The first crime writers rich list has been released, based on recorded sales, box office returns, licence fees and company accounts. The British writers were soundly beaten by their American counterparts in terms of income but it is clear that fittingly, even deceased crime authors like Ian Fleming and Agatha Christie are still making huge sums. Here are the results in full:
The top 10 UK crime authors
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Ian Fleming £100m+
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Agatha Christie £100m
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Jeffrey Archer £70m
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Jack Higgins £50m+
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Ken Follett £50m
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Dick Francis, just under £50m
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Ruth Rendell £30m+
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Lee Child £30m
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Ian Rankin £25m
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Alexander McCall Smith £20m
Top 10 US crime writers
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John Grisham $600m
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Dan Brown $400m
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Patricia Cornwell $300m+
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Robert Ludlum $300m
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Michael Crichton $300m
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Michael Connelly $250m
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Thomas Harris $150m
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Elmore Leonard $100m
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Ed McBain $75m
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James Ellroy $50m
Crime book lists from RNIB
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