James Patterson Jumps on Nordic Noir Bandwagon

Can we just call James Patterson the most successful book packager working in publishing right now? (Yes, I would argue his sales trump those of Alloy Entertainment, not to mention his brand is more firmly established and wide-ranging than the teen girl crowd Alloy targets again and again.) To wit, his latest example of collaboration, a most unusual one, comes by way of Publishers Lunch today:

James Patterson is reaching across the ocean for his latest writing partner, working on a new thriller set primarily in Stockholm with Scandinavian crime writer Liza Marklund, best known for her Annika Bengtzon series. The book will be published in Sweden in 2010 with Marklund's regular publisher Piratförlaget (of which she is a part owner), but that is the only territory sold so far.

Robert Barnett at Williams & Connolly is representing rights for the US and the UK and has "a great deal of interest" from Patterson's existing publishers in both territories. Linda Michaels, who was the "driving force in brokering the collaboration," represents rights for the rest of the world for Barnett, except for Sweden where The Salomonsson Agency represented Marklund.

Barnett sees it as "another example of Jim being innovative" as well as "an opportunity to introduce him to a whole new area of fans [internationally[ who might not be aware of him" while doing the same for Marklund.

The Swedish media are all over the news, with articles in Noje, Realtid, Ystads Allehanda and Aftonbladet. What's especially interesting is that Marklund hasn't really been published properly in the US to date - THE BOMBER and STUDIO SEX came out in 2001 and 2002, respectively, published by S&S/Atria in hardcover and Pocket in paperback - even though she's sold more than 7.5 million copies of her novels worldwide, making her one of the few authors not to capitalize on the Scandinvian crime boom that's finally hit the mainstream media. As to whether it will work to introduce Marklund's earlier work to American readers - well, no one's really rushing to reissue Michael Ledwidge's first few novels since he hooked up with Patterson...

Comments

[Fiona]

i take it then that jp isn't as popular in the nordic states as he'd like to be...

[R. T. Davis]

Agreed. Let us call him successful. However, I would hold off on any judgments at this time about the quality of his prolific output though I would give him high marks for teamwork (which gives new writers an opportunity to share the Patterson spotlight). Many writers in the past scored big in the marketplace and were really popular (and that means going all the way back to the 19th century where examples are plentiful); however, few remain readable by later generations.

[Mia Haden]

He is the best author in the wold! He rox! I recomend the series MAximum Ride. Amazing!

Mia

[Jonathan Hayes]

Man, I SO don't understand how you have the time, Sarah! Not one, not two, but FOUR Swedish newspaper links?!!

On the Scandinavian crime fiction stuff front, I have to say that I loved the first three British TV adaptations of Henning Mankell books - I think Branagh makes a great Wallander. Purists might have some issues with the trimming that's been done to fit each book into a 90 minute film, but the slow pacing, luminous landscapes and overall beauty make them must-see's. For me, at least. They'll be shown in the US on MYSTERY in May, I think.