James Patterson Biography
After initially being turned down by twenty-six publishers, Patterson's first
novel, The Thomas Berryman Number (1976), was published and went on
to win the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery Novel. However, it was not until
the success of Along Came A Spider (1992) that the former chairman of advertising
company J. W. Thompson left to take up writing full time.
As of 2006 it was estimated that he
has sold about 130 million books worldwide. In North America alone he sold
12 million copies in 2006. In 2005 he had five consecutive #1 New York
Times bestselling hardcovers and is the first author to simultaneously hold the
#1 spot on both the New York Times adult and children's bestseller lists.
A prolific author, he has written 18 books in his Alex Cross series (including
Cross Country, 2008), eleven books in the Women's Murder Club series
(including 7th Heaven, 2008), seven in the Maximum Ride series (including
Final Warning, 2008), plus over 20 stand alone novels. Increasingly
he writes with coauthors, most notably Maxine Paetro and Andrew Gross.
He also founded the James Patterson PageTurner Awards and, as of 2007, has
personally given away over $600,000 to reward "people, companies, schools, and
other institutions who find original and effective ways to spread the excitement
of books and reading."
He lives in Palm Beach, Florida with his wife, Susan, and son, Jack.
This biography was last updated on 07/28/2011.
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