Fifty Shades Of Grey Author EL James Is The World's Top-Earning Author

Fifty Shades Of Grey author EL James has topped the global rich list of authors after earning an estimated £62 million ($95 million) last year.

The soaraway success of James' Fifty Shades Of Grey saga has put her ahead of literary rivals, including James Patterson, Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins and Stephen King.

The Top Ten Earning Authors Of 2013

1. EL James, £62 million
2. James Patterson, £59 million
3. Suzanne Collins, £36 million
4. Bill O’Reilly, £18 million
5. Danielle Steel, £17 million
6. Jeff Kinney, £15.5 million
7. Janet Evanovich, £15.5 million
8. Nora Roberts, £15 million
9. Dan Brown, £14.2 million
10. Stephen King, £13 million

“The e-book format was a key factor, giving readers an easy way to purchase sex-filled sequels - and a discreet way to read them in public,” according to Forbes, who put together the league table of top-earning authors.

James is calculated to have raked in more than £3 million for selling the film rights to her books.