Who Are The 10 Richest (and Poorest) Writers?

James Patterson - $70 million

Stephenie Meyer - $40 million

Stephen King - $34 million

Danielle Steel - $32 million

Ken Follett - $20 million

Dean Koontz - $18 million

Janet Evanovich - $16 million

John Grisham - $15 million

Nicholas Sparks - $14 million

J.K. Rowling - $10 million

Via Forbes.

I was surprised J.K. Rowling was so low on the list, but remember, this was just the income for last year, not over the author's whole career.

For comparison, Bruce Springsteen made $70 million and Kobe Bryant makes $30 million a year.

* * *

Who are the 10 Poorest Writers? In reverse order, here they are:

Ama Sweetey - made more money last year knitting doilies than writing

That Dude in Front of My Supermarket Who Handsells His Books - paid more in fines than made selling books, but this is part of the very conspiracy he is warning us about and just PROVE HE IS RITE, CANT YOU SEE THAT

U.W. Taken - Spent way too much money on Publish America, first publishing with them, then on lawyers to sue them

Eager Beaver - Still paying off $60,000 English degree on poet's salary

Luv Suufrin - Has filled five hundred fifty three inch notebooks with morse code pencil dots and dashes while pan-handling in subway, raising money for kidney surgery after sold own kidney to buy notebooks; $70,000 in debt

Slam Piiddy - Another poet, what can I say, $80,000 in debt (includes Master's Degree)

Travling Ill - Spent more than six digits last year attending writing conferences and conventions

Mortgaged Todahilt - Trying to pay off a house on a writer's income, yeah, that ain't happening

Royalty Roulette - Spent large advance for first novel investing in a new apartment building; book didn't earn out and real estate market crashed, apartment building is still half-built, ten million in debt

Mj Pubshur - Hasn't adjusted to digital revolution, thinks ebooks should cost $15, going bankrupt, in debt seven hundred million