Who are the world's richest authors?
Best sellers mean big money. We count down the list of the highest earning authors in the last twelve months.
Magical success: Where does JK Rowling come on the list of best-selling authors? Find out below
For the vast majority of aspiring writers, being a slave to the pen means a lifetime of hopeful meetings with prospective publishers and plenty of disappointment.
For a lucky few, however, it can mean a mansion in the country, a flash car and maybe even the holy grail of the pennyless writer - a film deal.
The development of e-book versions of popular, as well as classical, texts has meant an author's entire bibliography is at the very fingertips of their readers.
During the second quarter of 2010, Amazon reported 140 e-book sales for every 100 hardback book sales.
Over 2m free books were available for download as of August 2009 and the number is growing as more and more publishers respond to the demands of e-readers.
No matter whether from the glossy screen of an iPad or the yellowed pages of a second hand book, a best seller is a best seller and the author behind it is still cashing in.
We spent £1.752bn on books last year, but who got the biggest slice of the literary pie? Forbes' list of the top 10 highest earning authors of last year reveals the secrets behind the success stories:
1. James Patterson
In at number one with 51 New York best sellers under his belt, and an estimated fortune of $70m in his bank account, is James Patterson. Creator of American forensic psychologist supersleuth Alex Cross, Patterson churns out at least two novels a year to keep his readers hooked.
Despite being a computer-phobe and writing all his novels out by hand, the man is even a rip-roaring success in the cyberworld of e-books with I, Alex Cross alone having sold 160,000 units digitally.
His repertoire includes a range of comedies, romances, thrillers and non-fiction titles and he is still going strong with a recent $100m deal for another 17 books.
2. Stephenie Meyer
This lucky lady managed to rack up $40m last year, even though she didn't write or release a single book.
Since 2005 her vampire romance series Twilight has sold over 100m copies worldwide and been translated into 37 different languages, earning herself a dedicated following and a lucrative film deal with Summit Entertainment.
Before writing the series, Meyer had not so much as written a short story and despite her popularity, some are sceptical of her technical ability as a writer.
Stephen King, who is definitely not a fan, famously declared that 'she can't write worth a darn' but she's in at number two anyway.
3. Stephen King
The godfather of American contemporary horror, suspense and science fiction takes the number three spot having amassed $34m in 2009.
Despite having battled with severe addictions to alcohol, drugs and prescription medicines, King remains one of the most respected story tellers of our time.
With over 80 book-to-screen translations based on his work, King has achieved truly global recognition, particularly with such favourites as The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining and Carrie.
Aside from this he contributes regularly to journals and magazines, and was awarded the Medal for Outstanding Contribution to American Letters in 2003.
As a child his creative (and entrepreneurial) streak was evident as it was discovered that he had been selling his stories to friends and doing nicely out of it - until teachers forced him to return the profits.
4. Danielle Steel
Holder of the impressive accolade of eighth best-selling writer of all time and queen of the romance genre, Danielle Steel has made it onto the list at number four.
Steel earned herself just over $32m last year, including a $1m settlement from a former employee caught embezzling her estate.
Astoundingly, her novels have been on the New York bestseller list for over 390 consecutive weeks and at least 20 of them have been adapted for television. Despite some criticism for 'formulaic' storylines, many readers respect her resolution to tackle difficult topics such as incest and suicide.
Recently she has declared that all 71 of her titles will be released in e-book format and is set to break more records in e-book downloads.
5. Ken Follett
The first Brit on the list and a formidable literary force having generated $20m last year. His historical novels and thrillers have sold more than 100m copies worldwide and four of them have made it to the top of the New York best sellers list.
Follett made his debut in 1978 with Eye of the Needle - his fastidiously researched and immensely popular World War II spy thriller, gaining him critical acclaim. He has continued to grow in popularity.
Novels tend to be based in the places he spends the majority of his time, and with properties in Salisbury, London, Antigua and South Africa he is rarely short on inspiration.
Those far flung locations became particularly important for the Folletts when his wife, former MP Barbara Follett, was uncovered as one of the worst offenders in the recent expenses scandal.
6. Dean Koontz Annual earnings of $18m and 44 New York best sellers give Koontz the number six spot.
His novels include elements of science fiction, horror, thriller and suspense and he is widely accepted as 'America's most popular suspense novelist' (Rolling Stone).
Initially nervous, Koontz wrote under an array of pen names until, after thirty-five novels, he made his first accredited breakthrough in 1980 with Whispers. An ardent dog-lover, one of his early pseudonyms was inspired by his first dog Trixy Koontz and his novels have continued to feature a variety of heroic canines.
With over 16 book-to-film translations and having published at least one book a year for the last 42 years, he shows no signs of slipping off the radar.
7. Janet Evanovich
Despite selling over 20m titles annually, Evanovich is only at number seven on this year's list because of a failed deal with her publisher.
Having said that, bringing in $16m and achieving best sellers with all 16 of the titles in her romance series is not bad going for a woman who started writing in her 40s.
Evanovich is a slave to her trade and reportedly works for eight hours every day and an additional four hours a day at weekends. Her fans are treated to regular book signings and after book three of the Plum series, all titles have been selected from fan submissions.
The heroine of her romantic adventure novels, Stephanie Plum, is reportedly being to be brought to the silver screen later this year with actresses Reece Witherspoon and Katherine Heigl in the frame for the role.
8. John Grisham
This former lawyer did not stray far from his academic background and made over $15m last year from his legal thrillers.
His fictional novels have gripped readers since 1989 and over 16 films have been based around his courtroom dramas. After witnessing a horrendous rape case involving a young girl, Grisham began to wonder what would have happened if the girl's father had murdered her attackers.
The lawyer spent three years getting up at 5am to write A Time to Kill before work, only to have it rejected.
After giving up his legal career to pursue his passion for writing he went on to sell well over 250m novels worldwide, making his publishers Wynwood Press very glad they took a gamble on his abilities.
9. Nicholas Sparks
Critically acclaimed screenwriter and author of several international best sellers, Sparks just makes it onto the list. Last year he is estimated to have earned $14m and with two books in the process of being made into films, he looks set to climb.
Six of his novels have already been made into successful screenplays with the most popular, The Notebook, having become something of a modern day classic. Sparks began his career back in 1985 whilst still at school, but was failed in his attempts to get published.
His back up plan to get into law school was equally unsuccessful and he then attempted careers in real estate, table waiting, selling dental products by phone and starting his own manufacturing business.
Luckily for his adoring fans, he persevered with his writing and got his break in 1996 with The Notebook.
10. J.K. Rowling
Having famously conceived the idea for the Harry Potter series on a train from Manchester to London in 1990, Rowling has gone on to become one of the most respected children's authors of our time.
The Potter books have gained worldwide recognition and sold a staggering 400m copies, and counting. Originally Joanne, her publisher Bloomsbury suggested she adopted the ambiguous initials 'J.K.' after concerns that she would be unsuccessful as a female author of teenage male fiction.
The success of the books with adults and children of both sexes, led to the inevitable success of the film translations and has made Rowling into one of the wealthiest and most influential celebrities in Britain.
