James Patterson has built a publishing juggernaut. His publishing success all started with Little, Brown publishing Along Came a Spider in February 1993. In this episode we look at how he marketed his breakout hit. From cover design to targeted TV advertising, Patterson brought his expertise as CEO of a major advertising firm to book publishing.

Listen to Episode 7 to hear the begining of the story.

Bibliography

Along Came a Spider (1993) by James Patterson:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/along-came-a-spider-james-patterson/1100307468?ean=9780316693646

The Bridges of Madison County (1992) by Robert James Waller:
https://www.amazon.com/Bridges-Madison-County-Robert-Waller/dp/0446364495

The Client (1993) by John Grisham:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/72156/the-client-by-john-grisham/

Jurassic Park (1990) by Michael Crichton: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jurassic-park-michael-crichton/1100400615

Marketing James Patterson (2002) Harvard Business School case by John Deighton: https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/505029-PDF-ENG

James Patterson by James Patterson (2022) by James Patterson:
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/james-patterson/james-patterson-by-james-patterson/9780316397537/

“The James Patterson Business” (2002) by Jeff Zaleski, Publishers Weekly:

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20021104/21533-the-james-patterson-business.html

People Discussed

00:15 | James Patterson – Best-selling thriller author; also covered in Episode 7
01:16 | Bill Clinton – 42nd U.S. President; co-author with Patterson
13:21 | Robert Gottlieb – Famed book editor, former editor-in-chief at Knopf, covered in Episode 5
16:00 | John Grisham – Legal-thriller novelist, author of The Client
16:30 | Michael Crichton - Scientific thriller writer, author of Jurassic Park, covered in Episode 6
17:47 | John Deighton – Harvard Business School professor; author of the HBS case on Patterson
21:20 | Burt Manning – Former CEO of J. Walter Thompson
22:31 | Jeff Zaleski – Publishers Weekly journalist; wrote “The James Patterson Business” article

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

Micheal Crichton had his first hit book in 1969 when he was in his 20s. But 20-years later he was in a rut. Jurassic Park got him out of is rut, and his friend Micheal Ovitz helped turn it into a Steven Spielberg directed Hollywood blockbuster.

Hear the story of the creation of Jurassic Park, both the book and the movie that made Crichton one of the wealthiest writers in publishing and Hollywood.

Bibliography:

The Andromeda Strain (1969) by Michael Crichton: https://www.thriftbooks.com/browse/?b.search=crichton#b.s=mostPopular-desc&b.p=1&b.pp=50&b.oos&b.tile

Travels (1988) by Michael Crichton: https://www.amazon.com/Travels-Vintage-Departures-Michael-Crichton/dp/0804171270

Jurassic Park (1990) by Michael Crichton: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jurassic-park-michael-crichton/1100400615

Who Is Michael Ovitz? (2018) by Michael Ovitz: https://www.amazon.com/Who-Michael-Ovitz/dp/1591845548

People Discussed:

00:37 | Michael Ovitz - Hollywood super-agent, co-founder of Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

00:52 | Michael Crichton - Novelist and screenwriter, author of Jurassic Park

09:43 | Steven Spielberg - Film director tapped to helm the Jurassic Park movie

10:11 | Kate Capshaw - Actress and Spielberg’s wife

13:50 | Charlie Rose - PBS interviewer