Mo Yan, winner of the Nobel prize in literature, took second place in the 2012 Chinese Writers Rich List that was released on Thursday, having earned 21.5 million yuan ($3.45 million) in royalties this year.

It is the first time Mo has made the annual list since 2006, when he was ranked 20th.

The Chinese writer who made the most money in 2012 is Zheng Yuanjie, whose Pipilu fairy tale series brought in 26 million yuan in royalties.