Earlier quoted context omitted.
So basically, he is not a writer, but more of manager and product owner for massive team of writers?
Yes, he's using SCRUM to make sure all creativity and spirit is lost to "the process".
Is it Agile
How James Patterson became the world’s best-selling author
31–40 of 89 posts
Re: How James Patterson became the world’s best-selling author
#32Literally don't even know who that is.
Go into any book store or library (at least in the us) and you'll probably find out. Every one I've been in has had a table at the main entrance full of his books or on a table in the young adult section.
Re: How James Patterson became the world’s best-selling author
#33The books are formulaic, they're pretty straightforward, the plot twists are sometimes easy to predict. I've listened to / read over 25 of the Alex Cross books (the main character of his most popular book series,) I actually like the characters and their personality and their continuity throughout the series. It's not the best prose.
I read a lot. I think of it like watching Law & Order or some other cop TV show. I mostly read these types of books on airplanes or listen to them when driving.
The books aren't really meant to have the lingering impact of a 19th century classic or a 1984/brave new world or something like the alchemist. They don't take you to a new world or explore sci fi concepts. No aliens or weird tech or anything like this. Just a mirror of the real world with real world constraints with likeable characters and interesting, if sometimes dated, plots.
Re: How James Patterson became the world’s best-selling author
#34For those unfamiliar: His books are quite generic but provide some fun for the casual reader. He has released over 200 books and sold over 400 million copies. He uses a team of ghostwriters to actually develop the books/series after he gives the detailed outlines of the characters and the stories. His success is mainly how he has been able to scale up and release so many books with his name attached.
So basically, he is not a writer, but more of manager and product owner for massive team of writers?
It's not that unusual. Tom Clancy has been doing it for decades, and before that "Carolyn Keene" (the collective pseudonym of every Nancy Drew writer).
It's a brand. This brand happens to be presented as a person, a single author. But, as with every brand, scratching the surface reveals more to the story.
Re: How James Patterson became the world’s best-selling author
#35Interesting. I run the literature recommendations site Gnooks: https://www.gnooks.com And Patterson is on position 39 of the most like authors. Position 1 is held by Joanne K. Rowling: https://www.gnooks.com/top I wonder what that says about the demographics of Gnooks. Maybe that the users are younger.
Joanne
Re: How James Patterson became the world’s best-selling author
#36The title is misleading. Patterson is not the living author to have sold the most books. JK Rowling has sold more, and perhaps others (Akira Toriyama, Danielle Steel). [1] I think the claim is that he is currently selling the most per year. Oddly, I had never heard of Patterson. How is that possible given his apparent cultural dominance? [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_fiction...
>Oddly, I had never heard of Patterson. How is that possible given his apparent cultural dominance?
If he writes in a genre you don't read, then it's not that surprising. Most men have never heard of Nora Roberts, who comes close to matching Patterson in sales.
Re: How James Patterson became the world’s best-selling author
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Moses (or whoever wrote the Pentateuch) probably has everyone beat.
Mao has the “Little Red Book”, I think that one is the most popular book in the world after Bible.
In fairness it's easy to have a best seller if you just shoot the people who won't read it
Re: How James Patterson became the world’s best-selling author
#38Ironically, there's even a masterclass by James Patterson on how to write like James Patterson https://www.masterclass.com/classes/james-patterson-teaches-...
Re: How James Patterson became the world’s best-selling author
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
So basically, he is not a writer, but more of manager and product owner for massive team of writers?
It's not that unusual. Tom Clancy has been doing it for decades, and before that "Carolyn Keene" (the collective pseudonym of every Nancy Drew writer). It's a brand. This brand happens to be presented as a person, a single author. But, as with every brand, scratching the surface reveals more to the story.
And "Franklin W. Dixon" ( Hardy Boys).
Re: How James Patterson became the world’s best-selling author
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
So basically, he is not a writer, but more of manager and product owner for massive team of writers?
It's not that unusual. Tom Clancy has been doing it for decades, and before that "Carolyn Keene" (the collective pseudonym of every Nancy Drew writer). It's a brand. This brand happens to be presented as a person, a single author. But, as with every brand, scratching the surface reveals more to the story.
It's quite traditional. Alexander Dumas used ghostwriters to produce a comparable number of books and many old master artists had entire workshops of apprentices producing art in their name.
George Orwell published an essay claiming that the serial school stories then being published (Billy Bunter) were written in such a artificial tone that they were obviously being produced by a series of jobbing writers, provoking an indignant response from the author https://orwell.ru/library/essays/boys/english/e_boys