Lifestyle: J.K. Rowling is the highest paid author in the world after making £72.3 million last year

She has come out on top three times since 1999.

J.K. Rowling has topped Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid authors after earning $95 million (£72.3 million) last year.

Her whopping salary was thanks to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, her co-written stage play which sold out in the West End. The show's script was also the bestselling book of 2016.

The author also cashed in on Harry Potter attractions at Universal Studios, as well as her latest movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

While this is hardly the first time the Harry Potter author has gained the accolade — she has come out on top three times since 1999 — it is the first time she has held the top spot in nearly a decade.

She replaces James Patterson as the world's highest-paid author, while authors such as Game of Thrones' George R.R. Martin and The Fault in Our Stars' John Green dropped off the list entirely.

Meanwhile, The Girl on the Train author Paula Hawkins — another British female novelist — was included on the list for the second year in a row, selling 2.2 million print books in the US over the past 12 months. This is the most of any female author besides Rowling.

The 11 writers on the list together sold close to 30 million volumes in the US over the past 12 months, logging $312.5 million (£237.5 million) in pretax income, according to Forbes.

Here are the world's highest-paid authors:

1. J.K. Rowling — $95 million (£72.3 million)
2. James Patterson — $87 million (£66 million)
3. Jeff Kinney — $21 million (£16 million)
4. Dan Brown — $20 million (£15.2 million)
5. Stephen King — $15 million (£11.4 million)
6. John Grisham (Tie) — $14 million (£10.6 million)
7. Nora Roberts (Tie) — $14 million (£10.6 million)
8. Paula Hawkins — $13 million (£9.8 million)
9. E.L. James — $11.5 million (£8.7 million)
10. Danielle Steele (Tie) — $11 million (£8.4 million)
11. Rick Riordan (Tie) — $11 million (£8.4 million)

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