James Patterson tops 3M in e-book sales

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - Among e-book readers, James Patterson is tops.

The Hachette Book Group announced Wednesday that e-sales for the prolific author of such blockbuster series as "Maximum Ride" have topped 3 million, with 2 million coming just in the last 11 months.

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Patterson releases several books a year, many of them top sellers. The 64-year-old Florida writer has almost 100 titles to his credit, including several thriller series featuring Alex Cross, Michael Bennett and the Women's Murder Club.

The e-book market has surged in 2011, thanks to the popularity of such devices as Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook. Just last month, Amazon announced that it was selling more e-books than print editions.