Some people make money by doing business; some people are rich because they are celebrities; but authors generate wealth through their pens. A latest ranking of the highest-earning Chinese authors has been released by West China City News and Great Star Media Co., Ltd.

The tenth of its kind, the ranking is based on the authors' copyright royalties from book sales from December 2014 to December 2015. A total of 70 authors are on the list.

The 38-year-old fantasy writer Yang Zhi, with the pen name of Jiang Nan, tops the list, whose royalties reached 32 million yuan (US$4.95 million). Another fantasy writer with the pen name of Leon Image came second, followed by fairy tale master Zheng Yuanjie.

Read on to find out the top 10 highest-earning Chinese authors.

 Chen Sixuan（陳思玄）

Pen name: Xuan Se（玄色）

Age: 30

Copyright royalties: 11 million yuan

Representative book: Dumb House