Can you really make $1 billion just by writing books? The wealth of the world's 10 richest authors revealed.

Imagine a person who has accumulated a fortune of 1 billion dollars just by writing books—that's not a fantasy. According to statistical data, the ranking of the richest authors in the world has been released, with the top spot going to JK Rowling, the author of “Harry Potter,” whose net worth has reached 1 billion dollars, making her the first author in history to surpass 1 billion dollars.

Ranked second is James Patterson, with a net worth of $800 million and over 140 works with global sales exceeding 425 million copies. Following closely is Jim Davis, the cartoonist behind “Garfield,” also with a net worth of $800 million.

Interestingly, the top ten includes not only traditional literary authors but also cartoonists and commercial bestselling authors. For example, Matt Groening, the creator of “The Simpsons,” has a net worth of $600 million, and bestselling author Grant Cardone also has a net worth of $600 million—besides writing books, he operates seven private companies.

Novelist Danielle Steel ranks fourth with a net worth of $600 million, having created over 180 works with global sales exceeding 800 million copies. Master of horror Stephen King has a net worth of $500 million, with more than 60 published works and global sales exceeding 350 million copies.

Data tells us: if you write the right topic and capture the readers, the combination of royalties + adaptation rights can lead to financial freedom.