Did you know James Patterson holds the Guinness World Record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers?
If you’re a diehard James Patterson fan, like I am, you may be interested in — and surprised by — the format of his most recent books.
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He’s publishing his latest tales in what he calls bookshots — which are mini novels — instead of the full-length books he’s written in the past. They’re advertised as “lightning-fast stories” that you can devour in a few hours.
The latest in the Alex Cross detective book series, Cross Kill, contains only 113 pages, and the book itself is physically small — about 8 inches tall — and very thin. It was a good enough book, but while reading it, I kept thinking, “Where’s the rest of the story?!”
I should’ve known something was up when I ordered the new book from Amazon and it only cost $4.99 (now on sale for $3.99)!
The next book in the popular Women’s Murder Club series, The Trial, is in the bookshots format, too.
A New York Times interview with Patterson says the reason for the new format — which he’s producing on a trial basis — is that he wants to appeal to people who may shy away from tackling a long novel but be inspired to pick up a book they can read in a single sitting.
That’s nice for unenthusiastic readers, I guess, but it’s really disappointing for avid readers who love to devour his full-sized novels over several days! Part of the fun is reading a little bit of the book at a time until you get to the conclusion.
Maybe Patterson has written so many novels (156) he just got tired?
I don’t like the change at all.
In fact, I don’t think I’ll buy or read any more of James Patterson’s books until he (hopefully) resumes publishing full-length novels! If enough people do that, maybe he’ll rethink the idea.
What about you? What do you think of the new format?
This looks like a good read. I need a good book as I’m done with my list and this summer I didn’t get a chance to read as much as I should have. Thanks for sharing!
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This is a good and very quick read, for sure!
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