James Patterson is less a novelist than a literary factory, and it seems the British public cannot get enough of him.

The American is revealed today as the UK's most borrowed author from libraries, coming top for the second year, after his books were taken out more than 1.5m times between July 2007 and June 2008.

Patterson and the writers he employs are happy to keep the fans happy, with the Patterson name emblazoned across at least eight books in the last year, in genres from thriller to romance to misery memoir. Other writers' names regularly appear on the cover - often in much smaller type - but he denies that he sometimes has no involvement at all in the writing. Last year he said: "I get all this baloney about well, what does he do? Does he even look at them? Well yes, he does look at them."

Among his series are the Alex Cross books about a black detective and model single father who mixes family life and volunteering with tackling unimaginably horrible killers. There is his Maximum Ride series for young adults featuring youngsters who are 2% avian. Other heroes are the four women in San Francisco who eat Mexican food while solving murders.

The list goes on to more than 60 published works. It is mainly this prolificness that ensures Patterson is number one. The other two holders of the top spot since records began were similarly able to turn them out: Jacqueline Wilson was number one from 2002-06 and before that it was Catherine Cookson for 18 years.

If there is a defining feature of Patterson it is the fantastically short chapters, often just three pages. His ability to know what pushes readers' buttons may be explained by the job he gave up to concentrate on a full-time writing career: chief executive of one of the world's best known advertising firms, J Walter Thompson.

The figures were compiled and released by Public Lending Right, established 30 years ago to ensure authors get paid for every book lent. The current rate is 5.98p going direct to the writer, capped at £6,600. Any sneerers at Patterson's surprise-shock-chuckle-lull-surprise style of writing can take a crumb of comfort from the fact he gets nothing, as the payment is for British and EU writers. Though it's only a crumb: Forbes magazine estimated his annual earnings at $50m.

Patterson said he was delighted to be number one. "I firmly believe libraries are an integral part of any community and essential in really helping to share and spread the joy of reading great books."

The most popular individual title is JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Most wanted

The most borrowed authors (last year's ranking in brackets):

1 (1) James Patterson

2 (2) Jacqueline Wilson

3 (3) Daisy Meadows

4 (5) Nora Roberts

5 (10) Francesca Simon