James Patterson Leads Authors With Most No. 1 New York Times Best Sellers
James Patterson has set the Guinness World Record for the highest number of No. 1 titles on the New York Times best seller list, thanks in part to collaborations with co-authors such as Maxine Paetro and Bill Clinton. His Alex Cross series kicked off with "Along Came a Spider" in 1993, and he is also known for the Women's Murder Club and Maximum Ride series. Patterson's first novel, "The Thomas Berryman Number," earned him the Edgar Award in 1976. Since the 1980s, Stephen King has dominated the fiction category and was awarded the National Book Foundation's Medal in 2003. Danielle Steel has an impressive streak of 381 consecutive weeks since her 1973 title "Going Home." Other prominent writers include Nora Roberts, John Grisham, Janet Evanovich, and J.K. Rowling.
Key facts
- James Patterson's record for most No. 1 New York Times best sellers is recognized by Guinness World Records
- Danielle Steel holds the Guinness record for the longest unbroken run on the list at 381 consecutive weeks
- The New York Times best seller list was first published in 1931
- The Times added a separate children's best seller list in 2000 after Harry Potter titles occupied multiple hardcover fiction slots
- Stephen King received the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 2003 and the National Medal of Arts in 2015
- Mary Higgins Clark died in 2020 at age 92; the Mystery Writers of America named her a Grand Master in 2000
- John Grisham's "The Firm" made him a household name in 1991, two years after "A Time to Kill" sold modestly
- J.K. Rowling published all seven Harry Potter novels between 1997 and 2007
Entities
Artists
- James Patterson
- Maxine Paetro
- Candice Fox
- Bill Clinton
- Stephen King
- Owen King
- Peter Straub
- Richard Bachman
- Danielle Steel
- Nick Traina
- Nora Roberts
- J.D. Robb
- John Grisham
- Janet Evanovich
- Steffie Hall
- Lee Goldberg
- Dean Koontz
- Brian Coffey
- Leigh Nichols
- Owen West
- K.R. Dwyer
- David Baldacci
- Michelle Baldacci
- Mary Higgins Clark
- Carol Higgins Clark
- Alafair Burke
- J.K. Rowling
- Robert Galbraith
- Clint Eastwood
- Katherine Heigl
Institutions
- New York Times
- Guinness World Records
- Little, Brown
- JIMMY Patterson
- National Book Foundation
- Romance Writers of America
- Innocence Project
- Mystery Writers of America
- Wish You Well Foundation
- Nick Traina Foundation
- Quartz
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- Washington, D.C.
- San Francisco
- Mississippi
- Trenton
- New Jersey
- Ada
- Oklahoma
- Virginia
- California
- United Kingdom
Sources
- Quartz —