@matana he's a local (Utah valley) guy actually, mastered in creative writing and has written a shit ton of books, actually gaining so much popularity that he was chosen to finish the wheel of time series (which is comparable to lord of the rings but not as popular) by the original (deceased) author's wife. Insanely good author, he certainly deserves all of his accolades and $$$.

Another good example would be Notch imo, he built one of the most popular games of all time and sold it for a shit load of money. Dude is set for life. He just created something unique. Toby Fox and ZUN, a lot of indie devs i think really fit the category of people who are "rich" (at least compared to your average Joe) but did it pretty much alone, with a lot of hard work and creativity and a love for what they do.