Certain Habits

I’ve heard of James Patterson, seen the ads for his novels, and was aware that a couple of them have been made into movies starring Morgan Freeman.

But I was completely shocked by the New York Times Magazine story about him this week. Did you know that:

Like most authors, James Patterson started out with one book, released in 1976, that he struggled to get published. It sold about 10,000 copies, a modest, if respectable, showing for a first novel. Last year, an estimated 14 million copies of his books in 38 different languages found their way onto beach blankets, airplanes and nightstands around the world. Patterson may lack the name recognition of a Stephen King, a John Grisham or a Dan Brown, but he outsells them all. Really, it’s not even close. (According to Nielsen BookScan, Grisham’s, King’s and Brown’s combined U.S. sales in recent years still don’t match Patterson’s.) This is partly because Patterson is so prolific: with the help of his stable of co-authors, he published nine original hardcover books in 2009 and will publish at least nine more in 2010.

There are many different ways to catalog Patterson’s staggering success. Here are just a few: Since 2006, one out of every 17 novels bought in the United States was written by James Patterson. He is listed in the latest edition of “Guinness World Records,” published last fall, as the author with the most New York Times best sellers, 45, but that number is already out of date: he now has 51 — 35 of which went to No. 1.

If that doesn’t make you want to read the whole thing, at least skim the whole thing. It’s fascinating.

How does Patterson do it?

Simple: he found a much more efficient way of producing (the word choice is intentional) a best selling novel. You can’t work the way that every other author works and do what James Patterson has done.

1. Co-Authors

You didn’t think James Patterson writes every word of nine huge novels a year on his own, did you? This probably works for Patterson due to his advertising agency experience. He’s accustomed to working as a creative director, laying down the overall arch of the story, and then improving the execution every step of the creative process. He’s responsible for the idea and the finished product, but the details are probably improved by having other minds producing the work. In the case of his novels, he’ll write a detailed outline (according to the NYT, 50 triple-spaced pages) and then edit or rewrite the work of his co-authors.

2. He Built a Strong Brand

James Patterson’s brand building and marketing are relentless and careful. The books have a consistent look. Big, bold cover with striking image, dark background, large type. Everything about them screams “I’m easy and fun to read.”

3. Market research

James Patterson gives the customer what they want. When he was bulding his audience, he went first to the areas where he sold well. Not only did this, as the New York Times suggests, shore up his base. I suspect it also gave him insight into what his best customers liked about his books, and clues to how to deliver that, better, every time. In this case, what matters are entertaining, compulsively readable stories.

4. Advertising.

Patterson recognized that books are like every other consumer good and susceptible to effective advertising. Before he proved the model with his first best seller, publishers viewed advertising as high risk, low reward. So Patterson concepted, produced, and was prepared to pay for his first commercials himself. He ran the spots in the top three thriller-buying markets (not book-buying) and the ads helped his book launch onto the best-seller list in the first week.

The brilliance in the model is the virtuous cycle being on the best-seller list generates. Because he’s on the best seller list, his books get displays in the front of book stores, where most people see them. They get placed on best seller shelves, expanding his reach to those people who only read best sellers. It creates buzz, the kind of advertising that can’t be bought directly.

And it sets expectations. James Patterson’s next nine books will be best sellers because the last nine have been too. Having read how he does it, I’m not willing to bet against him. Are you?