Don't You Wish You Were on This List?

Forbes magazine recently released its list of the top ten "best paid" authors. The names of at least the top four or five probably won’t surprise you, especially the woman who topped the list, J.K. Rowling. She earned around $300 million and she'll presumably take in even more as the follow-up Harry Potter movies are released.

I don't know about you, but to me it's kinda nice to not see Dan Brown's name in there. But he's young and no doubt there'll eventually be another in the Robert Langdon series of thrillers.

Of course, most authors don’t earn anywhere near these types of paydays — in a lifetime, much less for a year. Still, it’s nice to dream.

Would You, Could You With a Book?

First off, I want to call attention to something that I'm somewhat proud of: This is my 100th post on this blog. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, I realize; some big blogs may reach 100 posts or more per day. But The Elephant's Bookshelf is a labor of love and found time. I love to read and to write, and I want to share my thoughts on writing with others. So, I'm happy to reach a random milestone.

Personal backslapping over.

Today, I happened upon this piece in the Washington Post. Apparently, Harry Potter isn't the biggest thing (PDF) since bread with the crusts cut off in the world of children's reading. While J.K. Rowling's justifiably popular series is still a huge best seller, Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest of the Hogwarts contingent still can't hold a wand to the creatures of Dr. Seuss's imagination.

Also ahead of the Potter books was Harper Lee's classic To Kill a Mockingbird, proving that the list wasn't dominated merely by books most read by small children. Further emphasizing that point, the S.E. Hinton stories were also up among the top 10.

Weep not for the wizards and witches. The Potter books will stand the test of time. But it's nice to know that children still love to explore worlds of imagination that don't cause their thumbs to develop carpal tunnel syndrom.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Bestseller

In general, I've avoided mentioning Harry Potter on this blog -- not out of any dislike of the stories (which, I sheepishly admit, I've not read, though I have seen most of the movies), but because I've not felt a need to add to the mess. Well, my thoughts are changing now, and this little item from USA Today caught my eye. I like that they interviewed several young readers. One in particular impressed me. Andrew Miller, 15, was asked if he'd be disappointed if Harry Potter died in the final installment.

"I know that J.K. Rowling doesn't like it when an author finishes a series with open characters so that another author could possibly pick up the series and continue with it. I will be very disappointed but will understand if he does die. I guess I will have to see how I really feel if this does happen."

The kid sounds like he's hooked, and if he loved Harry and the other characters, perhaps he'll continue to read other great books and build a lifetime of reading. I'd be honored to have him read my novels when they come out. I'd like to know what he thinks.