Monday, August 23, 2010

Struggling writers. Not.

James Patterson - one of my favourite authors.

You think at least one of these peeps started out as peanut-paid freelancer? One can only hope. According to Forbes.com , here's the top earners in the literary world to date (figures in USD) :
1. James Patterson ($70m)
- I'm not a big thriller-whodunnit fan, but I like his style. 'Kiss the Girls', 'Along Came a Spider', 'Cross' - just some of his good ones.

2. Stephenie Meyer ($40m) - Twilight. Enough said.

3. Stephen King ($34m)
- Master of the macabre. Twisted minds DO pay.

4. Danielle Steel ($32m)
- Come on, admit it, you've read her stuff. It's the one your mum stashed under her pillow, most likely with a plot involving a damsel not-so-in-distress, a tragedy in the family, an evil mother in law and, you guessed it, a happy ever after.

5. Ken Follett ($20m) - I've never read his work, truthfully.

6. Dean Koontz ($18m)
-I'd hate to know who has worse nightmares - him or King.

7. Janet Evanovich ($16m) - Romance. Not quite my genre of choice.

8. John Grisham ($15m)
- Ah Grisham. Didja know he was a baseball player (well, college level anyway), accountant and a lawyer (A lawyer? No way! :P) If his name isn't ringing a bell, go rent 'The Client', 'The Firm', 'The Pelican Brief', 'The Chamber'....You see a pattern here?

9. Nicholas Sparks ($14m) - The Notebook! Okay so I'm no romantic-literature fan but how can you not be a schmuck for The Notebook?

10. JK Rowling ($10m)
- Happy Potter, I'm sure she is. And now that it's all ending...I wonder what's next for Rowling?

I'd almost sell my soul to be on that list. Imagine a life of raking in the big bucks while sitting on your ass doing what you love most. Damn.

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