Comments on: The James Patterson Factory

By: soubriquet

soubriquet — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:49:16 +0000

Oooh definitely the Beast of the Acropolis!
(That’s a start on my new novel then…. a title.)

On the best seller stands today it is all too common to see “franchised” books, riding on the name of a well known writer but in fact written by piece-workers. I can just see it now… Tom Clancy’s literary sweat-shop, big whiteboards with book-formulae scrawled across them to remind the writers of their goal. The opening chapter section, where a boat explodes off Knossos, or a plane impacts above Kathmandu, or a train derails outside Lahore, the oval-office chapter in which tough guys from the alphabet spaghetti school of US secret departments argue over jurisdiction, the assorted heroes section, where a tough ex-special forces guy is blackmailed back out of retirement at the president’s personal behest, thus missing his daughter’s seventh birthday party….
And the deals department. Where James Patterson, and Stephen King’s guys come in to trade completed chapters- “Anybody got one where the good guys escape the erupting volcano in a helicopter flown by a one-eyed alcoholic nun?”.
I see my future.
I shall become a wholesaler of paragraphs.

By: How to write for Mills & Boon | John Baker's Blog

How to write for Mills & Boon | John Baker's Blog — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:23:03 +0000

[...] in modern popular fiction now? Is there a place for it in pop fiction, as there once was? Or have James Patterson and his imitators won? Should all chapters be three pages long, mostly a mix of stuttering sentences and dialogue, [...]

By: Donna (London)

Donna (London) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:33:06 +0000

I am loving James Patterson – I have only been reading him maybe for 2 years but I am trying to get through as many as i can although I never seem able to keep up. I like the novels without Alex Cross (although I am a fan of his) like Lifeguard and Honeymoon.

jb says: Hello, again, Donna. I’m getting good at recognising the first stages of despair. I’m sure I can feel it coming on.

By: Donna (London)

Donna (London) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:31:59 +0000

On the subject of meeting authors, I met Lord Jeffrey Archer and was expecting someone really arogant but he was the NICEST man. I was getting his new book signed for my mum (an avid fan) and he chatted for ages, i told him mum had all his books and would have liked them all signed (jokingly) – he said “hey go home and get your mum and bring all the books down and I will wait for you” and he DID. He gave mum his home address and said that she should send all new books to his house to sign – he even sent mum and dad a 30th wedding anniversary card.

What a nice man !

jb says: And they wouldn’t even let him in the tory party. Just goes to show . . .

By: Daniel

Daniel — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:06:08 +0000

hi Jo!

the next one is called “Pop goes the weasel”.
its a nice read. though as i said before, the more books he writes the flatter they become, sloppy would be the right word. =)
enjoy the book!

dan =)

By: Jo

Jo — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 09:18:43 +0000

I have only just started reading James Patterson Books,and at the moment find him a good read,and can’t put his books down. I have a question for you though, The book I’ve just finished is ‘Cat & Mouse’ and it’s obvious that he’s writen a follow up, Could anyone please tell me the Title.
Jo.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:11:34 +0000

hey-

i started his alex cross series a couple of years ago reading “along came a spider” which i really liked. but the more books he wrote of the alex cross series, the worse they became. when i read “cross” i thought that he didnt write it himself (though this is just my personal feeling), it was really flat and it felt weird reading it.

today i was looking if there were any more alex cross novels and i found out that “cross country” is already out and that theres another one coming out next year called “cross fire”. its hard to keep up with him publishing so many books.

joanne k. rowling stopped after seven books, which is a good thing. her series is completed and she knows that. she could make so much money with an eighth book but she doesnt (hopefully that stays ture =)

By: Paul Gill

Paul Gill — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:00:05 +0000

I was once James Patterson’s greatest fan, but his ability to write good books ended in around 1997. In fact the last good book he wrote was IMO Jack and Jill. Since then its been a conveyer belt of novels with the same predictable formula of leading the reader down a garden path before throwing in a ‘twist’ a few pages before the end. I’ve now given up reading Patterson novels, with the exception of Alex Cross books. i keep waiting for a comeback, but when he continues to churn out 5-8 books a year (many co-authored) its never going to happen. he has sacrificied quality in favour of quantity and its shown in his dreary, sloppy writing

jb says: So, who is good these days, Paul?