/or author is no good, then speak your mind. It's not like anything one is saying Patterson is a bad man because he writes bad books. He may be partly responsible for the bad trend of turning books into near identical commodities, but that, too, is fair game for criticism.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Geemont said:


> If you think the book and/or author is no good, then speak your mind.


I'm going to write one more thing.. and this is my last post on the issue.. its one thing to write about your thoughts about a book and/or an author ( which is what this thread was all about) and its a different thing to write "Why do people like this stuff so much. Maybe that's like asking why do people eat at McDonalds" - that is condescending. And that is my last post on this thread.


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## Mike McIntyre (Jan 19, 2011)

Nickmiles74 said:


> I think he's good at what he does, which is write an entertaining book that has the ability to keep people interested, but I certainly don't feel that he should be considered great. I think great should be reserved for a select few like that of James Joyce. I mean comparing Along Came a Spider to something like Ulysses is like comparing apples and elephants, but that's just my opinion.


I sometimes prefer James Patterson to James Joyce the way I sometimes prefer Gossip Girl to Downton Abbey. But I enjoy them all, even if all of them are not "great." Sometimes I just want to be entertained. Like JL said: Whatever gets through the night...it's alright.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

bordercollielady said:


> its a different thing to write "Why do people like this stuff so much. Maybe that's like asking why do people eat at McDonalds" - that is condescending.


Sorry you see it that way.

Buy you really need to take it in context. The article I quoted beforehand was about how Patterson turned books into a commodity like brands sold at a supermarket. And it takes readers buying his stuff like a jar of Skippy -- or lunch at McDonalds -- to turn him into a big bestseller author. So maybe it is condescending in the short run, but not apropos of nothing, to ask why readers are happy buying books like they're grocery products. That's the Patterson phenomenon.


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## rubymatthewserotica (Jan 7, 2012)

I'm personally much more of a John Grisham fan as opposed to Patterson's Alex Cross.


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## George Hamilton (Dec 14, 2010)

If James Patterson offered you $250,000 per annum to write his novels based on his 50 page synopsis, but you had to abandon all your own books for the next 10 years, would you accept? If not $250k, how much would entice you? Authors and readers are welcome to contemplate this.


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## StephenLivingston (May 10, 2011)

I don't know him 
Best wishes, Stephen Livingston.


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## ChadWilliamson (May 31, 2011)

kaotickitten said:


> Wow Chad to reevaluate wither to associate with someone based on their likes of ligature is kinda harsh isn't it. I mean everyone has their own opinions. Some of us like the stories. Even if they aren't literary genius, they do what we paid for. Which is to take us away from our own lives for a moment. Plus what is crap to you is genius to others and whats genius to you could be crap to others.


And I know someone else said it seems rather stuck up that I'd judge someone based off of their like of Patterson. 
I know it does seem stuck up, and by my own admission it's not like I'm sitting around all day just reading Camus and Foucault and obscure, heroin-addicted hipsters who write nothing but internal monologue; my bookshelves are filled with King and Robert Parker (who wrote a hell of a lot of formula of his own) and tons of what would generally be deemed "pulp" or "escapist." I'm way more likely to read the new Charlie Huston novel than I am something that won the Booker.

The thing with Patterson, though, is just how calculated everything he does feels to me. I know that as a writer, I can't wait for inspiration to happen; I have to sit down and write. I doubt I'll have even the thinnest SLIVER of his success, and I don't begrudge him for it; what I do dislike is the rote nature of his writing, and how nothing is written so much because it's a story I think he HAS to tell, this thing burning inside him, so much as it is to fill a particular marketing niche. He's a former ad man, and his books and his career definitely show that.

So with those who read his books, it's simply discouraging that they've been taken by what is essentially his book-length sales pitch that he generated and then handed off to someone else to write. I'd have less issue with Patterson if he actually wrote the books himself, because that would show that he has an interest beyond simple salesmanship.

I'm sure I've dug myself a deep grave with this, and I apologize to anyone I've offended; I'd invite you to check out my Kindle list and my bookshelves and ridicule my choice in reading (I'll even give you the first one: The Bride and I own all but the last of the Sookie Stackhouse novels). This is just my opinion, though, and I acknowledge to each their own.


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

To the OP: Who knows what readers will read in 50 years? JP's work will surely be very dated by then. JP is an entertainer and marketer supreme, afterall he was in advertising for 20 some years and was quite successful. He has taught the publishing industry many lessons on branding and marketing. I've only read a dozen of his books, mainly the Alex Cross books, of the others--some are worse than others.

Some people complain about him and some are jealous of his sales and call him a terrible write etc. He sells alot of books, millions read them, they are easy reads, short chapters, his books encourage people to read--anyone who can get more people to read is Ok in my book.

For the ages? Who knows? Shakespeare's plays were very popular during his day and yet for many years no one though of publishing them until some friends (actors) decided to dig them up and publish them. I think it was 10-20 years after Bill had died. So, history....who knows?


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## A.D.Seay (Dec 24, 2011)

jackz4000 said:


> To the OP: Who knows what readers will read in 50 years? JP's work will surely be very dated by then. JP is an entertainer and marketer supreme, afterall he was in advertising for 20 some years and was quite successful. He has taught the publishing industry many lessons on branding and marketing. I've only read a dozen of his books, mainly the Alex Cross books, of the others--some are worse than others.
> 
> Some people complain about him and some are jealous of his sales and call him a terrible write etc. He sells alot of books, millions read them, they are easy reads, short chapters, his books encourage people to read--anyone who can get more people to read is Ok in my book.
> 
> For the ages? Who knows? Shakespeare's plays were very popular during his day and yet for many years no one though of publishing them until some friends (actors) decided to dig them up and publish them. I think it was 10-20 years after Bill had died. So, history....who knows?


I have to agree. No one can see 50 years into the future. However I think one way to tell if a book has the makings of a potential classic is simply whether it compels you to read it again and again over the course of several years. For example, I could read "Of Mice and Men" once a year for the next 20 years and I would still love the book. However, most books are enjoyable the first time through but are destined to gather dust on the bookshelf once you're done. Is this a foolproof method of determining whether a book is destined to be a bonafide, unanimous classic? Certainly not. However, a book that absolutely _demands_ to be reread is a book that speaks to the heart of the reader, and any book that can do that is a classic in my opinion.


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## Judy Powell (Sep 25, 2011)

I read one of JP's books and it hooked me from the beginning and I did not want to put it down after that.  The opening line was "You're dead."  It had lots of twists and turns that kept me slightly off balance, which is good.

I thought I would therefore love all of his books and so I tried two more.  I did not get through either one of them because one was futuristic (not my favorite read) and the other started off with a brutal murder (had me shuddering).

Although I did not manage to get through the other two books I think he is good at what he does.  He certainly has a following.


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## David Swinson (Dec 29, 2011)

He pays people to write for him. Also, if you're going to write about something, please get your facts straight. It drives me crazy when authors get things wrong. Write about what you know! Patterson writes about Washington, DC and doesn't even know that the Shaw area of the district is in NW, not SE.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

A.D.Seay said:


> What I was trying to do was juxtapose the concept of the popular writer who relies more upon plot and action to produce a large readership (Dan Brown) vs the quintessential literary genius whose prose is their primary claim to fame (James Joyce).


And I'll take the former any day of the week as a reader. (Not that I'm a big fan of DB but I thought that The DaVinci Code was a well-written, gripping story.)

Sorry, a bit off topic, I dont think that's where you are going with the thread.

As for Patterson, I really liked his early series named after the nursery rhymes and the Ladies Murder ones are ok too. I just love all the details, psychological profiling, and forensic evidence that the early books really dug into. But like with a lot of authors, he let his character's personal lives get too overly descriptive and dramatic as a series goes on. I've written before that I am more plot/story-oriented than character-oriented, so I find that starts getting distracting...mostly because the drama tends to be annoying! More like real life, lol.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

Geemont said:


> Sorry you see it that way.
> 
> Buy you really need to take it in context. The article I quoted beforehand was about how Patterson turned books into a commodity like brands sold at a supermarket. And it takes readers buying his stuff like a jar of Skippy -- or lunch at McDonalds -- to turn him into a big bestseller author. So maybe it is condescending in the short run, but not apropos of nothing, to ask *why readers are happy buying books like they're grocery products.* That's the Patterson phenomenon.


What? How are other books bought? They are commodities like anything else and I hate to tell you...unlike gourmet, organic, higher-end foods.....'literary masterpieces' are rarely priced any differently than pulp.

Gives people more choice, not less, IMO. We choose to read for many different reasons. Personally, I value my time more than sitting trying to decipher what an author wraps up beautifully or in angst-ridden prose to demonstrate some life lesson. I read loads of non-fiction....I dont particularly care what an author of _fiction _wants to say unless he says it in a manner I find entertaining or at least absorbing.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

ChadWilliamson said:


> And I know someone else said it seems rather stuck up that I'd judge someone based off of their like of Patterson.
> I know it does seem stuck up, and by my own admission it's not like I'm sitting around all day just reading Camus and Foucault and obscure, heroin-addicted hipsters who write nothing but internal monologue; my bookshelves are filled with King and Robert Parker (who wrote a hell of a lot of formula of his own) and tons of what would generally be deemed "pulp" or "escapist." I'm way more likely to read the new Charlie Huston novel than I am something that won the Booker.
> 
> The thing with Patterson, though, is just how calculated everything he does feels to me. I know that as a writer, I can't wait for inspiration to happen; I have to sit down and write. I doubt I'll have even the thinnest SLIVER of his success, and I don't begrudge him for it; what I do dislike is the rote nature of his writing, and how nothing is written so much because it's a story I think he HAS to tell, this thing burning inside him, so much as it is to fill a particular marketing niche. He's a former ad man, and his books and his career definitely show that.
> ...


Sorry, but as a reader...I could care less about an author of fiction. His process, his life, even (usually) his views. I just want to enjoy what I'm reading. If I dont, I put it down (& dont buy more).

I did drop Patterson...because he got boring, stale, etc. If his books maintained the same level of interest for me, I'd still read them I guess. But I dont particularly care about who is writing something except the familiarity of what I expect when I read their books (level of quality and interest).

I have no interest in ridiculing you but I dont know that you understand what readers are looking for. OTOH, this is just 'my' experience as a reader.


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## LeonardDHilleyII (May 23, 2011)

Jen Black said:


> Isn't Patterson the author who hires a team of writers to write the chapters to his outlines? Am I thinking of the correct author?
> Jen


Yes, you are correct. If two names are on the cover, the smaller name is the one who authored the book based on "his idea" and then "edited" by Patterson. The ones Patterson actually wrote were written very well, but if as an author I'd feel cheated to be one of his hired writers. None of these are best sellers. The credit for that still falls to Patterson.


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## ChadWilliamson (May 31, 2011)

Lursa (was 9MMare) said:


> I have no interest in ridiculing you but I dont know that you understand what readers are looking for. OTOH, this is just 'my' experience as a reader.


I really REALLY hope you're wrong there LOL ... but I don't know that Patterson and I would be aiming for the same readership anyway. I mean, I won't have a affidavit for a person to fill out that if they buy a copy of my yet-to-be-completed novel they promise they haven't bought a "Women's Murder Club" novel.


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## Math (Oct 13, 2011)

I found this thread really interesting, especially as I had little idea of how Patterson actually worked.

I agree that his work maybe won't last and won't be on the front row in 50 years...but - maybe his way of working will.

Here's something: Is Patterson actually a trailblazer for popular(ist) writers for the future?

This is my analogy (and, it's pretty obvious when you think about it) - Patterson is about Hollywood. He pimps out a book like it's a film. Really interesting how he wrote and produced the marketing campaign for the early Alex Cross books, etc.

Look at film again - how many people make a production? Okay - look at the writers, actors, producers(publishers) but who actually goes up for the Oscar when it's announced as 'Best Picture'? The Director. The 'modern age' _uber _ director, a la Spielberg is as much a writer and shaper of the story as much as he is a crafter of the scene.

That's how I view Patterson - in a literary sense. The shame is, unlike the film world, there isn't as much recognition for collaborators.

However, I fully expect there to be other people, who do what he does, and work how he works. All it will take is for a publishing house to detect that 'complete package' of marketing, organisation, creativity and an understanding of what a reader wants to read on the beach/the airplane.
And, of course, the ability to make millions of dollars for their publishing house! It will happen. Whether we like it or not. And actually...I have to admire the guy for being one of those few people who can do that job.

[post script] Actually - aren't the opportunities of Kindle and the internet [cheap self-publishing/ability to market own work/etc] actually propagating writers to be like Patterson? If we want our work 'out there' - we (independent writers, I mean) have to do _everything _ ourselves. The days of writers just writing are disappearing, aren't they? Shouldn't Patterson be a role-model for the very people who use this forum?


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## olefish (Jan 24, 2012)

Tried to read a few.  I couldn't stand the short chapters.  They say it is supposed to increase pacing, I just find them annoying.  Also not a thriller fan.  

As for his assembly line model of writing, yeah, it rubs me the wrong way.  I don't like feeling so close to the artificiality of it all. That all the words, the outlines, the advertising and the selling has been so pored over and calculated to the dot in board rooms just to appeal to the generic reader. Then again much of  film and tv is like this.  So more power to him.  I just would rather read something that bear more of the author's soul in it.  

At least, Patterson treats his coauthors well, compared to the Jame Frey asshole.  More power to him. I just won't be giving him my money.


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## Storymagus (Jun 30, 2011)

Really liked his Mazimum Ride series but feel that this whole thing of him co-writing books (inc. Witch and Wizard I beleive) is publishers putting his name onto another authors work to sell it. He's good but I think that he should have to try as hard as the rest of us.


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## slandon36 (Jan 24, 2012)

Some of his books like the Maximum Ride Series I have loved but others I find my attention wondering somewhat


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## A.D.Seay (Dec 24, 2011)

Math said:


> I found this thread really interesting, especially as I had little idea of how Patterson actually worked.
> 
> I agree that his work maybe won't last and won't be on the front row in 50 years...but - maybe his way of working will.
> 
> ...


Personally, I wouldn't want to emulate his business model (although I wouldn't mind emulating his sales  ) I just feel that writing a book isn't about trying to sell to a particular market, I believe you write a book because you have a story inside of you that you just have to tell. I mean that's why I write. I just don't see how the whole assembly line approach to writing could be a positive thing in my opinion (after all, this entire thread is basically an opinion piece).

One of the things that makes a powerful book powerful is that the voice of the author is heard in every word and every line. It talks with you, cries with you, laughs with you, screams at you; the voice of the author is what keeps readers reading. I wouldn't want to risk losing that by CONSISTENTLY employing a bunch of other people to help me write.

Also, I think movies are a completely different animal from books, so you have to have a large staff. Sitting alone in your room writing prose is much simpler than making a movie, which requires actors, directors, different locations, filming, editing, marketing, and distributing. In other words, there are a heck of a lot more moving parts with movies, so you need waaaaay more people to do one right.


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## Math (Oct 13, 2011)

A.D.Seay said:


> Personally, I wouldn't want to emulate his business model (although I wouldn't mind emulating his sales  ) I just feel that writing a book isn't about trying to sell to a particular market, I believe you write a book because you have a story inside of you that you just have to tell. I mean that's why I write. I just don't see how the whole assembly line approach to writing could be a positive thing in my opinion (after all, this entire thread is basically an opinion piece).
> 
> One of the things that makes a powerful book powerful is that the voice of the author is heard in every word and every line. It talks with you, cries with you, laughs with you, screams at you; the voice of the author is what keeps readers reading. I wouldn't want to risk losing that by CONSISTENTLY employing a bunch of other people to help me write.
> 
> Also, I think movies are a completely different animal from books, so you have to have a large staff. Sitting alone in your room writing prose is much simpler than making a movie, which requires actors, directors, different locations, filming, editing, marketing, and distributing. In other words, there are a heck of a lot more moving parts with movies, so you need waaaaay more people to do one right.


One thousand percent agree with you on everything you wrote (Yeah, there is little parity between film and books - but just throwing out the the thought as Patterson as a controller). I think you described a well-written book perfectly, but I suppose that is the difference between the the different types of books people want to read, (sometimes it's high literature - sometimes a bit of fluff!)

I didn't really make myself as clear as I could (sorry!) when I wrote about his way of working being and being a type of role model for small independant writers - I meant the bit about him being involved in the marketing etc, rather than the employing teams of writers! (I would never presume that was what people aspire to!)

I, for one, would love to know more about things like that, and in my opinion, I think that is the _real _ success of the man. Every independant author I have come in contact with (personally) have told me they work harder on the book after it's been released. Now, I suppose he has a team of people to do this for him too(!!), but that seemed to be his meat and potatoes when he first started(?). But I guess strategy is just as important, and he still seems to get that just right.

The only thing that annoys me is how big his name is on the cover. Maybe, as a gesture of good will, he should just have it: James Patterson right at the bottom of the jacket.


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## A.D.Seay (Dec 24, 2011)

Math said:


> One thousand percent agree with you on everything you wrote (Yeah, there is little parity between film and books - but just throwing out the the thought as Patterson as a controller). I think you described a well-written book perfectly, but I suppose that is the difference between the the different types of books people want to read, (sometimes it's high literature - sometimes a bit of fluff!)
> 
> I didn't really make myself as clear as I could (sorry!) when I wrote about his way of working being and being a type of role model for small independant writers - I meant the bit about him being involved in the marketing etc, rather than the employing teams of writers! (I would never presume that was what people aspire to!)
> 
> ...


Ooooooh! Okay. I see what you're saying. Actually, I agree. With the way independent books work, marketing has become much more important to the author than it has ever been before. There isn't a publishing company to push your book for you, so you have to know what buttons to push.

As the independently published author of Terracotta Soldiers (shameless plug ), I wouldn't mind knowing some of Patterson's strategies when it comes to marketing because he definitely is leading the pack in that area... It also kind of makes you wonder which is better: actively marketing your book for months or spending that time writing your behind off and allowing word of mouth to do the work for you? Personally, I'm going with the latter strategy. I just hope I'm not being too idealistic.


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## KimberlyinMN (Dec 30, 2009)

I think the short chapters for the Witch & Wizards series is because the series is for young adults. Did you read the first two books in the series? (I think "The Fire" is the third book.)



A.D.Seay said:


> I must admit that I'm relatively new to the phenomenon that is James Patterson (I've been buried in texts books for the past few years), but now that he's on TV every 45 minutes, he's pretty hard to ignore. I recently bought "Witch & Wizard: The Fire" when it went on sale for 99 cents on Amazon, and so far it's pretty good. I personally think the really short chapters are annoying (I like having a sense of accomplishment after finishing a chapter. It's hard to get that when a chapter is two pages), but other than that, I find this book to be quite enjoyable (though I'm far from finished).
> 
> So what do you guys think? Do you guys think his body of work is particularly strong? Will it stand the test of time? Is he a great author in your estimation or Dan Brown a product of a well oiled hype machine? I'm especially curious how you guys feel about his practice of coauthoring every blockbuster thriller in sight. So there you have it. What say you?


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## Kayden Lee (Sep 9, 2011)

I enjoy James Patterson, but I like that style of book. Like any other author though, it depends on the book.


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