Executive Summary: Over the past decade James Patterson has published an unprecedented number of best-selling books, cementing a powerful brand image among a loyal following and redefining the process by which authors create content to meet reader demand. From November 2000 to June 2003, Patterson had cumulative sales of over six million dollars, surpassing only John Grisham in that period. It has generated the majority of its sales through a loyal audience that constantly lines up to buy its next installment. Well aware of this dedicated following, Patterson successfully sought to increase the proliferation of his titles with co-authors familiar with his brand who could share the workload, creating a virtual assembly line of best-sellers. Despite this enormous success, the Patterson brand still has significant growth opportunities. Patterson cites the need to broaden his narrow reader base, compared to other best-selling authors, to capture a greater percentage of "omnivorous" readers, among whom his brand's penetration was much lower. Patterson has two possibilities to consider, both involving his relationship with book clubs. Book clubs provide an excellent source of personalized customer information, but they have not produced huge profits for already established authors like Patterson. The first option would be to negotiate higher royalties with existing book club partnerships. Patterson himself has supported this approach, citing that clubs often erode profits from bookstore sales, and clubs need him more than he needs clubs. The second possibility is that Patterson embraces the book club marketing model, using the cl......half of the paper......• Relatively narrow range of readers: mostly "crime addicts"• Not as status in reading a Patterson novel • Relatively small international readership Incentives: • Book clubs push authors with the highest name recognition: Patterson books may not be advertised as heavily as books by “distinctive” authors • Club deals risk eroding bookstore profits • Club members often terminate contract after commitment expires Coordination: • Retail stores can only track purchasing behavior through surveys Recommendation: • Pre-publish next best -seller potential with book club members retail distribution in national and international markets with Patterson loyalists and "omnivorous" best-seller readers thus builds anticipation to drive demand for retail store purchases