Stephen King Tops The Hollywood Reporter's List of the 25 Most Powerful Authors in Hollywood

Posted on November 28, 2012

The Hollywood Reporter has named the twenty-five most powerful authors in Hollywood. The rankings are based on which authors have been most successful in getting their books made into movies and television shows, the number of books sold and how influential they are in today's culture. Here are the top ten:

Stephen King: (The Shining, The Stand, The Shawshank Redemption)
Elmore Leonard (Justified, Get Shorty)
Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook)
EL James (Fifty Shades of Grey)
Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games)
Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead)
George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones)
James Patterson (Kiss the Girls)
Michael Lewis (Moneyball)
Stephenie Meyer (The Twilight Saga)

J.K. Rowling is at number 11 on this inaugural list, most likely because the Harry Potter films have ended and her latest novel was for adults. Neil Gaiman came in at 24, just ahead of John Grisham.

James Patterson's reaction when he got the call was priceless. When told he would be on a list of the most powerful authors he jokingly replied, "Power list? More like powerless list!" It is true that authors are not at the top of the power pyramid in Hollywood, but there are a few that have juice. You can see the full list here.