The publishing phenomenon “Fifty Shades of Grey†has made its author, E. L. James the No. 1 writer in the world in terms of earnings over the last year with an estimated $95 million, according to an annual list released by Forbes of the top-earning book writers.
The list is based on sales data, published figures and information from industry sources compiled by Forbes from June 2012 to June 2013. The presence of Ms. James comes as no surprise, as the “Fifty Shades†trilogy sold more than 70 million copies worldwide from March to December 2012 alone, but it is rare to see a new writer come out of nowhere to reach No. 1 in her first year.
The rest of the list consists of established authors like the prolific James Patterson, who held the top spot last year, and was second this time with $91 million earned. Suzanne Collins finished third with $55 million thanks to the sales of her “Hunger Games†trilogy. Bill O’Reilly, who wrote “Killing Lincoln†and “Killing Kennedy†with Martin Dugard in between his television show hosting duties, came in fourth at $28 million. Danielle Steel rounded out the top five with $26 million earned.
