James Patterson, an American author of thriller novels, best known for his series about an African-American psychologist named Alex Cross. Patterson received his bachelor's degree from James Patterson a former chairman of the advertising company J. Walter Thompson, devised the slogan “Toys R Us Kid.” After having success with his novel Along Came A Spider, he retired from the firm and devoted most of his time to writing. James Patterson’s novels featuring Alex Cross, a forensic psychologist formerly of the Washington D.C. Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, are the most popular books, and the top selling US Detective series in the past ten years. Patterson’s first two novels from the Alex Cross series, Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider, were made into television feature films starring Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross. Patterson has written 52 novels in his 33 years as an author. Forbes magazine reported that Patterson earned $50 million from June 2007 to June 2008, second on the list of best paid authors in the world. Patterson’s books have sold an estimated 150 million copies worldwide. He has won numerous awards for his work: Edgar Award, the BCA Mystery Guild’s Thriller of the Year, and the International Thriller of the Year Award. Patterson is the first author to have #1 new titles simultaneously on The New York Times adult and children’s bestseller lists, and to have two books on NovelTracker’s top-ten list at the same time. Patterson holds the New York Times bestsellers list record with 45 New York Times bestselling titles overall. Patterson also founded the James Patterson Page Turner Awards in 2005 to personally give away over $600,000 to reward people, companies, schools, and other institutions who find original and effective ways to spread the excitement of books and reading. In 2008, Patterson’s new initiative, ReadKiddoRead.com, helps parents, teachers, and librarians find the very best children’s books for their kids. |
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