Aspiring writers, prepare to have to your dreams fuelled by the outrageous success of these authors. They all had to start somewhere, right?

Forbes has revealed this year’s definitive list of the highest-paid authors in the world, and it’s pretty darn impressive. Especially when you consider that the number of adults who love to read is apparently in decline.

Featuring the usual suspects – J.K Rowling, James Patterson, John Grisham – the list reveals just how much each writer has banked over the past 12 months, making for incredibly inspiring (or envy-inducing, depending on your mood) consumption.

Though overall author earnings have reportedly dropped year on year – a study last year revealed a 7% drop in reading among American adults – the novelists have still managed to rake in a whopping combined total of $269 million (just over £200 million), with James Patterson topping the list.

From J.K Rowling to Paula Hawkins: 2016’s highest paid authors have been revealed