In a decades-long career, James Patterson has written more than 200 books, including the gripping thrillers “Along Came a Spider” and “Kiss the Girls,” from his bestselling Alex Cross series.
Now, the prolific author is helping emerging writers to complete their own novels through a new campaign, aptly dubbed “Go Finish Your Book.”
“I write too many books. But I know how hard it is to write one—and how easy it is to get frustrated and stop writing,” the author said.
“The world needs stories. That’s why I’ve launched a grant campaign to help writers get the time, the tools and the support they need.”
Patterson noted that he read through hundreds of proposals—scouring thousands of pages—before selecting 12 writers whose stories “totally knocked [him] out.”
Each writer will receive up to $50,000 as part of the initiative, which was created in partnership with several writing organizations, including the Authors Guild, the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, Girls Write Now, PEN America, and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
Jungin Angie Lee, a graduate fellow in fiction at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, was among the campaign’s inaugural grant recipients. In a statement, she said she is working on completing a collection of short stories.
“I aim to write a thoughtful, meaningful, powerful book that sheds light on friendship, family, and disability—particularly the intricacies of giving and receiving care,” Lee said. “The ‘Go Finish Your Book’ grant comes to me as an extremely generous, much-needed burst of motivation and boost of confidence.”
Patterson’s first novel, “The Thomas Berryman Number,” was published in 1976, while he was working as a junior copywriter for a New York advertising agency.
The book—which was turned down by 31 publishers before finding a home at Little, Brown and Company—went on to win the Edgar Award for “Best First Novel” from Mystery Writers of America.
Patterson became a household name in the 1990s with the release of his Alex Cross thriller series, which went on to spawn three films: “Kiss the Girls” (1997), “Along Came a Spider” (2001), and “Alex Cross” (2012).
The author has previously donated funds to public school libraries and independent bookstores in support of pro-reading initiatives. To date, he and his wife of nearly 30 years, Susan Patterson, have given more than $100 million to education and literacy programs across the country.