Top-10 World's Best Paid Authors in 2008-2009

No. 1 J.K. Rowling

$300 million

It was wizardry that transformed J.K. Rowling from a destitute single mother on welfare into a bestselling billionaire. Her adventures of teenage magician Harry Potter and his classmates at Hogwarts became a children's literary sensation in 1998, when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone became a publishing hit. It and the six subsequent books have now sold upwards of 375 million copies worldwide. The final one, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, has sold some 44 million since it came out last summer--including 15 million in the first 24 hours.

No. 2 James Patterson

$50 million

The former marketing maven started his Alex Cross series with 1992's Along Came a Spider, and he has sold more than 150 million books worldwide since. He keeps his readers satisfied by turning out at least two volumes every year.

No. 3 Stephen King

$45 million

The king of horror was scraping by on a schoolteacher's salary before his novel Carrie came out in 1974. Since then, he has some 300 million books. Films based on them include Carrie and The Shining.

No. 4 Tom Clancy

$35 million

The master of the political thriller became a publishing powerhouse with novels like The Hunt for the Red October and Patriot Games. He sold rights to videogame outfit Ubisoft for an estimated $100 million last year.

No. 5 Danielle Steel

$30 million

The doyenne of romance novels released her 71st book, Amazing Grace, last October. Her works have been published in 47 countries and 28 languages. Over 20 of her novels have been adapted for TV.

No. 6 (Tie) John Grisham

$25 million

A stint as a trial lawyer in Mississippi inspired his first blockbuster, A Time to Kill. His latest one, The Appeal, features a fictional member of the Forbes 400 embroiled in scandalous litigation.

No. 6 (Tie) Dean Koontz

$25 million

This mystery, suspense and sci-fi writer has authored at least 95 books. He gives his fans more by hosting online book parties, podcasts and--coming soon--comic books.

No. 8 Ken Follett

$20 million

Thank you, Oprah: Last year she chose Follett's 1989 novel Pillars of the Earth for her viewers, shooting it to a second run as a bestseller. The thriller writer recently signed an estimated $50 million three-book deal

No. 9 Janet Evanovich

$17 million

Evanovich's romance-tinged adventure novels have made her a regular on The New York Times bestseller list. The latest series is built around her character Stephanie Plum, a lingerie buyer turned bounty hunter

No. 10 Nicholas Sparks

$16 million

This spinner of tragic but tender love stories wrote his first published novel, The Notebook, in just six months when he was 28. His 13th and latest, The Choice, has sold some 1.2 million copies in the U.S. Night in Rodanthe was recently adapted for the silver screen, where it generated $13 million at the opening weekend box office.