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E.L. James is one of 2013's highest-earning celebrities

James recently topped Forbes's 2013 list of highest-earning authors. She's now also tied for third on its list of highest-earning celebrities.

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Denis Poroy/Invision/AP
E.L. James is the author of the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' trilogy.
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

E.L. James recently came in at number one on Forbes’s list of the highest-earning authors of 2013. Now she’s hovering near the top of another Forbes ranking.

James tied for third with “X Factor” judge Simon Cowell and radio host Howard Stern on Forbes’s list of the top-earning celebrities. James released the first novel in her “Fifty Shades of Grey” trilogy in 2011.

Forbes estimates the amount of money celebrities earn over the course of twelve months. According to the magazine's calculations, James would have taken in something close to $95 million between June 2012 and June 2013. In addition to the massive sales of her erotic series, a movie is now in the works that will be based on “Grey.”

The author to come the closest to James on the highest-earning celebrities list was James Patterson, who placed fourth on the Forbes celebrity list this year, directly behind James, Cowell, and Stern. Glenn Beck, author of such books as “Arguing with Idiots,” placed fifth behind Patterson. Dr. Phil McGraw, author of the book “Life Code,” came in at number 11.

In terms of non-author placings, singer Madonna came in at number one and director Steven Spielberg placed second.

Last year, Patterson placed eighth on the list of highest-earning celebrities and was the highest-ranked author, while Beck ranked eleventh and McGraw ranked seventeenth.

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