J.K. Rowling Is World's Richest Author 10/5/08

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has earned more than $9.25 (£5) every second for the past year (07/08). The boy wizard creator raked in a total of $300 million (£162 million) in the last 12 months - six times more than her closest competitor, Along Came A Spider writer James Patterson, according to Forbes magazine.

Rowling rose to fame after the release of 1997's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first of seven books in the series. The novels have since been turned into Hollywood blockbusters, with the sixth film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, set for release next summer (09).

The seventh and final movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is set to be split into two films and released in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

Describing Rowling's work as "a children's literary sensation", a Forbes spokesperson says, "It was wizardry that transformed J.K. Rowling from a destitute single mother on welfare into a best-selling billionaire.

"Over on the big screen, her Potter franchise has already generated $4.5 billion (£2.4 billion) at the worldwide box office - and she still has three more flicks to come."