J.K. Rowling lands just behind Beyoncé on Forbes’ list of highest-paid celebrities

While it’s dominated by musicians, athletes and broadcasters, Forbes magazine’s 2017 list of the world’s highest-paid celebrities includes author J.K. Rowling at the No. 3 spot.

The “Harry Potter” author comes in immediately after Beyoncé Knowles; Sean Combs tops the list.

Forbes estimates that Rowling earned $95 million last year, due in part to “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” the smash hit stage play based on a story written by Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. The play’s script was published as a book, which became, by far, the bestselling book of 2016, selling 4.4 million copies.

Rowling also cashed in on the success of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” a fantasy movie written by Rowling and based on her book of the same name. The film earned more than $800 million worldwide.

Author James Patterson, who Forbes estimates earned $87 million last year.

(Taylor Jewell / AP)

Thriller author James Patterson was the only other author in the top 10. Patterson placed at No. 9, sandwiched between pop band Coldplay and Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James. Patterson earned $87 million in 2016, the magazine estimates.

Forbes noted that Patterson sold a staggering 9.5 million books in the U.S. alone last year, and earned a reported seven-figure advance for a novel he’s co-writing with former President Clinton.

Rowling and Patterson are the only celebrities on the list who are best known as authors. Rounding out the top 10 are soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo at No. 5, musician The Weeknd at No. 6 and broadcaster Howard Stern at No. 7.

The list includes entertainers in other industries who have earned significant sums of money from books.

Among those is Rush Limbaugh, the right-wing radio host, who placed at No. 11 on the list, tied with rock band Guns N’ Roses. Limbaugh is the co-author of the popular “Time-Travel Adventures with Successful Americans” children’s book series; the latest installment, “Rush Revere and the Presidency,” was released in November.

Rock star Bruce Springsteen came in at No. 17, in part because of the success of his memoir, “Born to Run,” which was published last year.

Bestselling author Bill O’Reilly, who was better known as a Fox News host before he was fired this April over numerous sexual harassment allegations, made the list at No. 71, tied with four other celebrities including musicians Dolly Parton and Ed Sheeran.

Schaub is @michaelschaub on Twitter.