1. According to Forbes, one in every 17 novels purchased in the United States lists James Patterson as its author.

(Note, I did not say he wrote them.)

That’s an incredible statistic. I won’t bother saying if I think Patterson saturation is a good or a bad thing. However, I do want to know if this is unprecedented.

When Michael Crichton, Nora Roberts or Stephen King were at the zenith of their popularity, did they ever dominate the market as Patterson has?

J.K. Rowling and Dan Brown may write more popular books, but I don’t think they are prolific enough to keep up with Patterson’s numbers. Rowling wrote seven books. Patterson (with his posse) writes about eight a year. One can only buy so many copies of The Deathly Hallows. Patterson has grabbed an astonishing market share by constantly feeding his fans new fodder.

There aren’t many surprises in Forbes’ highest-paid authors’ list. All the expected faces appear. Stephenie Meyer, King, Danielle Steel and Ken Follett finish the top five.

2. One of Langston Hughes’s Cleveland homes has been condemned, but that does not mean it will be demolished.

Hughes stayed in five different homes while he lived in Cleveland. Three have been destroyed. Two have been condemned.

3. “It is overwhelmingly nauseating, even to an enlightened Freudian. To the public, it will be revolting. It will not sell, and will do immeasurable harm to a growing reputation ... I recommend that it be buried under a stone for a thousand years.”

The Library of America looks back on the history or Lolita. Vladimir Nabokov’s best known work has a success story fit for this century. It didn’t become popular until critics complained it was smut.



4. @GrammarHulk and @EditorHulk have clarified. They are different Hulks. As are @FeministHulk, @LonelyHulk, @DrunkHulk and the legion of other gamma-powered superheroes who invaded Twitter.

5. Jimmy Carter is scheduled to appear at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Legacy Village on Sept. 28 to sign his new book, White House Diary. Line tickets are required, limited and available by purchasing a copy of White House Diary at Joseph-Beth.
Carter, in addition to being a Nobel Peace Prize winner and former president, is a prolific author. He has written more than 20 books.

-Jason Lea, JLea@News-Herald.com

P.S. Tricia, if you're looking for a detective story, I'd recommend The Man Who Was Thursday. I think that would qualify. The main character is a detective who's pursuing what he thinks is a dangerous anarchist. Yes, the novel has fantastic and metaphysical trappings, but it still counts, right?

I’m preparing a post on Hart Crane, because I believe in responding to the non-spam comments (and the occasional spam comments) on our blog.

However, my knowledge of Crane is nil. Consequently, I’m forced to rely on outside help. When my expert is ready, we’ll have some Crane talk. Consider these last two paragraphs a preview.

And, now, the continuation of the “pandering” discussion:

My objection to James Patterson is a simple one. The man doesn’t have stories he feels compelled to tell. He’s just a prolific writer who markets himself brilliantly. Is he smart? Certainly. Can he write? I’ve read worse. But he’s more interested in writing something popular than writing (or cowriting) something good.

Is there anything wrong with being a popular author? No. Hell, Shakespeare was a populist too. But Patterson cranks out three books a year, usually with the help of co-authors. He seems to be more interested in quotas than creativity.

I don’t begrudge Patterson his fans or his millions. I read “Along Came a Spider” in high school and liked it. I started reading “Violets are Blue” and thought it was the same book.

Patterson has a large audience, and I would never be presumptuous enough to suggest that I am smarter than any of them because I prefer Thomas Hardy to him.

Reading, like all entertainment, is subjective. Sure, some authors are better than others; but a lot more goes into taste than the quality of the prose. There are plenty of legendary authors who I don’t like. (Remember my diatribe on Dickens?)

However, suggesting we read James Patterson because he has a large audience ... that just might be pandering.

I haven’t read Nora Roberts or Mary Higgins Clark, so I can’t comment on them. They may be brilliant authors who deserve every iota of their success. They may be namebrand authors, churning out the same material for the last 20 years. They may be a little of both.

-Jason Lea, JLea@News-Herald.com

P.S. On an unrelated note, Hart Crane’s father was a candymaker who once held the patent for Lifesavers. Unfortunately, he sold it before it became the world’s most famous hard candy.