James, Hawkins and Ness join 'most powerful' authors list

EL James, Paula Hawkins and Patrick Ness have joined for the first time the Hollywood Reporter's 25-strong list of "most powerful" authors.

The rankings are determined taking into account "book sales, number of adaptations, projects in development, additional credits and cultural influence".

The list welcomes 11 new writers since it was last composed in 2014, including Ness, who recently signed up to write three tie-in novels to Doctor Who spin-off "Class" and has a film in the works for his YA novel Chaos Walking; and Hawkins, whose psychological thriller debut The Girl on the Train has this week taken both first and second place in the Official UK Top 50, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Psychological thriller writer Gillian Flynn appeared at number five after the film adaptation of Gone Girl grossed $369.3m, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

J K Rowling tops the list, with the entertainment news outlet commenting: "Even without the Harry Potter series and its blockbuster film run, Rowling would make the cut." Also to her name is her first adult book The Casual Vacancy that was adapted for TV by the BBC; an upcoming BBC series based on her Cormoran Strike novels, published under her pen name Robert Galbraith, and this year the sell-out play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" and the release of her first screenplay for forthcoming film "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them".

Stephen King appeared second on the list as "most adapted author ever", while George R R Martin featured at number four for the success of "Game of Thrones". His UK publisher yesterday (29th September) announced an enhanced digital edition of the first book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the title.

Howie Sanders, United Talent Agency partner and co-head of the book department, said: “The demand for creators and underlying material has never been stronger."

In August, Forbes released a list of the world's highest paid authors, which Hawkins entered for the first time.

The 25 "most powerful" authors according to the Hollywood Reporter in order are:

1) JK Rowling
2) Stephen King
3) James Patterson
4) George RR Martin
5) EL James
6) Michael Lewis
7) Matthew Quick
8) John Green
9) Neil Gaiman
10) Dennis Lehane
11) Gillian Flynn
12) Ernest Cline
13) David Grann
14) Diana Gabaldon
15) Jo Nesbo
16) Margaret Atwood
17) Ben Mezrich
18) Liane Moriarty
19) Paula Hawkins
20) Jeffrey Toobin
21) Graham Moore
22) Emma Donoghue
23) Lauren Oliver
24) Patrick Ness
25) Maria Semple