This week Forbes published their annual list of the highest paid writers. Novelist James Patterson led the pack with $70 million. Next in line was Twilight Saga author, Stephenie Meyer with $40 million, followed by Stephen King with $34 million.
Thrillers still earn the most, as the list included Ken Follett, Dean Koontz, and John Grisham. Romance novelists Danielle Steel and Nicholas Sparks also made the cut, earning $32 million and $14 million respectively. J.K. Rowling closed the list at #10, but did not publish anything in 2010.
Readers may recall last year when King criticized Meyer while praising Rowling. King also offered his opinion on several adult writers sharing the highest paid authors list. King called Patterson a “terrible writer” and said “sometimes [Koontz]’s just awful.”