Why James Patterson Doesn't Care How Many Bestsellers He’s Written

James Patterson may be the most prolific author of our time, but don’t expect him to rattle off his stats like a sports announcer.

In a new sit-down with Graham Bensinger, the king of thrillers got real about his record-breaking career, future projects with some very famous names (hint: MrBeast and J.J. Abrams!), and why he doesn’t care if you think James Patterson is a literary “stylist” because he’s in it for the story.

Despite holding the crown for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers in history, Patterson claims he’s not keeping score.

"I have no idea," he said when asked how many bestsellers he’s had. “I don’t care. As I said, I don’t look backwards that much. It’s just, ‘What’s the next stuff?’”

As for the viral stat that 6% of all hardcover novels sold in the U.S. are written by him?

"No, that’s crazy. No. The publisher makes stuff up. Don’t believe that," Patterson laughed.

But when it comes to another jaw-dropping claim, that his books have outsold Stephen King, John Grisham, and Dan Brown combined in recent years?

"That’s true," he confirmed.

James Patterson isn’t just a bestselling author. He is the bestseller list.

The literary machine has officially published over 200 books, and more than 100 of them have dominated the New York Times bestseller list. The man’s basically got a permanent parking spot at the top.

If that wasn’t wild enough, James Patterson holds the Guinness World Record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers by a single author with a jaw-dropping 67 titles. That’s more than some people have read in their entire lives.

And he’s not slowing down. The publishing powerhouse has sold over 425 million copies of his books around the globe. From thrillers to young adult fiction, Patterson’s mastered every genre he touches, and usually co-writes half of them with a speed that would make your head spin.

Some of his biggest hits include the "Alex Cross" series, which has sold over 81 million copies, the "Women’s Murder Club," "Maximum Ride," and "Private."

James Patterson’s next wave of projects reads more like a blockbuster film slate than a book list. He revealed he’s teaming up with YouTube megastar MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson) on what could be a record-breaker.

"He wants it to be the bestselling novel in the last 50 years," Patterson said. “And I wouldn’t bet against him. It’s a good story. It comes out of what he does, but then takes it farther.”

Not only could the book bring in major numbers, but it might also get Gen Z reading again. “Yeah. That’d be nice,” Patterson added with a grin.

That’s not all.

Patterson also just sold a project to J.J. Abrams’ production company, Bad Robot, and it’s a major departure from his usual crime thrillers.

"This is the Nazi book I talked about,” he said. “What I love about it is it’s so unusual for me to do a historical, because Hitler was accused of murder in the thirties in Munich. And it’s a really cool story, which hasn’t really been told.”

While James Patterson has long faced criticism for his straightforward prose, he’s not pretending to be the next Hemingway. For him, it’s all about the narrative.

"If you tell a good story, you don’t necessarily have to be a great writer," he explained. “Freida [McFadden], whatever, not a great writer, but really good stories. A lot of my stuff, Grisham probably, I don’t mean to demean John, but let’s say not a great stylist. But good stories.”

In other words, he says to save the literary snobbery, the guy has 400 million books sold for a reason.

So, whether he’s writing courtroom dramas, YouTube-fueled adventures, or uncovering Hitler’s forgotten secrets, it's cleat that James Patterson isn’t just telling stories, he’s rewriting the rulebook.