Less than two months after winning the Nobel Prize for literature, Mo Yan can claim another distinction: China's second-richest writer.
New interest in his work at home and abroad brought the 57-year-old novelist estimated annual royalties of 21.5 million yuan (HK$26.5 million) and catapulted him to No2 on the new China's Richest Writers List released yesterday.
Last year, the author failed to make the top 30. But the surge in book sales was not enough to unseat renowned children's author, Zheng Yuanjie, who returned to the top spot with 26 million yuan in annual income.
Zheng, regarded as China's answer to Hans Christian Andersen, has created many popular fairy tale characters such as Pipilu and Shuke which has enchanted generations of teenage readers for 25 years.
He has regularly featured in the top 10 since the rich list debuted in 2006.
The list's founder, Wu Huaiyao , told the West China City Daily that Mo Yan clearly benefited from the Nobel committee's October 11 decision, making him the first Chinese national to the prestigious prize. A 10-year-old manuscript by Mo Yan reportedly sold for 1.2 million yuan days after his win.