According to a story in The Telegraph (UK), here are the top 10 authors by earnings for Jun 1 2007-Jun 1 2008:
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1) JK Rowling £160 million ($282.5M)
2) James Patterson £26.7m ($47M)
3) Stephen King £24m ($42M)
4) Tom Clancy £18.7m ($33M)
5) Danielle Steel £16m ($28M)
6) John Grisham £13m ($23M)
6) Dean Koontz £13m ($23M)
8) Ken Follett £10.6m ($18.7M)
9) Janet Evanovich £9m ($16M)
10) Nicholas Sparks £8.5m ($15M)
It appears that rags-to-riches seems to be useful in becoming a well-paid author:
J. K. Rowling went from being on the dole to the highest paid author in the world. In fact, last year, she earned approximately 6 times more than the next closest writer on the list! Not only that, but her total income for the year actually comes out to more than the other nine authors earned when added together. Harry Potter is definitely magical in more than one way!
Another current trend looks like fiction sells and sells well. All of the top 10 authors specialize in writing stories and novels, although a few have branched off into non-fiction, too. (Nichols Sparks put out an autobiographical book, Stephen King has written books about writing, and Tom Clancy has co-authored books about weapons and war, just to mention a few.)
Given the names on the list, it also seems that people are currently biased towards reading and buying mysteries, be they based in the espionage, romance, thriller, crime (or magical) genres. How long that trend continues, it’s hard to know. The economy drives book sales to a big degree – with what’s going on now, what are you interested reading or think people will want to read? (Personally, I’m just trying to get my hands on the rest of the Harry Dresden books – magical mysteries are my poison for now.)
Bummer – one of my favorite horror authors passed away two weeks ago: Ira Levin, author of ROSEMARY’S BABY, THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL, and THE STEPFORD WIVES, among other things, died Nov 12 at the age of 78 from a heart attack according to the New York Times.
Something I didn’t realize is that he only published 7 books over the course of a 40+ year career, with most of what I think of as his best work being written in the 1970′s. I guess when you produce such quality work, you don’t need to create a lot of it to make your mark! (I always prefer to reread books over and over again that I thoroughly enjoyed rather than to take a chance on something unknown when I want to be entertained – maybe that’s why I’d thought he’d written more than just 7. LOL)
I think my favorite of his books is BOYS – even if the technology that was used as part of the twist has become almost mainstream nowadays, when that book first came out it was cutting edge, touched on subjects I was fascinated with and a definite page-turner. Even today, the book’s quality shines through in its suspense and intelligence and handling of palpably horrific plot points. I never really liked ROSEMARY’S BABY as much or its sequel (probably seeing the movie first was part of the problem), but STEPFORD WIVES was also quite an original I thoroughly enjoyed that has been much parodied ever since it entered the vernacular so it’s lost quite a bit of its original edginess for anyone wanting to read it for the first time at this late date.
Something else I had forgotten about him was he was not only a novelist and playwright, but also a lyricist for a musical (DRAT! THE CAT! – 1965) I don’t know about you, but if it was anything like his books, I fear it would definitely make for quite an interesting, but probably quite twisted, evening. I’ll have to go surf the net to see if I can find more info on it.
Goodbye to yet another author who gave me quite a few hours of edge-of-the-seat, don’t-set-it-down-til-the-end reading…
]]>With all the great new technology out there and so much time spent away from home, downloadable eBooks are finally coming into their own as the new way to read. When you consider how much space a new bestseller hardcover takes — think Terry Goodkind’s newest book CONFESSOR: Chainfire Trilogy, Part 3 at 608 pgs and more than 2lbs — and eBook versions seem a LOT more convenient to carry around in your handheld or SmartPhone and read at your convenience!
I don’t know about you, but I go crazy if I don’t have something interesting to read when I’m stuck waiting for my car’s oil to be changed or sitting in a doctor’s waiting room, but my poor purse definitely would explode if I tried to carry around my favorite Sci Fi or Fantasy hard covers (or even some of the mega-paperbacks…) So while I collect hardcovers and paperbacks at home, for my commute and travels, eBooks make the most sense. (I don’t read while I drive, of course, but as waits at stop lights get longer and longer, I can practically sneak a whole chapter in each way.)
For rabid readers who don’t particularly want to actually collect the books (or who don’t have the space for them) eBooks are such a great way to satisfy your need to read and also save money and time in your book hunts. The downloads are available immediately and are usually 10-50% or more off the price of buying the hardcover book. (Then, if you really love the book, you could pick up the ‘real book’ (hard or paperback) later — if you didn’t like the book, ERASE it, eh, and make room for something better on your phone or computer.)
Besides being easy and fast, I really like eBooks because they are environmentally friendly. Think how many trees breathe easier each time an eBook is downloaded versus another Stephen King mega-tome being printed. (I swear each time he writes a new one, a whole forest shudders…)
Here’s a small sampling of what’s hot this week on eBook:
1ST TO DIE – James Patterson
SWORD OF SHANNARA TRILOGY – Terry Brooks
HOW TO BE A WRITER – Stewart Ferris
STAR WARS MEDSTAR 2: JEDI HEALER – Michael Reaves
(Try Out eBooks.com: Buy One, Get One Free on Selected Titles!)
]]>Oct 29 – Nov 3
You: Staying Young: The Owner’s Manual for Extending Your Warranty by Michael F. Roizen
The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan
Home to Holly Springs (Father Tim, Book 1) by Jan Karon
Steve and Me: Life with the Crocodile Hunter by Terri Irwin
Why Marines Fight by James Brady
Nov 4 – Nov 10
Be a Real Estate Millionaire: Secret Strategies for Lifetime Wealth Today by Dean Graziosi
Stone Cold by David Baldacci
Rhett Butler’s People by Donald McCaig
Creation in Death by J.D. Robb
Stephen King’s Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born by Stephen King
Third Degree: A Novel by Greg Iles
The Chase by Clive Cussler
Heroes, Volume One by Various Authors – Illustrated by Tim Sale
Nov 11 – Nov 17
Confessor: Chainfire Trilogy, Part 3 (Sword Of Truth, Book 11) by Terry Goodkind
Double Cross by James Patterson
Five Wishes: How Answering One Simple Question Can Make Your Dreams Come True by Gay Hendricks
Nov 18 – Nov 24
Nov 25 – Dec 1
Blood Brothers (Sign of Seven Trilogy, Book 1) by Nora Roberts
The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz
Dec 2 – Dec 8
T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton
Want to know the names and dates of new release books from best selling authors for the month of September and October? Here’s a list of what’s coming up – see if any of your favorite authors have a new book coming out:
Sep 9 – Sep 16
YOU’VE BEEN WARNED
Sep 17 – Sep 23
HARRY POTTER BOXSET Books 1 -7
DEXTER IN THE DARK: A Novel
DEAD HEAT
LOUDER THAN WORDS: A MOTHER’S JOURNEY IN HEALING AUTISM
THE BONE GARDEN
DAVE BARRY’S HISTORY OF THE MILLENIUM (SO FAR)
THE HEROIN DIARIES: A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A SHATTERED ROCK STAR
Sep 24 – Sep 30
PLAYING FOR PIZZA
THE CHOICE
RUN
MAKING MONEY (DISCWORLD)
SHOOT HIM IF HE RUNS
Oct 1 – Oct 7
EXIT GHOST
BE THE PACK LEADER: USE CESAR’S WAY TO TRANSFORM YOUR DOG… AND YOUR LIFE
BEYOND THE WHITE HOUSE
DARK OF THE MOON
Oct 8 – Oct 14
CLAPTON: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY
WORLD WITHOUT END
FATAL REVENANT
BLONDE FAITH
Oct 15 – Oct 21
BLOOD FEVER
THE ALMOST MOON
PANDORA’S DAUGHTER
Oct 22 – Oct 28
BOOK OF THE DEAD (Kay Scarpetta Novel)
A LICK OF FROST
NOW AND THEN
SHAKESPEARE: THE WORLD AS STAGE
OUT OF SYNC