Nora Roberts

Novelist Veronica Roth, just 26 years old, earned $17m (£10.5m) last year thanks to her dystopian young adult trilogy Divergent, making her one of the richest authors in the world, according to Forbes.

The list of the world's top-earning authors was released by Forbes on Monday. Topped by thriller writer James Patterson, it includes three names that have never appeared in the ranking before. Sixth-placed Roth, whose smash-hit stories are set in a world where people are defined and organised according to their dominant personality traits

Topping off the list are three books that continually rank among the most sought-after: "Sex" by Madonna, "Rage" by Stephen King, under his pseudonym Richard Bachman, and "Promise Me Tomorrow" by Nora Roberts. Another Stephen King book, "My Pretty Pony," comes in at number four.

James Patterson released 14 blockbuster novels last year while writing hardly a word. Whether you consider it genius or fakery, his writing franchise has made him a bogglingly wealthy man. Patterson has taken top spot in the just-released Forbes fiction rich list, with an estimated income of $US94 million ($NZ118 million) last year. He outstrips the number-two ranked Stephen King, who settled for making ends meet on a mere $US39 million ($NZ48 million).

With questions arising about Agency Model pricing, Book Business examined the 10 best-selling e-books lists during mid August to get a sense of what prices seemed to be "right" for trade consumers.

Self-published author John Locke has signed a deal with a traditional publisher. The print editions of John Locke Books will be sold and distributed by Simon & Schuster, the company announced Monday.

Locke was the first— and so far, only— self-published author to sell a million Kindle ebooks. He writes thrillers starring the character Donovan Creed, and has published the popular, "How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months!"

John Locke, the New York Times bestselling author, has entered an exclusive agreement with Simon & Schuster..