Author James Patterson is no stranger to collaboration - in recent times, the bestselling creator of the Alex Cross thrillers has published up to 15 different titles in a single year, utilizing co-authors across a number of genres, from romance to YA fiction.
For an upcoming book, however, one-man publishing house Patterson has enlisted a rather high-profile partner in (literary) crime - former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Penguin Random House UK have acquired European publishing rights to The President Is Missing, a political thriller co-authored by Patterson and first-time fiction writer Clinton, who previously made the bestseller charts with his 2004 memoir My Life. The book will be published globally in June.
"Working with President Clinton has been the highlight of my career, and having access to his first-hand experience has uniquely informed the writing of this novel," said Patterson. "I’m a story-teller, and President Clinton’s insight has allowed us to tell a really interesting one. It’s a rare combination – readers will be drawn to the suspense, of course, but they’ll also be given an inside look into what it’s really like to be President."
While it's not known how much the deal is worth, the book won't have come cheap for Penguin - Clinton previously netted the highest book advance in history - $15 million - for My Life, and Patterson's sales have topped 300m copies globally, bagging him the record for most #1 New York Times bestsellers by a single author.
Clinton and Patterson are already scheduled to promote the book together with a high-profile blitz of media interviews for The President Is Missing - it will mark Clinton's first major round of public appearances since his wife Hilary lost the U.S. Presidential race to Donald Trump last year.
"Working on a book about a sitting President – drawing on what I know about the job, life in the White House, and the way Washington works—has been a lot of fun," said Bill Clinton. "And working with Jim has been terrific. I’ve been a fan of his for a very long time."
