James Patterson is an American novelist, author, and film producer with a net worth of $800 million. He is a retired advertising executive and television producer best known for his thriller and suspense novels. He is a regular on bestseller lists.
His works have sold more than 400 million copies worldwide, and he was the first person to sell a million ebooks. For the third time this season, Patterson topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid writers. He earns between $70 million and $90 million a year.
James Patterson Net Worth (2024)
Net worth: | 800 million dollars |
Job: | Novelist, Author, Film Producer |
Year old: | 77 years old |
Nation: | USA |
Born: | March 22, 1947 |
Wage: | 50 million dollars |
Last updated: | 2024 |
James Patterson Net Worth Growth
Net worth 2024 | 800 million dollars |
Net worth 2022 | 700 million dollars |
Net worth 2021 | 600 million dollars |
Net worth 2020 | 500 million dollars |
Net worth 2019 | 400 million dollars |
Early life and education
On March 22, 1947, James Brendan Patterson was born in Newburgh, New York, to Charles and Isabelle Patterson. Isabelle was a teacher and Charles was an insurance salesman. When James was young, his entire family moved to Boston, where he lived in a hospice.
He began reading while pursuing a BA in English at Manhattan College in the Bronx, and after encouragement from family and friends, he began writing, a hobby that would become his lifelong passion.
James worked as a waiter at the ‘Mclean Hospital’ in Belmont on the night shift as a young man to help pay for his college education. He went to Vanderbilt University in Tennessee to pursue a master’s and doctorate in English literature after graduating from college.
He dropped out after only one year because he believed that education would kill his passion for writing and that a PhD in itself was of little importance to him. He moved to New York City in 1971.
After being rejected from a taxi driving job because of his long hair, he joined a top advertising agency as a junior advertising editor. He began writing commercial novels in the mornings before going to work.
During his lunch breaks at work, he was inspired by books like “The Exorcist” and “The Day of the Jackal.” He wrote his first novel, ‘The Thomas Berryman Number,’ at the age of 26 and was rejected by 31 publishers before being published by ‘Little, Brown and Company’ in 1976.
Career
“Against Medical Advice” was published in 2008, “The Murder of King Tut” was published in 2009, “The Rise and Fall of Aaron Hernandez, the Superstar Whose Life Ended on Murderers’ Row” appeared in 2018, followed by “The Last Days of John Lennon” in 2020.
He has published several paperbacks in his “Discovery’s Murder is Forever” series. The book, “The President Is Missing,” written by James and Bill Clinton, was published in 2018. Patterson signed a 17-book publishing deal with HarperCollins in 2009.
He promised to publish or co-write six young adult and 11 adult novels by the end of 2012. Although Forbes reported that the deal was worth $150 million, James has stated that this is not the case.
The James Patterson PageTurner Prize was established in 2005 to award “cash prizes to recognize individuals, corporations, schools, and other organizations that develop innovative and effective methods to promote the joy of reading.”
His production company, James Patterson Entertainment, signed a first-run deal with CBS Television Studios in 2014 and Entertainment One in 2020. Patterson, along with fellow writers Stephen J. Cannell and Michael Connelly, played himself in “Castle” in 2009 and 2010.
His work has also appeared in the video game world with PC titles “Women’s Murder Club” such as “Death in Scarlet,” “A Darker Shade of Grey,” “Twice in a Blue Moon,” and “Little Black Lies,” as well as “Women’s Murder Club: Games of Passion” on the Nintendo DS.
Favorite Things
Favorite Actor | Robert Downey Jr. |
Favorite Actress | Don’t know |
Favorite singer | Don’t know |
Favorite Apps | |
Favorite game | Do not have |
Favorite food | Don’t know |
Favorite song | Don’t know |
Favorite athlete | Lionel Andrés Messi |
Favorite movies | Don’t know |
Favorite cricket player | Virat Kohli |
Favorite soccer player | Lionel Andrés Messi |
Favorite TV Show | Don’t know |
Interest | Drive |
About
Net worth | 800 million dollars |
Name | James Patterson |
Year old | 77 |
Height | (1.73 meters) |
Weight | 80KG (Approx.) |
Job | Novelist, Author, Film Producer |
Date of birth | March 22, 1947 |
Place of birth | USA |
Nationality | American |
Income | $50 million (Annual) |
Couple | Susan |
“You’re lucky if you find something you love to do, and it’s a miracle if someone pays you for it.”
– James Patterson
James Patterson Social Media Profile
Personal life
Patterson, his wife Susan, also known as “Sue,” and their son Jack live in Lake Worth Beach, Florida. Patterson and Scholastic Reading Groups launched James Patterson Commitment in 2015 to get books into the hands of young readers.
He is co-chair of World Book Night 2013, co-founder of the Children’s Reading Foundation (UK), and vice president of WXEL-TV, a Florida public television station. ReadKiddoRead.com is a website dedicated to helping families, librarians, and educators inspire their children.
Honors and nominations
Patterson has won the International Thriller Writer of the Year Award, the BCA Mystery Guild Thriller Writer of the Year Award, and the Reader’s Digest Readers’ Choice Award. ReadKiddoRead has won the National Endowment for Innovation Award and the American Library Association Great Website Award.
Summary
As of 2024, James Patterson’s net worth is estimated to be $800 million. James earned a total of $70 million from 2018 to 2019. Along with that, he is also ranked among the richest writers in the world. Most of his income comes from the number of books he sells.
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