The James Patterson Book Farm Must Be Stopped
The monopolization of literature as content is ruining opportunities for creative writers
Looking at the new release section of books at my local Walmart the other day, I took the time to count the number of books by James Patterson on the shelf. There were ten. Ten newly released novels by one author. I thought to myself, wow, that’s insane. How can one person possibly put out so many new novels? A closer look reveals the answer. He can’t. There’s always a second or even third writer credited in smaller print. What’s going on here?
A quick trip to James Patterson’s website reveals an astounding fact. So far there are EIGHTEEN books slated for release under his name for 2021. These books range from children’s stories to crime and suspense stories to fantasy stories, and even one collaboration with former president Bill Clinton. Bear in mind that these are the novels scheduled for release up through SEPTEMBER, which means there will likely be even more. This is wild.
Further inspection of this website leads one to discover even more amazing statistics. James Patterson handily provides a checklist for collectors of his work who want to own all of his books. Good luck with that, because as of today that checklist tallies an incredible 282 (assuming I didn’t…
