NEW YORK, Aug 14 — Britain’s E.L. James, the writer of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” series of erotic novels, has made it onto the Forbes list of the world’s top-earning authors — landing in first place.

James, a former television executive, surpassed regulars on the list, including James Patterson, Danielle Steel and Stephen King, with estimated earnings of US$95 million (RM311 million) in the year to June 2013, thanks to the titillating trilogy.

“The e-book format was a key factor, giving readers an easy way to purchase sex-filled sequels — and a discreet way to read them in public,” according to forbes.com.

Former No. 1 Patterson came in second with earnings of US$91 million, while Suzanne Collins, the author of “The Hunger Games” and the five-book series “The Underland Chronicles,” was a distant third at US$55 million.

The 2012 “The Hunger Games” blockbuster film, an adaptation of the novel, grossed $684 million worldwide.

Fox TV talk show host Bill O’Reilly, the author of “Killing Lincoln” and “Killing Kennedy,” came in fourth with US$28 million and Steel, with 128 book titles to her credit, was No. 5 with US$26 million.

Dan Brown’s “Inferno” was the best-selling book of 2013 so far, putting him in ninth place with US$22 million. King just made it into the top 10 with earnings of US$20 million. The hit US TV series “Under the Dome” is based on King’s science fiction novel of the same name. — Reuters