James Patterson by James Patterson (USA 2024)

From the Publisher:
How did a kid whose dad lived in the poorhouse become the most successful storyteller in the world? This "fizzing, funny, often deeply moving" (Daily Mail) #1 New York Times bestselling memoir is "damn near addictive. I loved it... that Patterson guy can write!" (Ron Howard)

James Patterson's best stories are the stories of his life.

- On the morning he was born, he nearly died.
- His dad grew up in the Pogey- the Newburgh, New York, poorhouse.
- He worked at a mental hospital in Massachusetts, where he met the singer James Taylor and the poet Robert Lowell.
- While he toiled in advertising hell, James wrote the ad jingle line "I'm a Toys ‘R' Us Kid."
- He once watched James Baldwin and Norman Mailer square off to trade punches at a party.
- He's only been in love twice. Both times are amazing.
- Dolly Parton sang "Happy Birthday" to James over the phone. She calls him J.J., for Jimmy James.

He has always wanted to write the kind of novel that would be read and reread so many times that the binding breaks and the book literally falls apart. As he says, "I'm still working on that one."

So how did he wind up writing, and reading, so many books? This is a mystery story. Actually, come to think of it, quite a few people die.

James Patterson by James Patterson. The Stories of My Life. Grand Central Publishing, ISBN: 9781538709719 (April, 2024), 400 p., $10.99.

James Patterson by James Patterson (USA 2023)

From the Publisher:
How did a kid whose dad lived in the poorhouse become the most successful storyteller in the world? This "fizzing, funny, often deeply moving" (Daily Mail) #1 New York Times bestselling memoir is "damn near addictive. I loved it... that Patterson guy can write!" (Ron Howard)

James Patterson's best stories are the stories of his life.

- On the morning he was born, he nearly died.
- His dad grew up in the Pogey- the Newburgh, New York, poorhouse.
- He worked at a mental hospital in Massachusetts, where he met the singer James Taylor and the poet Robert Lowell.
- While he toiled in advertising hell, James wrote the ad jingle line "I'm a Toys ‘R' Us Kid."
- He once watched James Baldwin and Norman Mailer square off to trade punches at a party.
- He's only been in love twice. Both times are amazing.
- Dolly Parton sang "Happy Birthday" to James over the phone. She calls him J.J., for Jimmy James.

He has always wanted to write the kind of novel that would be read and reread so many times that the binding breaks and the book literally falls apart. As he says, "I'm still working on that one."

So how did he wind up writing, and reading, so many books? This is a mystery story. Actually, come to think of it, quite a few people die.

James Patterson by James Patterson. The Stories of My Life. Grand central Publishing, ISBN: 9781538709702 (May, 2023), 368 p., $19.99.

James Patterson by James Patterson (UK 2023)

From the Publisher:
HIS BEST STORIES ARE THE STORIES OF HIS LIFE · His father grew up in a New York poorhouse called the 'Pogie'.
· He worked at a psychiatric hospital where he met the singer James Taylor and the poet Robert Lowell. Both were patients.
· He was at Woodstock and was also an usher at the Fillmore East.
· He was CEO of advertising agency J. Walter Thompson North America when he was thirty-seven. He wrote the ad jingle, 'I'm a Toys 'R' Us Kid'.
· He once watched Norman Mailer and James Baldwin square off to fight.
· He's played golf with three US presidents and has nine holes-in-one.
· Dolly Parton sang Happy Birthday to him over the phone. She calls him Jimmy James.

James says, 'I always wanted to write the kind of novel that is read and re-read so many times the binding breaks, and the book literally falls apart, pages scattered in the wind. I'm still working on that one.'

James Patterson by James Patterson. The Stories of My Life. Penguin, ISBN: 9781529160383 (May, 2023), 400 p., £8.99.

James Patterson by James Patterson (UK 2022)

From the Publisher:
HIS BEST STORIES ARE THE STORIES OF HIS LIFE · His father grew up in a New York poorhouse called the 'Pogie'.
· He worked at a psychiatric hospital where he met the singer James Taylor and the poet Robert Lowell. Both were patients.
· He was at Woodstock and was also an usher at the Fillmore East.
· He was CEO of advertising agency J. Walter Thompson North America when he was thirty-seven. He wrote the ad jingle, 'I'm a Toys 'R' Us Kid'.
· He once watched Norman Mailer and James Baldwin square off to fight.
· He's played golf with three US presidents and has nine holes-in-one.
· Dolly Parton sang Happy Birthday to him over the phone. She calls him Jimmy James.

James says, 'I always wanted to write the kind of novel that is read and re-read so many times the binding breaks, and the book literally falls apart, pages scattered in the wind. I'm still working on that one.'

James Patterson by James Patterson. The Stories of My Life. Century, ISBN: 9781529136876 (June, 2022), 368 p., £20.00, eBook £9.99.

James Patterson by James Patterson (USA 2022)

From the Publisher:
How did a kid whose dad lived in the poorhouse become the most successful storyteller in the world?

- James nearly died early on the morning he was born. Somehow he survived and went on to become the bestselling author in the world.
- His grandmother told him something that's been his motto for his entire writing career -- "Hungry dogs run faster."
- When James worked as a psychiatric aide at a mental hospital in Massachusetts, he met the singer James Taylor. And the poet Robert Lowell.
- James's first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, was turned down by thirty-one publishers. It then won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for best first mystery.
- While he toiled in advertising hell, James wrote the ad jingle line "I'm a Toys 'R' Us Kid."
- As a young writer, James once watched James Baldwin and Norman Mailer square off to trade punches at a literary party.
- He has played golf with three American presidents -- and has had nine holes in one.
- Dolly Parton once sang "Happy Birthday" to James over the phone. She calls him J.J., for Jimmy James.
- He wanted to write the kind of novel that would be read and reread so many times that the binding breaks and the book literally falls apart, pages scattering in the wind. James says, "I'm still working on that one."

So how did he wind up writing, and reading, so many books? This is a mystery story. Actually, come to think of it, quite a few people die.

James Patterson by James Patterson. The Stories of My Life. Little, Brown, & Co., ISBN: 9780316397537 (June, 2022), 368 p., $29.00, eBook $14.99.