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An author<\/a> has made billions through her career and has surpassed some of the most famous writers to take the top spot as the world\u2019s richest. Elisabeth Badinter has a net worth of \u00a32.2 billion while Harry Potter creator, J.K. Rowling sits at second place with \u00a31.55 billion. Badinter is a famous French philosopher and writer<\/a> – her feminist works have left their mark on literature.<\/p>\n She has also authored nearly two dozen books and is a professor at Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, where she teaches philosophy. Her book<\/a>, The Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines the Status of Women, spurred heated debate in 2010 and became a bestseller across Europe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As a teen, she was deeply influenced by Simone de Beauvoir\u2019s feminist writings.<\/p>\n A self-identifying feminist, she has chosen to fight for women\u2019s rights, not through political and social activism, but rather through writing.<\/p>\n Over a career spanning nearly half a century, she has published widely on gender relations and motherhood.<\/p>\n According to the Financial Times, Badinter commands respect for her academic work and is regularly asked to opine on the big social or political issues of the day.<\/p>\n Comparatively, J.K. Rowling takes second spot – she has earned her income through book<\/a> sales, screen adaptations, theme park royalties and licensing deals.<\/p>\n Prior to her works being published, Rowling lived an ordinary life.<\/p>\n It was in 1990, while travelling by train from Manchester to London, she began to form the idea for her Harry Potter books<\/a> while the train was delayed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n She reportedly jotted down ideas on scraps of paper when they came to her.<\/p>\n Today, the Harry Potter franchise has a value of around \u00a332.32 billion.<\/p>\n In third place is James Patterson, with an impressive net worth of \u00a3681 million.<\/p>\n