James Patterson, a former chief executive of advertising agency ‘J Walter Thompson’, North America, is one of the bestselling American authors. He is famous for his crime thrillers and romance novels. Patterson began writing in earnest some 20 years after retiring from his advertising career. His ‘Alex Cross’, ‘Women's Murder Club’, ‘Michael Bennett’, ‘Maximum Ride’, ‘NYPD Red’, ‘Daniel X’, ‘Private’, and ‘Witch and Wizard’ series of books, as well as innumerable stand-alone novels, have sold more than 300 million copies making him the highest-paid author in the country. He is also the first author to have sold more than one million e-books. One of the most prolific writers worldwide, he is recognized by the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ for having the maximum number of books on The New York Times' best-seller list. Patterson has emerged as a passionate advocate of reading and books, donating millions of dollars from his personal wealth to teachers’ colleges, universities, school libraries, students, and independent bookstores. The ‘National Book Foundation’ has been awarded the prestigious ‘Literarian Award’ for his efforts “to make books and reading a national priority.”