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James Patterson: Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader
Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader
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by James Patterson
Most people know me as James Patterson, bestselling author. It’s a fair assessment—that’s certainly first and foremost how I got my reputation as a writer of adult thrillers and mysteries. But a lot less people think of me as a book publisher. In May of 2015, I launched my own children’s book imprint, JIMMY Patterson Books. I first had the idea many years ago, when my wife, Sue, and I were teaching my son, Jack, how to read. He had trouble connecting with the books he was reading, and it took some time for me to realize that he didn’t enjoy reading because he wasn’t reading books he enjoyed.
That’s when I started writing my own children’s books. I started out with Maximum Ride, a bestselling, much beloved series about a girl with wings and her misfit gang of friends. People fell in love with Max Ride. In the events I’ve done over the years since the first book was released, countless young adults have come to me and expressed thanks for that series, because it turned them into readers. I firmly believe that there’s no such thing as a kid who hates reading. There are kids who love reading, and kids who are reading the wrong books.
I continued to write books that I thought kids would enjoy, with the aim to turn reluctant readers into lifelong readers. My Middle School series has 11 books and counting—they’re funny, illustrated, and have a lot of heart. A lot of my middle grade books follow this model, because over the years, I’ve learned that this is what kids love. Kids will flock to these types of books over and over again, because they always deliver. Kids devour these books—whether they’re the books in my series, or similar successes, like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dork Diaries, and Dogman.
So when I launched my imprint, JIMMY Patterson Books, I knew that our goal would be to put books in the hands of kids who otherwise wouldn’t be seeking them. I wanted to instill a lifelong habit of reading in young children by creating books that would entertain them and educate them, however subtly. We want every kid who finishes a JIMMY book to say, “Please give me another book.” Because kids who read grow into informed adults—adults who are open to empathy, who like to learn, who care about their planet.
In addition to writing books for my imprint, I also act as the publisher. People think it’s “simple” enough to write a book: you write the manuscript, get an agent, and the agent sells it to an editor at a publishing house. But no one thinks about all the work, and the gigantic teams, time commitment, and resources that go into actually creating a physical book. There are editors, copyeditors, book cover designers, book interior designers, publicists, marketing experts, advertising gurus, sales directors, booksellers, production crews. Most of these people never get to experience the spotlight—they work behind the scenes to make people’s dreams come true.
A lot of my job as publisher is to make decisions about every aspect of the publishing process. It’s up to me to decide what books we publish on our list. And after that, I give editorial notes, input on covers, copy, publicity and marketing plans, advertisements, sales figures. It’s up to me to make sure we publish great books and publish them well. I want every one of our JIMMY Books to be a bestseller. Yes, I have high expectations! But that’s because I know the greater the book is—the more page turning, exhilarating, pacey, entertaining it is—the more kids will want to read it. Everyone likes when something lives up to the hype. And I want to make sure that JIMMY books are delivering on our promise to inspire kids to keep reading.
As you can imagine, it’s no easy feat to run a company, a whole publishing imprint, and write books at the same time. It takes a lot of self-discipline. I spend my mornings writing, and save most of the decisionmaking for the afternoons. And I have a great team working for me—a team that understands my vision and believes in our mission.
I think that with every child we turn into a lifelong reader, we’re succeeding. That’s why I started writing kids’ books to begin with, and that’s why I decided to become a publisher. I believe in making a difference in the world. That’s also why I have a thriving college scholarship program, and I frequently donate books to schools and to soldiers. I am proud every single day for what I do to support literacy in our country. And though I was technically an author first, being a publisher is one of my greatest achievements. •
James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author and most trusted storyteller with one unwavering goal: to turn kids into lifelong readers. jamespatterson.com
The world’s #1 bestselling author has teamed up with the world’s most famous genius to entertain, educate, and inspire a generation of kids with the first and only kids’ book series officially approved by the Albert Einstein Archives.
