“I hope he gets off,” says Patterson with a chuckle when we speak over video call from his Mediterranean-style villa in Palm Beach, Florida. This Wednesday, at Bethnal Green Town Hall in London, Patterson will put his detective hero Alex Cross on trial for a gruesome triple murder in the author’s first ever interactive live event: “The Judge, The Jury and James Patterson.” Given that Cross, who first appeared in 1993’s Along Came A Spider, is now the star of the world’s bestselling detective series, it isn’t hard to guess the verdict his creator will be lobbying for.
Still, even bestselling authors aren’t averse to the odd publicity stunt. He has built this empire on the back of a staggering production rate: this year alone, no fewer than 11 new James Patterson titles will hit bookshelves around the world. Last year, Forbes estimated he brought in around $80m (£59m), making him America’s highest paid author. For the past 13 years in a row, Patterson has been the most borrowed author from British libraries. He holds the record for the most appearances on The New York Times bestseller list, and the record for the most times topping that list. Since his first thriller was published in 1976, the 74-year-old from upstate New York has gone on to sell more than 400 million books worldwide. At a time when reading for pleasure is on the decline, James Patterson knows better than anyone how to keep selling novels.
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