What Are We Currently Reading?

[Ohiopirate02]

On 6/27/2024 at 9:54 PM, blackwing said:

I've discussed about this before, but some of these co-authors of his are now established in their own right.  Yet they seem to keep publishing books "co-authored" with him.  It's curious that almost none of them decide to break out on their own and publish as a standalone author.  I'm wondering if Patterson has some kind of prohibition against this in the contracts.

I don't think these co-authors are locked into any kind of contract that prohibits them from publishing their own work. A quick peek at some of the author's profiles on Goodreads shows authors who are midlist at best. The life of a midlist author is tough. They are not making enough money to quit their day jobs, so they have to balance a full-time job, family commitments, and a writing career. It's rarely sustainable in the long run, and many authors burn out. I can see how an author would consider writing one or two manuscripts a year for James. It's a steady gig that gives them the satisfaction of being a published writer without all the anxiety and stress that goes with publishing your own manuscript. It's really no different than being a ghost writer. At least James is kind enough to acknowledge their contributions. 

[blackwing]

7 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I don't think these co-authors are locked into any kind of contract that prohibits them from publishing their own work. A quick peek at some of the author's profiles on Goodreads shows authors who are midlist at best. The life of a midlist author is tough. They are not making enough money to quit their day jobs, so they have to balance a full-time job, family commitments, and a writing career. It's rarely sustainable in the long run, and many authors burn out. I can see how an author would consider writing one or two manuscripts a year for James. It's a steady gig that gives them the satisfaction of being a published writer without all the anxiety and stress that goes with publishing your own manuscript. It's really no different than being a ghost writer. At least James is kind enough to acknowledge their contributions. 

They might not be superstars in the publishing world, but after so many books as "co-author" with Patterson, I would think that they would have developed some name recognition.  If I were one of them, I would want to keep my arrangement with Patterson, because as you said, it's still pretty much guaranteed money because the book will sell, even if Patterson takes the lion's share of profits.  But I'd want to use the name recognition to get a publishing contract of my own with the same publisher.  And have the book billed as "by the author of ABC with James Patterson".

When you say that James is kind to acknowledge their contributions... I say it;s the least he can do, since I suspect he doesn't do any of the writing at all.

[Zella]

58 minutes ago, blackwing said:

They might not be superstars in the publishing world, but after so many books as "co-author" with Patterson, I would think that they would have developed some name recognition.  If I were one of them, I would want to keep my arrangement with Patterson, because as you said, it's still pretty much guaranteed money because the book will sell, even if Patterson takes the lion's share of profits.  But I'd want to use the name recognition to get a publishing contract of my own with the same publisher.  And have the book billed as "by the author of ABC with James Patterson".

When you say that James is kind to acknowledge their contributions... I say it;s the least he can do, since I suspect he doesn't do any of the writing at all.

I agree that I wouldn't term Patterson kind for it. But I also doubt these authors have a market without Patterson, which is sadly ironic since I agree his involvement in the books are minimal. 

At the library where I work, Patterson is very popular, and none of our patrons ever seems to care about or even know his coauthors. There's another person's name on the cover, but they just want the next Patterson. I suspect the publishers and the coauthors are very aware that it is much more lucrative for them to just continue to churn out these books in conjunction with Patterson rather than attempt to pivot to a solo career.

Edited Tuesday at 02:40 AM by Zella

[MsNewsradio]

On 6/26/2024 at 12:06 PM, SusieQ said:

Totally agree about "The Silent Patient" . The twist was a cheat. Couldn't understand all the glowing reviews.

The Silent Patient raves utterly enrage me because the entire book had plot holes, but the ending in particular made *zero* sense. The praise of that book for me is the definition of "the Emperor has no clothes".

[Anela]

21 minutes ago, MsNewsradio said:

The Silent Patient raves utterly enrage me because the entire book had plot holes, but the ending in particular made *zero* sense. The praise of that book for me is the definition of "the Emperor has no clothes".

I didn’t get very far with that book.  I’m glad I saw these comments, so I won’t go back to it.  
 

I really need to start with Discworld.