Not J.K. Rowling. Or John Grisham. Or E.L. James. No, the most widely read author is arguably the person who writes all the fortunes for fortune cookies:

• Donald Lau wrote the fortunes for Wonton Food – which claims that it is the largest manufacturer of fortune cookies – for over 30 years.
• He used to write 100 a year but started suffering from writer’s block. This is a problem because fans of the cookie frequently complain about finding repeat fortunes.
• The fortunes that Lau wrote went through a committee vetting process to make sure they would appeal to the widest possible audience.
• The consequences of a fortune that isn’t fully thought through can be dire. One man set for a business trip got a fortune saying he’d find romance on his next trip. His wife divorced him and blamed the fortune cookie.

Read more on CBC. Read our previous coverage on fortune cookies here.