James Patterson

2022 - 6 - 14

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Image courtesy of "Esquire.com"

James Patterson Thinks It's Hard Out Here for Guys Like James ... (Esquire.com)

According to the author, white men experience “another form of racism” in book publishing.

Patterson delivers exhaustive notes and outlines to his co-writers, sometimes reaching up to 80 pages (we can only assume that these ghostwriters are chained up in his basement, as no sane person with free will would stand for 80 pages of notes). Despite the fact that he’s literally employing people to write James Patterson books, Patterson seems to believe that only he can write a James Patterson book. "I just wanted to create a character who happened to be Black," Patterson told the paper. In 2010, The New York Times reported that Hachette Book Group, Patterson’s publisher, had organized an entire staff around his titles, including “three full-time Hachette employees (plus assistants) devoted exclusively to him: a so-called brand manager who shepherds Patterson’s adult books through the production process, a marketing director for his young-adult titles, and a sales manager for all his books.” Michael Pietsch, who was then Patterson’s editor and the publisher of Little, Brown, told the Times, “Jim is at the very least co-publisher of his own books.” In 2015, Hachette doubled down and gave Patterson his own imprint, Jimmy Patterson Books, which planned to publish a diverse lineup of 8-12 children’s and middle-grade fiction books each year, with 4-6 of those books authored by Patterson. “It’s an opportunity for us to expand the voice and reach of a writer who’s already one of the bestselling writers in the world,” Pietsch told The New York Times. Expanding Patterson’s octopus-like reach is exactly what happened: in 2020, Jimmy Patterson Books was “ restructured” to publish only books by Patterson, leading many readers to decry the loss of a platform for diverse writing. In a new interview with The Sunday Times, Patterson opined about the state of book publishing, lamenting that white male writers experience “another form of racism” when they struggle to find opportunities. According to research conducted by The New York Times, 89% of books published in 2018 were authored by white writers; meanwhile, VIDA (an intersectional feminist nonprofit tracking gender representation in the literary landscape) calculated that in 2019, only three mainstream literary publications devoted more than 50% of their coverage to women and nonbinary writers.

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Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

James Patterson claims White male writers face 'another form of ... (The Washington Post)

It's even harder for older writers," Patterson, whose net worth is estimated to be $800 million, told the Sunday Times. "You don't meet many 52-year-old ...

“James Patterson thinks white men are facing racism in publishing,” wrote Joseph, who has written two best-selling books. “He’s missing good old days when White men had ALL the writing gigs?” Patterson told The Washington Post in 2016 that his simple and declarative style is meant “to turn on the movie projectors in our heads.” All the while, Patterson continues to sell. The rest were made up of White men between the ages of 36 and 84, Denny said — and some of the White males on the list have long been dead. “In an awful lot of novels, there’s more in them than there should be.” Allen’s memoir, “Apropos of Nothing,” was eventually picked up by Arcade Publishing. With more than 300 titles to his name, Patterson is one of the publishing world’s most prolific writers. Gina Denny, an associate editor at the publisher TouchPoint Press, noted that when USA Today reported on Patterson’s comments, just nine authors on the newspaper’s list of 150 bestsellers were non-White writers. “I would not have tried to write a serious saga about a Black family. A 2019 survey from children’s publisher Lee and Low Books found that 85 percent of the publishing staffers who acquire and edit books are White people. The company also acknowledged that more than 74 percent of its employees were White.

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Image courtesy of "The A.V. Club"

James Patterson, who is worth $800 million, says "another form of ... (The A.V. Club)

According to the novelist, "you don't meet many 52-year-old white males" in the business anymore.

“I would not have tried to write a serious saga about a Black family. “Can you get a job? “What’s that all about?” he said.

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Image courtesy of "Salon"

James Patterson laments white male writers are facing racism in ... (Salon)

"It's even harder for older writers. You don't meet many 52-year-old white males," said the bestselling author.

His most recent publication, "Run, Rose, Run: A Novel," was co-authored with Dolly Parton and tells the tale of a young singer-songwriter who is trying to escape her dark past. "I hated that," Patterson said of the publishing house's decision. "This is why the highest paid writer in the world is a Black woman, right? His whole 'white authors are suffering thing' comes after a 'I want to profit off diversity' thing." And within the film industry, a 2022 Hollywood Diversity Report conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) found that white, male directors continue to be an overwhelming majority throughout the years — in 2019, 85.6% of directors were white while 84.9% were male. "Because, as we all know, old white men are so poorly represented as writers in film, tv, theatre, and publishing."

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Image courtesy of "USA TODAY"

James Patterson says white men face 'racism', he 'hated' seeing ... (USA TODAY)

Bestselling author James Patterson says he believes white men struggling to get hired in entertainment points to "another form of racism."

"I hated that," Patterson said of the publishing house pulling Allen's book. "I just wanted to create a character who happened to be Black,” Patterson said. "As publishers, we make sure every day in our work that different voices and conflicting points of views can be heard." That wealth comes from the more than 300 books Patterson has to his name. Less than a month later, the memoir found a new home and was published by Arcade Publishing. A 2019 survey also found that 85% of the people who acquire and edit books are white.

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Image courtesy of "Deadline"

Author James Patterson Faces Backlash After Lamenting How Hard ... (Deadline)

Author James Patterson lamented the struggle he says white men now face find writing jobs in film, theater, TV and publishing industries.

“Can you get a job? “What’s that all about?” Patterson asked rhetorically. He called it “just another form of racism.”

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Image courtesy of "Los Angeles Times"

Author James Patterson facing backlash over racism remarks (Los Angeles Times)

Bestselling author James Patterson is concerned for white male writers, whom he thinks are having difficulty finding work in the entertainment industry.

“Great to see you overcome the stigma of being a white dude and get the gig to... “So sorry to hear about the discrimination you and your $700 million face on a daily basis. “Can you get a job? “What’s that all about?” he mused. “I would not have tried to write a serious saga about a Black family. “I just wanted to create a character who happened to be Black,” the 75-year-old said.

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Image courtesy of "Bloomberg"

James Patterson Says White Male Authors Face Racism, Sparking ... (Bloomberg)

Authors and publishing industry professionals are criticizing bestselling author James Patterson for suggesting that White male authors are facing “another ...

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Image courtesy of "ETCanada.com"

James Patterson Slammed For Saying Older, White Male Writers Are ... (ETCanada.com)

Author James Patterson is coming under fire for making controversial remarks about alleged racism against older, white male writers. The best-selling scribe ...

And a very good morning to James Patterson. Standing up for the older white guy. — Sam Missingham (@samatlounge)June 13, 2022 — Omar Sakr (@OmarjSakr)June 13, 2022 “I would not have tried to write a serious saga about a black family. — James S.A. Corey (@JamesSACorey)June 13, 2022 You don’t meet many 52-year-old white males.”

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Image courtesy of "Vulture"

Oh Good, James Patterson Has Some Thoughts About Racism (Vulture)

Author James Patterson told The Sunday Times there is “another form of racism” against older white men who are trying to become writers.

So often, it seems that a celebrity controversy could be entirely preventable if the celebrity in question simply chose not to speak. So often, it seems that a celebrity controversy could be entirely preventable if the celebrity in question simply chose not to speak. In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, James Patterson decided that the world needed to hear his thoughts on racism and Woody Allen’s memoir.

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Image courtesy of "Us Weekly"

James Patterson Draws Backlash for Saying It's 'Harder' for White ... (Us Weekly)

The prolific author, 75, claimed that it's now more difficult for older white men to find writing jobs in film, TV and publishing, calling it “another form of ...

Forbes estimates that he is the second highest-paid author in the world, behind only J.K. Rowling. Patterson also slammed his publisher, Hachette Book Group, for deciding to drop Woody Allen‘s memoir in early 2020 after 75 employees staged a walkout in protest of the book. The comments immediately sparked backlash among critics and social media users, some of whom pointed to current bestseller lists as evidence that Patterson’s claims are factually incorrect.

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