Diana Wynne Jones'
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland is an amusing collection of typical fantasy tropes, and not all of them originate in Tolkien's tales. I find stories most interesting when the authors take the time to think up something original. And I agree with those who've answered that wizards, lost kings, orphan heroes etc. have been around much longer than JRRT - just recall fairy tales for many of those elements!
I think the reason Tolkien inspired so many authors is because he has been read by so many, and because the quality of his writing is so good. A number of well-known authors wrote about that influence in the book
Meditations on Middle-earth, edited by Karen Haber. In the introduction George R. R. Martin writes:
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Fantasy had existed long before him, yes, but J.R.R.Tolkien took it and made it his own in a way that no writer before him had ever done, a way that no writer will ever do again. ...he created something that touched the hearts and minds of millions. ...none of us have ever been the same... especially the writers. Tolkien changed fantasy; he elevated it and redefined it, to such an extent that it will never be the same again.
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He goes on to say that JRRT's special contribution was making the secondary world a special place, "a character in its own right". And continues:
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Most comtemporary fantasists happily admit their debt to the master (among that number I definitely include myself), but even those who disparage Tolkien most loudly cannot escape his influence.
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