It took James Patterson seven attempts before he found the right formula for a successful thriller. In this episode, we focus on Patterson break out commercial success, Along Came a Spider and answer the question of how he changed his writing, to find commercial success in his seventh book.

Bibliography:

Along Came a Spider (1993) by James Patterson: https://www.amazon.com/Along-Came-Spider-Alex-Cross/dp/031606637X
The Thomas Berryman Number (1976) by James Patterson: https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Berryman-Number-James-Patterson/dp/0316473528
Season of the Machete (1977) by James Patterson: https://www.amazon.com/Season-Machete-James-Patterson/dp/0446600603

The Day of the Jackal (1971) by Frederick Forsyth: https://www.amazon.com/Day-Jackal-Frederick-Forsyth/dp/0425276116
The Exorcist (1971) by William Peter Blatty: https://www.amazon.com/Exorcist-40th-Anniversary-William-Peter/dp/0061007226
The Silence of the Lambs (1988) by Thomas Harris: https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Lambs-Hannibal-Lecter/dp/0312924585
Mrs. Bridge (1959) by Evan S. Connell: https://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Bridge-Evan-S-Connell/dp/1619027349

The Day America Told the Truth (1991) by James Patterson & Peter Kim: https://www.amazon.com/Day-America-Told-Truth-Shocking/dp/0446516383
James Patterson by James Patterson (2022) by James Patterson: https://www.amazon.com/James-Patterson/dp/0316274001

People Discussed:

00:35 | James Patterson – best-selling thriller author and focus of the episode
03:50 | Francis Greenburger – literary agent who sold Patterson’s debut novel
06:45 | Stephen King – horror writer who was once critical Patterson’s work
12:10 | Richard Pine – agent who negotiated the million-dollar Along Came a Spider deal
12:20 | Larry Kirshbaum – then head of Time Warner Book Group backing the acquisition
12:25 | Charles “Charlie” Hayward – publisher leading Little, Brown
12:40 | Fredi Friedman – Patterson’s editor on Along Came a Spider
15:50 | Peter Kim – co-author of The Day America Told the Truth and J. Walter Thompson colleague