James Patterson tops Forbes highest paid author list
A picture of the best-selling author James Patterson speaking at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, on May 25, 2011, in New York City.
The thriller novelist earned more than any other author this year, according to Forbes magazine. In fact, he more than doubled the estimated earnings of the second highest paid author—the prolific Stephen King, who earned $39 million.
Patterson's website said:
"In the past three years, James Patterson has sold more books than any other author (according to Bookscan), and in total, James's books have sold an estimated 260 million copies worldwide."
The BBC provided a list of the most profitable authors:
1. James Patterson – $94m
2. Stephen King – $39m
3. Janet Evanovich – $33m
4. John Grisham – $26m
5. Jeff Kinney – $25m
6. Bill O'Reilly – $24m
7. Nora Roberts – $23m
8. Danielle Steel – $23m
9. Suzanne Collins – $20m
10. Dean Koontz – $19m
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