The Thomas Berryman Number was initially turned down on the behalf of no less than 31 publishers but went on to win praise and an Edgar Award. While he was working there in 1976, the author saw his debut novel published. The North American company would eventually see Patterson become its CEO. The author eventually decided to move to New York and worked for an advertising agency as a junior copywriter. He departed there before he was able to leave with a degree thanks to complications from the Vietnam War. Vanderbilt University gave him a full scholarship to attend their graduate program in English. He attended Manhattan College and graduated in 1969. He was the son of a school teacher and an insurance salesman, and first started writing when he was 19 years old. He is married with one child.īorn March 22, 1947, Patterson was raised in New York in Newburgh. He is a global composer of fiction for all ages. James Patterson is an American author and producer.
