James Patterson Biography

About James Patterson

The subject of a Time magazine feature called, "The Man Who Can't Miss," James Patterson is the bestselling author of the past year, bar none, with more than 16 million books sold in North America alone. In 2007, one of every fifteen hardcover fiction books sold was a Patterson title. In the past three years, James has sold more books than any other author (according to Bookscan), and in total, James's books have sold an estimated 170 million copies worldwide. He is the first author to have #1 new titles simultaneously on The New York Times adult and children's lists and is the only author to have five new hardcover novels debut at #1 on the list in one year—a record-breaking feat he’s accomplished every year since 2005. To date, James Patterson has had nineteen consecutive #1 New York Times bestselling novels, and holds the New York Times record for most Hardcover Fiction bestselling titles by a single author (46 total), which is also a Guinness World Record.

From his James Patterson Pageturner Awards (which rewarded groups and individuals for creative and effective ways to spread the joy of reading) to his website ReadKiddoRead.com (which helps adults find books that kids are sure to love) to his regular donations of thousands of books to troops overseas, Patterson is a lifelong champion of books and reading. His first foray into books for all ages was the critically acclaimed Maximum Ride series, which debuted on the New York Times bestsellers list at #1 and remained there for twelve straight weeks. The series has so far made appearances on The New York Times bestsellers lists ninety-four cumulative times, proving that kids of all ages love page turners. He captured the attention of boy readers with The Dangerous Days of Daniel X and its follow-up, Daniel X: Watch the Skies. And, his third series for readers of all ages, the highly anticipated Witch & Wizard, is coming in December, 2009.

Patterson is the creator of the #1 new detective series of the past dozen years, featuring Alex Cross and including the Hollywood-adapted "Along Came a Spider" and "Kiss the Girls," starring Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman. He is also the creator of the #1 new detective series of the past five years, featuring Lindsay Boxer and the other members of the Women's Murder Club, from which the ABC television drama series was adapted. He has authored books behind six films on the Hollywood fast-track, including the upcoming Maximum Ride movie forthcoming from Avi Arad, the producer of X-Men and Spiderman.

He is the author of novels—from The Thomas Berryman Number (1976) to Honeymoon (2005)—that have won awards including the Edgar, the BCA Mystery Guild's Thriller of the Year, the International Thriller of the Year award, and the Reader’s Digest Reader’s Choice Award.

One of Forbes magazine's Celebrity 100, James made a guest appearance on the popular FOX TV show "The Simpsons" in March, 2007.

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Books

Alex Cross
Along Came A Spider (1993)
Kiss the Girls (1995)
Jack and Jill (1996)
Cat and Mouse (1997)
Pop Goes the Weasel (1999)
Roses are Red (2000)
Violets are Blue (2001)
Four Blind Mice (2002)
The Big Bad Wolf (2003)
London Bridges (2004)
Mary, Mary (2005)
Cross (2006)
Double Cross (2007)
Cross Country (2008)
I, Alex Cross (2009)

Women’s Murder Club
1st to Die (2001)
2nd Chance (2002)
3rd Degree (2004)
4th of July (2005)
The 5th Horseman (2006)
The 6th Target (2007)
7th Heaven (2008)
8th Confession (2009)
9th Judgment (2010)

Michael Bennett
Step on a Crack (2007)
Run for Your Life (2009)
Worst Case (2010)

Maximum Ride
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (2005)
Maximum Ride: School’s Out Forever (2006)
Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (2007)
Maximum Ride: The Final Warning (2008)
MAX: A Maximum Ride Novel (2009)
Fang: A Maximum Rode Novel (2010)

Daniel X
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (2008)
Watch the Skies (2009)

Witch and Wizard
Witch and Wizard (2009)

Graphic Novels
Daniel X: Alien Hunter (2008)
Maximum Ride, Vol 1 Manga (2009)
Maximum Ride, Vol 2 Manga (2009)

Standalone Novels
The Thomas Berryman Number (1976)
Season of the Machete (1977)
Virgin (1980)
The midnight Club (1988)
Hide and Seek (1996)
Miracle on the 17th Green (1996)
See How They Run (1997) (Published in 1977 as The Jericho Commandment)
When the wind Blows (1998)
Black Friday (2000) (Published in 1986 as Black Market)
Cradle and All (2000) (Based on Virgin (1980))
Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas (2001)
The Beach House (2002)
The Jester (2003)
The Lake House (2003)
Sam’s Letters to Jennifer (2004)
Honeymoon (2005)
Lifeguard (2005)
Beach Road (2006)
Judge and Jury (2006)
The Quickie (2007)
You’ve Been Warned (2007)
Sunday’s at Tiffany’s (2008)
Sail (2008)
Swimsuit (2009)
Privated (2010) (Title subject to change)
Don’t Blink (2010) (Title subject to change)
The Postcard Killers (2010) (Title subject to change)

Non-Fiction
Against Medical Advice: A True Story (2008)
The Murder of King Tut (2009)

About James Patterson