Bill Clinton is adding his name to the James Patterson book brand. The two, er, people, will headline a novel called “The President is Missing” for RandomDoubledayKnopfWhatever in 2018.
Someone will write the book, one of Patterson’s many laboring scribes. He and Clinton will give the writer information, the writer will craft the book, and his or her name will appear in small print somewhere
I do remember in the 90s when Patterson, who worked in advertising, published “Along Came a Spider.” A publicist called me up and asked me to write a piece on him. Who knew that he’d turn this into an industry a la Tom Clancy. Just brilliant. According to Wikipedia, Patterson has published over 140 books since 1976. There are 22 Alex Cross books alone! He’s never missed a year. How crazy is that? James Patterson is the Ray Kroc of mystery writers.
And Bill Clinton? What better way to keep his name out there? I guess he couldn’t convince JK Rowling to write “Harry Potter and the President’s Magic Wand.” According to the press release, Clinton will add things “only a president could know.” Dry cleaning tips?
