James Patterson made $86 million in 2018, topping the list of the world's highest-paid authors - Los Angeles Times
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James Patterson made $86 million in 2018, topping the list of the world’s highest-paid authors

Former President Bill Clinton, left, and author James Patterson speak during an interview in May about their new novel, "The President Is Missing," in New York.
(Bebeto Matthews / AP)
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James Patterson, the famously prolific thriller author, was the highest-paid writer in the world this year, earning an estimated $86 million in royalties, Forbes magazine reports.

Patterson, who collaborated on the novel “The President Is Missing†with former President Bill Clinton this year, is a perennial on the magazine’s annual highest-paid author list. He’s taken the No. 1 spot 10 times in the 20 years Forbes has been ranking the world’s richest authors.

Coming in second was “Harry Potter†creator J.K. Rowling, who took home an estimated $54 million. She was the highest-paid author last year, when she collected $95 million from her fantasy and mystery books.

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Horror master Stephen King, mystery scribe John Grisham and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid†creator Jeff Kinney rounded out the top five.

There weren’t many surprises in this year’s list, but there was one newcomer to the rankings: journalist Michael Wolff, whose “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House†became a huge bestseller after its release in January. Wolff, ranked No. 7 on the list after author Dan Brown, earned an estimated $13 million from the book, Forbes reports.

Rounding out the list were romance authors Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts, young adult writer Rick Riordan and “Fifty Shades of Grey†author E.L. James.

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One author dropped out of the rankings this year: Paula Hawkins, who had made the list previously on the strength of her bestseller “The Girl on the Train.â€

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