Patterson, Meyer are highest-paid authors

Thriller writer James Patterson and Twilight author Stephenie Meyer top Forbes Magazine's list of the world's highest-paid authors. Released on August 19, the list also includes Stephen King, Ken Follett, and JK Rowling.

The financial magazine's ranking is based on earnings from books, film rights, television, gaming deals and other income from June 1, 2009, through June 1, 2010.

James Patterson comes in first with an income of $70 million over the course of the year. The prolific thriller writer's success is most prominent in the US, where, says Forbes, one out of every 17 novels purchased is by Patterson.

Stephenie Meyer's wildly successful Twilight series has sold 100 million copies worldwide. The release in June of the third Twilight film contributed to the estimated $40 million Meyer earned, landing her in second place.

Full report here Hindustan Times

The riddle of the shelves

What makes a best-seller in India? That is, quite literally, the big question that has long occupied the minds of writers, agents and publishers. There are many who claim to have the answer, but with the rapid advances in print and communications technology leading to a vast expansion and diversification of media and entertainment outlets, the old criterion of the number of copies sold is not sufficient to define a best-seller.

Should rights like translations, television/film rights and digitalization of editions also be included in a proper definition of a best-seller today? Should the totality of the market and its various segments be included in the final reckoning to optimize the sales potential of a book because publishers are no longer interested only in the print editions?

But first, the traditional definition of a best-seller. A best-seller is a book which sells more copies than other books. That difference, although an obvious one, is the single most important point to bear in mind. It is the yardstick by which wholesalers or the big book-sellers define a best-seller. People must want to buy it; not just a few but lots of people, which means that the book must have broad appeal. For instance, a book on the mating habits of jungle fowls may be well-written and researched but it will appeal only to a limited market. What this means is that most best-sellers fall in the fiction category. How can we tell a book has what it takes? Does it have all the qualities that are common to most best-selling novels, which make us want to buy them and thereafter spread the word around?

Full report here Telegraph