James Patterson has published over 400 titles and sold more than 425 million copies of his books, but he first gained the confidence to pursue a career in writing while working toward a graduate degree at Vanderbilt.
“Where I got the confidence is right here,” the bestselling author told a large audience in Langford Auditorium on April 11.
Patterson, who earned his master’s in English from the university in 1970, discussed his writing process, prolific career, the value of collaboration, and his support for librarians and reading in a wide-ranging conversation moderated by former NBC News anchor John M. Seigenthaler. The event was co-sponsored by the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries, Dialogue Vanderbilt and the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy in collaboration with Parnassus Books.
Patterson cited as his greatest influence at Vanderbilt the late professor Walter Sullivan, an expert in Southern literature who published novels, short stories and criticism and taught at the university, including popular courses in creative writing, for more than 50 years. Patterson said he and his former mentor could not have been more different.
“Walter was an ultra-conservative, and I was a hippie with long hair,” Patterson said. “But he was great. He was terrific with my writing, and he really encouraged me. He said, ‘You have it—you’ve got the gift. Don’t blow it.’”
Patterson went to work in advertising, and it was there he honed his marketing acumen and the ability to juggle multiple projects, he said. The manuscript for his debut novel was rejected more than 30 times before being published by Little, Brown and Company in 1976. The Thomas Berryman Number went on to win the Edgar Award for best first novel written in the mystery genre.
His first New York Times bestseller was 1993’s Along Came a Spider, which launched the popular series featuring protagonist Alex Cross that has spawned nearly 35 books, three film adaptations and an upcoming streaming series for Amazon’s Prime Video.
Though he is now synonymous with mysteries and crime thrillers, Patterson said he began writing them almost by accident. “I didn’t read mysteries in those days, but I wrote one, and that’s probably why it won an Edgar—because it didn’t imitate anything. It was its own thing,” he said. Patterson rejects the notion that certain types of books qualify as “guilty pleasures.”
“That’s absurd,” he said. “Why would you be guilty? There are things to be guilty about [in life], but not reading a book.”
Patterson has expanded his phenomenally successful storytelling to include nonfiction, biographies, young adult and graphic novels, and children’s books. His latest is The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading, written with Matt Eversmann, which celebrates the everyday heroes who champion literacy.
“They’re really good people and they care, and they want to turn people on to reading and they want to help,” said Patterson, whose mother was a teacher and part-time librarian. “They work hard, and they don’t get paid very well for the most part,” among other challenges faced by librarians and independent booksellers.
Book censorship rankles Patterson, whose Maximum Ride young adult series has been removed from some elementary school bookshelves in Florida. “I don’t want a stranger coming in and telling my family members what they should and shouldn’t read. I don’t want that, and that’s what’s happening,” he said to applause from the audience.
“If you want to be aware of what your kids are reading, you should—that’s your job. … But don’t be afraid of the libraries” when many kids have unfettered access to smartphones and the internet, said Patterson, who has donated more than 1 million books to schools and under-resourced communities. In 2015, he was honored with the National Book Foundation’s Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community for his efforts to promote reading.
Patterson said he writes every day, and the process never feels like work to him. He currently has upward of 30 “live” projects, including books and screenplays, underway. Story ideas come easily, and he collects them in a notebook. It was the realization that he would never get around to writing them all that inspired Patterson to begin collaborating with others, he said. His co-authors have included former President Bill Clinton and megastar entertainer Dolly Parton as well as veteran journalists and writers.
“People look at [collaboration] like it’s some weird thing,” Patterson said. “But if we’re ever going to save the world, it’s going to be because we learn to collaborate.”
The April 11 event was a demonstration of “the synergy between literacy, democracy and the pursuit of collective knowledge, showcasing Vanderbilt University’s dedication to fostering dialogue, understanding and unity in an increasingly fragmented world,” University Librarian Jon Shaw said in his introduction.
“We’re here tonight to pay tribute to the tireless efforts of librarians and booksellers, many of whom are in attendance,” Shaw said. “Your commitment to fostering a culture of reading and perpetual intellectual curiosity is invaluable. You are the cornerstone of our literary community, enriching our society’s collective soul and sanity with every recommendation and discussion.”