The bestselling author in the world has produced more than 200 novels, has sold more than 325 million books and has had 73 No. 1 bestsellers — more than any other author.
Best-known for thrillers, he’s written the Alex Cross, Michael Bennet and Women’s Murder Club series. He’s collaborated on thrillers with celebrities including Bill Clinton (“The President is Missing”) and Dolly Parton (“Run, Rose, Run”). His new book is his autobiography, “James Patterson by James Patterson: The Stories of My Life,” to be published Monday.
Patterson also is passionate about reading and literacy and has donated millions of dollars and millions of books to schools, soldiers, libraries and independent bookstores.
Patterson is a dynamo in the book business and at 75, shows no signs of slowing down in producing books and advocating for reading. He will appear in a special eventJune 13, at the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Main Library.
Speaking recently with The Dispatch from his home in Palm Beach, Florida, Patterson answered questions with rapid-fire delivery and a little sarcasm.
Q: Do you know exactly how many books you’ve written, and do you remember every book you’ve written?
Patterson: No! I don’t remember what I had for breakfast. I’m always looking for new challenges. I started writing kids’ books when Jack (his son) was in grade school, and then some nonfiction books and that was a new challenge. And now the memoir, which is nothing but stories after stories.
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Q: You don’t write on a computer but with a pencil and a legal pad, right? And you work seven days a week?
Patterson: I do. I don’t work for a living. I play for a living. If you find something you like to do, then it’s a miracle when you find somebody to pay you for it.
Q: You’ve collaborated on novels with celebrities —Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, Mike Lupica (“The Horsewoman”). How did those come about?
Patterson: Boy, you’ve put Lupica on the celebrity level with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton. He’s going to love that. Mike and I have become great friends and we’re going to do two adult books next year … Bill Clinton and I have the same lawyer/agent … Clinton and I are pals. He sent me Monopoly for Socialists (sic) for Christmas … And Dolly and I, we both came from nothing. We sat around and talked (about their book) for a couple of hours. … She wrote me a poem about new old friends for my birthday.
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Q: Are there more collaborations with celebrities in the works?
Patterson: Yep —Pope Francis. (He was kidding.) But really, there is somebody in the NBA who’s still playing, and there’s a football player.
Q: I know you work from your home office in Palm Beach. Do you keep a story idea file there?
Patterson: Yes. It’s a big pile, maybe 200 to 300 pages. Sometimes it’s just a title, sometimes a couple pages scribbled out. When it comes time to do another book, I pull it out and start leafing through it.
Q: Can you talk about your passion for reading and literacy?
Patterson: It’s just the way I was brought up. My mother was a teacher. There were a lot of problems in the family, alcohol and whatever. But there was this thing about giving back. Sue (his wife) and I don’t need our name on a building. What we do varies year to year —the scholarships, book donations, teacher libraries. It’s just giving back.
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Q: What do you like to read?
Patterson: I used to read three books a week and now it’s just a book a week. Right now, I’m reading a John Grisham thing.
Q: How old is your son and is he following in your footsteps?
Patterson: Jack is 24 and it’s a tragedy, he’s in banking. I don’t want to talk about It … No, he loves it and he’s very good at it.
Q: What makes you laugh, maybe other than the term ‘writer’s block’?
Patterson: Silly questions from journalists. No, you’ll find one of the answers to that in the autobiography. I grew up in a small town and a lot of people were very literal there. I’d say something ridiculous, and they’d say, ‘Really?’ and I’d have to say no. That makes me laugh.
Q: Are you ever going to run out of gas?
Patterson: Oh sure. At a certain point the car just dies but getting back to the point: I don’t work for a living. I play for a living.
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At a glance
James Patterson will appear at 7 p.m. June 13, at the Main Library of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, 96 S. Grant Ave. The event is sold out. But while on tour, Patterson will post a video of one of his appearances on his website, www.jamespatterson.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Best-selling author James Patterson to appear at Columbus main library
