Higashino Keigo 東野圭吾

 Royalty Income: 4.8 million yuan (US$0.76 million)

Bestseller: "White Night"

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Born in 1958, Higashino Keigo is a Japanese crime writer known for his mystery novels constructed in an elaborate and meticulous way. The writer, a former engineer of an auto-parts company in Osaka, earned his reputation in 1985 with his mystery work "After School." After that, he resigned and became a professional writer. His major works include "The Secret," "The Devotion of Suspect X," and "White Night." He won the 134th Naoki Prize and the 6th Honkaku Mystery Grand Prize for his "The Devotion of Suspect X" in 2006. The novel also topped three major mystery novel rankings in Japan.

About 20 of his novels have been adapted into films or TV series, making him a house-hold name in Asia. His work "White Night," which was adapted into a TV series in 2006 and a film in 2009, tells a tragic love story between a couple who were forced to become murderers to protect each other when they were young, and tried in vain to keep their promise, hoping that one day they can take a walk in the sun hand in hand.