 |
|
| Author (and bookstore owner) Jeff Kinney beat J.K. Rowling to snag the #2 spot. | |
The world's highest-paid authors banked a combined $269 million over the last 12 months, "proving that the written word isn't dead–although television and movie adaptations often help drive sales," Forbes reported in releasing its annual list. Girl on the Train author Paula Hawkins was the most notable newcomer.
To formulate its list, Forbes looks at print, e-book and audiobook sales from Nielsen BookScan figures, considers TV and movie earnings and talks to authors, agents, publishers and other experts. Earnings are tabulated from June 2015 to June 2016 and are pretax; other fees are not deducted. This year's top-earning authors are:
1. James Patterson ($95 million)
2. Jeff Kinney ($19.5 million)
3. J.K. Rowling ($19 million)
4. John Grisham ($18 million)
5. Stephen King ($15 million)
5. Danielle Steel ($15 million)
5. Nora Roberts ($15 million)
8. E.L. James ($14 million)
9. Veronica Roth ($10 million)
9. John Green ($10 million)
9. Paula Hawkins ($10 million)
12. George R.R. Martin ($9.5 million)
12. Rick Riordan ($9.5 million)
12. Dan Brown ($9.5 million)
2. Jeff Kinney ($19.5 million)
3. J.K. Rowling ($19 million)
4. John Grisham ($18 million)
5. Stephen King ($15 million)
5. Danielle Steel ($15 million)
5. Nora Roberts ($15 million)
8. E.L. James ($14 million)
9. Veronica Roth ($10 million)
9. John Green ($10 million)
9. Paula Hawkins ($10 million)
12. George R.R. Martin ($9.5 million)
12. Rick Riordan ($9.5 million)
12. Dan Brown ($9.5 million)