Work Like a Writer

Art is inspiration, tradition, and sophistication. Commerce is money, exchange, and messy.

Yet, one of the greatest modern artists is a full fledge businessman.

James Patterson is the author of 114 best-selling books. He’s sold over four hundred twenty-five million copies. Imagine every single American you see today. Everyone in a car, on the subway, on a walk. Everyone online, in vertical videos, in still photos. Everyone at work, at the gym, at the store. Imagine every one of them carrying a Patterson book under their arm.

Now imagine a warehouse with almost a hundred million more.

He’s a writer.

He’s an entrepreneur.

Part of Patterson’s success is thanks to collaborations. In his book, James Patterson by James Patterson, some co-authors share why this business works.

“Jim is a true collaborator,” writes Brendan DuBois, “rarely telling you how to fix something, usually leaving it up to you to figure it out.”

“One of the best things about working with Jim,” offers Peter de Jonge, “and this may be the key to why he is a publishing juggernaut, is that he is almost pathologically open-minded. If an idea adds stakes or drama or weight or in any helpful way propels the story forward, he’s game. As he told me once, you can tell any story you want, but it has to be a story.”

Patterson writes an outline. A co-author fills it. When the draft returns to Patterson he doesn’t micromanage. He gives honest feedback, free of ego. He gives direction, not directions.

There’s no mystery to this story, Patterson is a successful entrepreneur because he brings out the best in others.