Patterson and his publisher, Little, Brown & Co., a division of the Hachette Book Group, have an unconventional relationship. He is listed in the latest edition of “Guinness World Records,” published last fall, as the author with the most New York Times best sellers, 45, but that number is already out of date: he now has 51 - 35 of which went to No.

Here are just a few: Since 2006, one out of every 17 novels bought in the United States was written by James Patterson. There are many different ways to catalog Patterson’s staggering success. sales in recent years still don’t match Patterson’s.) This is partly because Patterson is so prolific: with the help of his stable of co-authors, he published nine original hardcover books in 2009 and will publish at least nine more in 2010. (According to Nielsen BookScan, Grisham’s, King’s and Brown’s combined U.S.

Patterson may lack the name recognition of a Stephen King, a John Grisham or a Dan Brown, but he outsells them all. Last year, an estimated 14 million copies of his books in 38 different languages found their way onto beach blankets, airplanes and nightstands around the world. It sold about 10,000 copies, a modest, if respectable, showing for a first novel.

Like most authors, James Patterson started out with one book, released in 1976, that he struggled to get published.

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