The World’s Most Widely Read Writer Has Retired

February 27, 2017 in Daily Bulletin

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.