The 25 Most Powerful Authors

When THR contacted James Patterson about being on its inaugural list of the 25 most powerful authors in Hollywood, he scoffed. "Power list? More like powerless list." But while the conventional wisdom puts writers far down the totem pole, the truth is that from The Hunger Games to the upcoming The Hobbit, books remain the most durable source of content for films and TV. Indeed, whether it was the jaw-dropping $687 million worldwide take of Suzanne Collins' (No. 5) Games or the bidding frenzy over EL James' (No. 4) Fifty Shades of Grey, authors were behind some of 2012's biggest stories. THR selected those living authors who have been most successful in shepherding their books from page to screen, balancing achievement in publishing (total output, sales, best-sellers) and in Hollywood (completed adaptations, projects in development, screenwriting and producing credits) while accounting for cultural influence. More power to them.