The World's Best Paid Authors

There was an interesting article in Forbes recently called The World's Best Paid Authors .
For any writers out there it will either give you hope....or make you feel like an utter failure!

While the publishing industry has struggled to come up with a "Happily Ever After" storyline in recent years, there's still plenty of money to be made in the business of books...In fact, the 10 stars on our list of the best-paid authors pulled in a combined $563 million between June 1, 2007, and June 1, 2008, thanks to hefty advances, impressive sales and silver screen adaptations.
Topping the list: J.K. Rowling, who banked a jaw-dropping $300 million over the course of the year...
James Patterson places second on the list, raking in a cool $50 million during the 12-month period...
Coming in third: Stephen King, who earned $45 million over the course of the year.
Tom Clancy places fourth, banking $35 million this year...
And Danielle Steel rounds out the top five, earning $30 million.

Others on the list: Nicholas Sparks, Janet Evanovich, John Grisham, Dean Koontz and, thanks to a little Oprah magic, Ken Follett. Last year she chose Follett's 1989 novel Pillars of the Earth for her viewers, turning it into a bestseller. With friends like that, who needs a new book?

They say, you know, that even in a bad economy, sales of alcohol and books will still be good. Maybe because addicts buy them both? lol