Forbes's Top-Earning Authors: 'The Kids Are Coming'

Wednesday, September 10, 2014     Shelf Awareness

Veronica Roth

E.L. James's reign at the top of Forbes magazine's annual "World's Top-Earning Authors" list turned out to be brief, if lucrative. The Fifty Shadesauthor fell from the #1 spot in 2013 ($95 million) to a tie for 14th place this year ($10 million), as newcomers Veronica Roth ($17 million), 
Gillian Flynn ($9 million) and John Green ($9 million) hit the list for the first time, prompting Forbes to note: "Watch out Danielle Steel and Stephen King--the kids are coming."

To formulate its highest-earning authors list, Forbes "looks at print, e-book and audiobook sales from Nielsen BookScan figures, consider TV and movie earnings and talk to authors, agents, publishers and other experts." The top-earning authors, as ranked by earnings between June 2013 and June 2014, are:

• James Patterson ($90 million)
• Dan Brown ($28 million)
• Nora Roberts ($23 million)
• Danielle Steel ($22 million)
• Janet Evanovich ($20 million)
• Jeff Kinney ($17 million)
• Veronica Roth ($17 million)
• John Grisham ($17 million)
• Stephen King ($17 million)
• Suzanne Collins ($16 million)
• J.K. Rowling ($14 million)
• George R.R. Martin ($12 million)
• David Baldacci ($11 million)
• Rick Riordan ($10 million)
• E.L. James ($10 million)
• Gillian Flynn ($9 million)
• John Green ($9 million)