5 Lessons Learned from Mega Bestselling Author James Patterson

It’s hard to ignore an author like James Patterson. His books, an estimated 14 million copies sold, are everywhere from airport bookstores, in the supermarket and featured on prominent shelves in bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Borders. I’ll confess that the only Patterson book I’ve read is Sail (aff link). The novel was okay. At best it was entertaining. But I’m unlikely to be buying another Patterson novel in the future.

However, being a mega-selling superstar author, James Patterson is someone all struggling novelists should pay attention to and learn a thing or two.

Recently the New York Times wrote a lengthy article about the author called James Patterson Inc.. Instead of rehashing the entire article, I decided to pick out a few important bits that all of us budding writers can learn from.

Be 100% devoted to the publishing process

It doesn’t matter if you are a self-published indie author or have an agent and a contract with a large publishing house – authors cannot afford to take a backseat to the publishing and/or advertising process for their novel. Even James Patterson, who has sold more books than Stephen King, John Grisham and Dan Brown combined, is very involved in the publishing process:

…he handles all of his own advertising and closely monitors just about every other step of the publication process, from the design of his jackets to the timing of his books’ release to their placement in stores.

And this is a guy who has a full-time staff from his publisher assigned only to him. No detail is too small for Patterson. His name alone could sell a lot of books, yet he chooses to oversee the whole process to get the most exposure for each book released.

I’ve heard many writers say that once they land a book contract with a publisher, they will let the publisher worry about the marketing. Big mistake. Every writer, whether new to publishing or a veteran needs to be active in marketing his/her novel. Don’t fall into the trap that you’re just lucky to be published:

“A lot of authors are just grateful to be published,” Holly Parmelee, Patterson’s publicist from 1992 to 2002, told me several weeks earlier. “Not Jim. His attitude was that we were in business together, and he wanted us both to succeed, but it was not going to be fun and games.”

The relationship between publisher and author should be like a partnership because each party needs the other to succeed.

Believe in your own writing

Before the release of “Along Came a Spider”, Patterson wanted his publisher to produce and run a commercial spot to drum up interest in the new book. They refused. I’m guessing it was because the publisher didn’t want to pick up the tab of a costly commercial for a book. What did Patterson do? He put his own money behind his book and took control:

Patterson wrote, produced and paid for a commercial himself. It opened with a spider dropping down the screen and closed with a voice-over: “You can stop waiting for the next ‘Silence of the Lambs.’ ” Once Little, Brown saw the ad, it agreed to share the cost of rolling it out over the course of several weeks in three particularly strong thriller markets — New York, Chicago and Washington.

The article continues:

“Along Came a Spider” made its debut at No. 9 on the New York Times hardcover best-seller list, ensuring it favorable placement near the entrance of bookstores, probably the single biggest driver of book sales.

The initial success of “Along Came a Spider” was possible because Patterson took the initiative and his own money to get a commercial on the air in critical markets. The result of that commercial gave his novel the momentum to become a bestseller, thus getting his novel the best spots in the bookstores. Success breeds success. But first, you have to believe in your own writing.

Start small and build your fan base slowly

Nothing in life comes overnight, and this goes double for success. A lot of writers want their first novel to hit the bestseller list and make it big right out of the gate. While this does happen, it’s very rare. Patterson took a very methodical approach when he was first starting off and concentrated his marketing efforts in cities where he knew his books would sell the best:

Patterson built his fan following methodically. Instead of simply going to the biggest book-buying markets, he focused his early tours and advertising efforts on cities where his books were selling best: like a politician aspiring to higher office, he was shoring up his base.

Knowing who you are writing for is critical, especially in the early days of your writing career. Know your audience! For example, I know most people who read this blog are writers, those interested in ebooks and publishing. I stick with that group. I don’t write posts geared towards sports enthusiasts or fishermen (for example). I might not have the most popular blog out there, but Brad’s Reader has a steady following, and that thrills me!

Persistence pays off

If you’re one of those authors who is constantly rejected by publisher after publisher, don’t despair. Even bestselling author James Patterson had to pay his dues in the slush pile:

More than a dozen publishers rejected Patterson’s manuscript before his agent, whom Patterson found in a newspaper article, finally sold it to Little, Brown for $8,500.

After more than a dozen publishers rejected his manuscript, Patterson only got $8500 when it was finally purchased. While this is a lot for a first time author getting published, it’s probably not enough to quite your day job over. But Patterson persisted by writing more books and kept his head in the game with marketing. Today, he’s a one-man cottage industry.

Embrace your fans, shrug off critics

Not everyone is going to like your writing. It’s a fact of life. Everyone will have different reasons for not liking your writing, but it still can sting. Once your writing is out there and you start getting feedback, you’ll hear the positive and negative. Embrace those who like your writing and use that as momentum to keep going.

“Thousands of people don’t like what I do,” Patterson told me, shrugging off his detractors. “Fortunately, millions do.”

If Patterson let it bother him that “thousands of people” don’t like his books, then he would’ve quite a long time ago. Instead, he pushes on and is thankful for those who do like and appreciate his books.

I guess I’m in the category of the thousands that don’t like Patterson’s novels. It’s nothing personal, they’re just not for me. The NYT article details how Patterson produces his novels. He writes an outline than someone else writes the draft and he revises and edits as he sees fit. I’m actually a little horrified by this kind of stale, assembly-line approach he takes. But who am I to judge?

Patterson doesn’t claim to be a literary great, or even a man of letters. He calls himself an entertainer. If a reader enjoyed reading his novel for the action and adventure, then Patterson is happy.

Whatever you think of James Patterson’s books, you can learn a lot from the man himself. I sure have.

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