Stephen King is No Fan of James Patterson

Posted on June 18, 2007

Stephen King is no fan of bestselling author James Patterson. In a discussion after a speech accepting a lifetime achievement award from the Canadian Booksellers Association, King issued the smackdown to Patterson.

King is quoted by Canoe News as saying, "There's no formula for what I do." He added that he might lose his touch if he tried to analyze and formulate his approach to writing. He says his writing pace is slower now than when he first started writing.

King said, "There was a time, when I was working on The Stand, when I really was a lot faster because none of the gears seemed to stick together. That's a young guy thing - and besides, my priorities changed."

King also weighed in on prolific writer James Patterson. Patterson is best known for his Alex Cross thrillers. Patterson is certainly an author that comes to mind when you think of the most prolific authors writing today.

King says of Patterson, "I don't like him, I don't respect his books because every one is the same."

No response yet from Patterson, but we're looking forward to a lovely feud, in the vein of Rosie O'Donnell vs. Donald Trump.

Update: You can read a response from a puzzled James Patterson here.