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Seventy-five-year-old author James Patterson has built a career writing hundreds of novels and children’s books, many of which have become bestsellers, ever since his early 20s.
Recently, Patterson recently stirred up controversy while promoting one of his latest books by saying white male writers are being subjected to “just another form of racism,” during an interview with The Sunday Times in London.
He later apologized for the remark saying on his social media pages that he doesn’t believe “that racism is practiced against white writers.” Adding, “Please know that I strongly support a diversity of voices being heard — in literature, in Hollywood, everywhere.”
Even so, his stable of work has made him one of the world’s richest authors. FOX Business takes a deep dive into his net worth.
What to know about James Patterson:
Net Worth
To date, Patterson’s wealth rivals blockbuster authors including J.K. Rowling.
In 2020, Forbes estimated that he pulled in $80 million for the year, likely making him America’s highest-paid author, selling nearly 5 million books in the U.S. between June 2019 and June 2020.
In 2019, he came second, right after J.K. Rowling, on Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid authors, pulling in $70 million.
Author James Patterson poses for a portrait in New York. (Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP / AP Newsroom)
According to Forbes, his net worth was estimated at $800 million in 2018.
Books sold
Patterson has already published 319 books. About 109 of them have been New York Times bestsellers, according to his publisher, Hachette Book Group. Several of his books have also been made into movies or a series such as “Alex Cross” or “The Postcard Killings.”
Patterson has sold 425 million copies worldwide, however, his top-selling book was “Along Came a Spider.”
“The Stories of My Life” James Patterson by James Patterson (Little, Brown and Company)
His latest memoir “James Patterson: The Stories of My Life,” was released earlier this month. The book dives into how Patterson grew up in a small town in New York to eventually “become the world’s most successful writer.”
Patterson has several upcoming books that are set to be released through November 2022.
James Patterson, Author (Stephanie Diani )
Famous collaborations
“The President Is Missing” which he co-authored with Bill Clinton and “Run, Rose, Run” which he co-authored with Dolly Parton, have been his most notable collaborations.
Dolly Parton performs in concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Wade Payne/Invision/AP, File / AP Newsroom)
He has also worked with various authors including J.D. Barker, Candice Fox, Maxine Paetro, Andrew Gross, Mark Sullivan, Ashwin Sanghi, Michael Ledwidge, Howard Roughan and Peter de Jonge.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.