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---
title: JK Rowling, James Patterson: Highest Paid Authors of 2016
description: J.K. Rowling may have stolen the headlines this week, but at least two other authors have plenty to celebrate
canonical: https://time.com/4437239/james-patterson-jeff-kinney-jk-rowling-highest-paid-authors/
author: Sarah Begley
article:opinion: true
article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2016-08-03T17:05:06.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T23:45:01.580Z
article:section: Ideas
og:title: These Are the Highest-Paid Authors of 2016
og:description: Forbes has announced its annual literary list
og:url: https://time.com/4437239/james-patterson-jeff-kinney-jk-rowling-highest-paid-authors/
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og:image:width: 4896
og:image:height: 2754
og:image:alt: Briarcliff Manor, NY - May 29, 2016: Bestselling author James P
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twitter:title: These Are the Highest-Paid Authors of 2016
twitter:description: Forbes has announced its annual literary list
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1c42229388ec934d/6988a0fa8e060171cd46707c/james-patterson.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# James Patterson, Jeff Kinney and J.K. Rowling Are the Highest-Paid Authors of 2016

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## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ

### Definition

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| Newsletter | Covers | Frequency |
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Source: TIME, August 2026.

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| Metric | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 |
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| Publishing since | 1923 | TIME |

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### FAQ

#### What newsletters does TIME publish?

TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers.

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### Sources

*   TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b57701c0-b080-4a56-a0da-707f56c4886c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)

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by 

[Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/)


## Sarah Begley


Aug 3, 2016 5:05 PM UTC

![Briarcliff Manor, NY - May 29, 2016: Bestselling author James P](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1c42229388ec934d/6988a0fa8e060171cd46707c/james-patterson.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Bestselling author James Patterson photographed at his second home in Westchester County, New York.

Bestselling author James Patterson photographed at his second home in Westchester County, New York. Chris Sorensen—The Washington Post/Getty Images

by 

[Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/)


## Sarah Begley


Aug 3, 2016 5:05 PM UTC

J.K. Rowling may have stolen the headlines this week, but at least two other authors have plenty to celebrate. According to [_Forbes_](http://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2016/08/03/the-worlds-highest-paid-authors-2016-james-patterson-jeff-kinney-and-j-k-rowling-top-ranking/#2c603e995218)‘ annual ranking of the highest paid authors of the year, James Patterson and Jeff Kinney have the [_Harry Potter_ ](http://time.com/4433100/harry-potter-cursed-child-questions/)author beat in total earnings from June 2015 to June 2016.

Patterson, who in addition to his adult novels writes several children’s books a year and recently launched a series of affordable novellas, [BookShots](http://www.jamespatterson.com/bookshots.php), earned an estimated $95 million pre-tax. He’s likely to stay high in the rankings next year, with plenty of upcoming books like [_Woman of God._](https://www.amazon.com/dp/031627402X?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20)

Kinney, author of the _Diary of a Wimpy Kid_ series, came in second with an estimated $19.5 million. Rowling clocked in just below him at $19 million—but since the numbers ended before the release of [_Harry Potter and the Cursed Child_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1338099132?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20)(which has already sold more than 2 million copies), and with the upcoming [_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_](http://time.com/4434040/jk-rowling-harry-potter-fantastic-beasts/) premiering in November, she’s likely to give the others a serious run for their money in next year’s rankings. _Forbes_ calculates figures using sales from books, e-books, audiobooks, TV and movie earnings, and in the case of someone like Rowling, income from theme parks and other products.

The only newcomer to the list this year was Paula Hawkins, whose novel [_The Girl on the Train_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594634025?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20)is likely to be just as bankable (if not more so) in the year to come: its recently released paperback edition is topping bestseller charts, and the [movie](http://time.com/4411019/the-girl-on-the-train-second-trailer-emily-blunt/) adaptation hits theaters in October.


\[[_Forbes_](http://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2016/08/03/the-worlds-highest-paid-authors-2016-james-patterson-jeff-kinney-and-j-k-rowling-top-ranking/#2c603e995218)\]

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