Lean times for publishers but authors raking it in
Source: Agencies |
August 22, 2010, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE book publishing industry may be experiencing lean times and lower sales, but a new survey shows fat incomes for many of the world's top authors in the past year.
Bestselling thriller fiction author James Patterson, best-known for his series about American psychologist Alex Cross, topped the list of high-paid writers released on by Forbes.com yesterday, earning US$70 million.
The Forbes rankings are based on earnings from books, film rights, television, gaming deals and other incomes from June 1, 2009, to June 1, 2010.
Patterson, 63, has written more than 50 best-sellers and sold more than 170 million books worldwide, creating a franchise that expanded into Hollywood, television, comic book and gaming deals.
Vampire romance author Stephenie Meyer, whose "Twilight" series has been adapted into a top-grossing film series, earned US$40 million despite not releasing a new book in the time frame of the Forbes.com survey. Her new 192-page novella, her first title in two years, was released in June.
Stephen King, the horror and suspense perennial best-seller, placed third with US$34 million, including US$8 million from backlist sales. His last novel, "Under the Dome," was released in November, selling 600,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan.
In the fourth place was romance writer Danielle Steel, who earned US$32 million, followed by British writer Ken Follett, whose 1989 acclaimed novel "The Pillars of the Earth" has been adapted into a US TV miniseries. He raked in US$20 million.
US author Dean Koontz was No. 6, taking in US$18 million with "The Husband," which was optioned for film, while romance adventure author Janet Evanovich, famed for the "Stephanie Plum" romantic adventure book series, made US$16 million.
Legal thriller writer John Grisham, romance writer Nicholas Sparks and "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling, who made US$10 million, rounded out the top 10.
Bestselling thriller fiction author James Patterson, best-known for his series about American psychologist Alex Cross, topped the list of high-paid writers released on by Forbes.com yesterday, earning US$70 million.
The Forbes rankings are based on earnings from books, film rights, television, gaming deals and other incomes from June 1, 2009, to June 1, 2010.
Patterson, 63, has written more than 50 best-sellers and sold more than 170 million books worldwide, creating a franchise that expanded into Hollywood, television, comic book and gaming deals.
Vampire romance author Stephenie Meyer, whose "Twilight" series has been adapted into a top-grossing film series, earned US$40 million despite not releasing a new book in the time frame of the Forbes.com survey. Her new 192-page novella, her first title in two years, was released in June.
Stephen King, the horror and suspense perennial best-seller, placed third with US$34 million, including US$8 million from backlist sales. His last novel, "Under the Dome," was released in November, selling 600,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan.
In the fourth place was romance writer Danielle Steel, who earned US$32 million, followed by British writer Ken Follett, whose 1989 acclaimed novel "The Pillars of the Earth" has been adapted into a US TV miniseries. He raked in US$20 million.
US author Dean Koontz was No. 6, taking in US$18 million with "The Husband," which was optioned for film, while romance adventure author Janet Evanovich, famed for the "Stephanie Plum" romantic adventure book series, made US$16 million.
Legal thriller writer John Grisham, romance writer Nicholas Sparks and "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling, who made US$10 million, rounded out the top 10.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
