There are multiple channels through which one can make money from writing, but writing for a living might not make you as wealthy as you desire unless you have what it takes to sell millions of copies of your work across the globe. There are many such writers who are multi-millionaires and a few billionaires. Authors typically make money based on the number of books they sell but the richest book authors in the world have been able to make much more from their work becoming a franchise. This would see their book adapted into movies, TV series, video games, and other forms of media; all of which normally becomes another steady stream of income.
Meet The Top 25 Richest Books Authors of The World
1. MacKenzie Scott
- Net Worth: $59.2 Billion
- Nationality: American
MacKenzie Scott is an American novelist born on the 7th of April 1970 in San Francisco, California. She has thus far authored two books: the first titled The Testing of Luther Albright was published in 2005 and was followed by Traps in 2013. These books aren’t the source of her enormous wealth. MacKenzie is the former wife of the Amazon billionaire, Jeff Bezos.
They met in 1992 and married the following year. After 25 years of marriage, they divorced in mid-2019. MacKenzie and her former husband had a peaceful separation that saw her get 25% of Bezos’ stake in Amazon. Just after they finalized their divorce, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, which will see her give away at least half of her wealth to charity.
2. Elisabeth Badinter
- Net Worth: $1.7 Billion
- Nationality: French
Born in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, on the 5th of March 1944, Elisabeth Badinter is a popular feminist writer, philosopher, and historian. Since she published her first book titled L’Amour en plus in 1980, she has released dozens more and her most notable books are her seminal works on feminism: The Myth of Motherhood, Wrong Turn, and Masculine Identity.
While she has so far published at least 30 books, several of which were best-sellers, they aren’t the major source of her wealth. Elisabeth Badinter is the daughter of Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, the late advertising magnate who founded Publicis Groupe. She inherited 19 million shares of the company from her father.
3. J. K. Rowling
- Net Worth: $1.1 Billion
- Nationality: British
Even though she refuted claims that she was a billionaire, J. K. Rowling is widely considered as the world’s first billionaire author. She is the first name that comes to mind when people think of the richest book authors, thanks to her Harry Potter series. The books have been translated into multiple languages and have sold no fewer than 500 million copies across the globe.
The Harry Potter series have been adapted into successful movies, Broadway stage plays, and video games, birthing the Wizarding World franchise counted among the highest-grossing media franchise of all time. According to the Sunday Time Rich List of 2021, Rowling is the 196th wealthiest person in the UK and worth £820 million (1.107 Billion).
4. James Patterson
- Net Worth: $800 Million
- Nationality: American
James Patterson was born on the 22nd of March 1947 in Newburgh, New York. The American is a philanthropist known across the globe as a successful writer. Even though he is often criticized as an author who is only interested in making money, with someone like Stephen King going as far as calling him a terrible writer, Patterson regards himself as the world’s bestselling author.
He has sold at least 300 million copies of his works and the most popular amongst them are series like Alex Cross, The Women’s Murder Club, Maximum Ride, Middle School, Michael Bennett, and Ali Cross. In addition to those, he has authored acclaimed nonfictions like his autobiography, James Patterson by James Patterson, E.R. Nurses, and Walk in My Combat Boots.
5. Jim Davis
- Net Worth: $800 Million
- Nationality: American
Jim Davis didn’t make all of his wealth from the books he has published. The Marion, Indiana native born on the 28th of July 1945 is famed as the creator of the Garfield and U.S. Acres comic strips. The cartoonist has as many as 1571 books to his name. While they are the major source of his wealth, the man is also a screenwriter and producer.
Apart from the financial rewards, his career has earned many coveted awards, including the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement and Best Strip from the National Cartoonist Society.
6. Matt Groening
- Net Worth: $600
- Nationality: American
Also an American cartoonist, Matt Groening was born in Portland, Oregon, on the 15th of February 1954. He is also an animator, producer, and of course a writer, all of which have contributed to his fortune currently estimated at $600 million. Groening is celebrated as the creator of the Life in Hell comic strip which was published weekly from 1977 to 2012.
His published works are quite many to count but reports have it that the biggest source of his wealth is the fact that he created The Simpson, a popular animated series that has been running since 1989. Apart from that, he has created other popular shows like Futurama and Disenchantment.
7. Candy Spelling
- Net Worth: $600 Million
- Nationality: American
More than being an American author, Candy Spelling is a theater producer and entrepreneur. She was born on the 20th of September 1945 in Beverly Hills, California, and has published at least three books, including Candy at Last and Stories from Candyland. The latter made The New York Times best-seller list but her books aren’t the major source of her wealth.
Candy makes money from her various exploits in the entertainment industry. She is also the widow of Aaron Spelling, a prominent film and television producer who passed in June 2006. It was said that he was worth $600 million at the time of his death.
8. Paolo Coelho
- Net Worth: $500 Million
- Nationality: Brazilian
The Alchemist is one of the best-selling books of all time. It is estimated that the adventure fantasy novel which has been translated into many languages has sold more than 150 million copies across the globe. It is the best-selling book by a Brazillian author in history and went a long way in making Coelho one of the richest book authors in the world.
The Brazillian born on the 24th of August 1947 has published dozens of other works since The Alchemist gained him worldwide fame. According to some reports, all of his books have sold over 320 million copies. They are the major source of his wealth but he is also a lyricist.
9. Stephen King
- Net Worth: $500 Million
- Nationality: American
Stephen King is one of the most accomplished authors in the United States of America and indeed the world at large; especially when it comes to horror, supernatural fiction, and similar genres. Celebrated as the horror master, King has published at least 63 novels and five non-fiction books. That’s not all, he has written no fewer than 200 short stories.
His career has earned him coveted literary awards that are just too many to count, including the Living Legend Award from the International Horror Guild, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Bram Stoker, and Grand Master Award from World Horror Convention. It is estimated that about 350 million copies of his works had been sold as of 2016.
10. Danielle Steel
- Net Worth: $400 Million
- Nationality: American
Danielle Steel was born in New York on the 14th of August 1947. She published her first novel titled Going Home in 1972 and has been relentless about writing since then. Admired for her romance novels, the American writer has so far written no fewer than 190 books. She is one of the bestselling authors of all time as much as she is one of the richest book authors in the world.
Several reports have it that her books have sold more than 800 million copies all over the world. You will find her works in at least 43 different languages and no one needs to be told that writing is the source of her wealth currently estimated at a massive $400 million.
11. John Grisham
- Net Worth: $400 Million
- Nationality: American
Also one of the richest book authors in the world, Michael Crichton was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas on the 8th of February 1955. He attended Mississippi State University and bagged a Doctor of Law. Thereafter, he practiced criminal law for roughly ten years and served as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1984 to 1990.
While he was in office, he started writing his first novel, A Time to Kill, which was published in June 1989. Since then, Grisham has published dozens of novels, several children’s books, and a few short stories and non-fiction. Consecutively, he published 28 works that became number one bestseller and it is estimated that over 300 million copies of his books have been sold across the world.
12. Nora Roberts
- Net Worth: $390 Million
- Nationality: American
Nora Roberts’ other pen names are Sarah Hardesty, Jill March, and J.D. Robb. She was born on the 10th of October 1950 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Roberts is mostly known for her romance novels and was the first person to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. She has so far published hundreds of romance novels and a good number of them made The New York Times Best Seller list.
She was repeatedly rejected when she started writing in 1979 but then Silhouette came along in 1980, gave her a chance, and her first novel titled Irish Thoroughbred dropped in 1981. Nora has been at it since then and it is the major source of her wealth.
13. Pleasant T. Rowland
- Net Worth: $355 Million
- Nationality: American
More than being a writer, Pleasant Thiele Rowland is an American educator, reporter, and entrepreneur. She has written and published multiple children’s textbooks since she abandoned being a news reporter and anchor to pursue a career in the field.
While her books have contributed a significant amount to her wealth, the bulk of her fortune currently estimated at $355 million came from her American Girl doll company. However, it was her career as a textbook author that made her a millionaire. It is said that she founded the doll company with $1.2 million which she earned from royalties.
14. Barbara Taylor Bradford
- Net Worth: $300 Million
- Nationality: British-America
Barbara Taylor Bradford is a British-American novelist and one of the richest book authors in the world. She was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England on the 10th of May 1933 but has been a Citizen of the United States of America since 1992: she is married to Robert Bradford, an American film producer. Bradford’s career as a writer began with a bang.
She published her debut novel titled A Woman of Substance in 1979 and it quickly became a bestseller with at least 30 million copies sold across the globe. The book is counted in some quarters among the best books ever written. She has published about 35 novels so far, all of which are best-sellers; it is said that her books have sold over 92 million copies.
15. Grant Cardone
- Net Worth: $300 Million
- Nationality: American
Apart from being a writer, Grant Cardone is an entrepreneur, speaker, and sales trainer with years of experience in the auto industry and real estate. Often described as a real estate mogul, the CEO of Cardone Capital and Cardon Enterprises also founded The 10X Growth Conference which considers itself the largest business and entrepreneur conference in the world.
So, a large portion of Grant’s wealth came from his businesses but he has made good money from the many books he has published. His most popular books are The 10x Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure and If You’re Not First, You’re Last: Sales Strategies to Dominate Your Market and Beat Your Competition.
16. Olivia Harrison
- Net Worth: $300 Million
- Nationality: American
Born in Los Angeles, California, on the 18th of May 1948, Olivia Harrison is an American author and film producer but she is mostly known as the widow of late famous English entertainer, George Harrison. Harrison was a musician known across the world as the lead guitarist of what is considered to be the most influential band of all time – The Beatles. As a writer, Olivia has published multiple books, but they are not the major source of her wealth. When her husband passed on in 2001, it was estimated that he was worth $400 million; all of which he left to Olivia and their son Dhani Harrison.
So while she isn’t one of the bestselling writers known to the world, she is surely one of the richest book authors. Her exploits as a film producer have also been financially rewarding. She produced the Concert for George tribute in November 2002 and its film went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video. She also co-produced the 2011 documentary film titled George Harrison: Living in the Material World. She has pulled off other successful projects in the movie industry which yielded significant amounts but Olivia is all for charity and has been donating huge sums to support causes that matter.
17. Kenneth Copeland
- Net Worth: $300 Million
- Nationality: American
Kenneth Copeland has authored dozens of books and resources read across the globe but he didn’t set out to become a writer. The American televangelist was born on the 6th of December 1936 in Lubbock, Texas. His parents raised him near the United States Army Air Forces airfield in West Texas which influenced him to become a pilot. He also pursued a career as a recording artist for a while before he decided to devote his life to ministry work. It was in 1967 that the Texas native and his third wife Gloria Neece founded the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (KCM) which would go on to become a global phenomenon.
Through the ministry based in Fort Worth, Texas, he has reached out to the entire world via television programs and many publications like The Laws of Prosperity, A Ceremony of Marriage, How to Discipline your Flesh, Classic Redemption, The Wake-up Call, From Faith to Faith: A Daily Guide to Victory, and so much more. There is no doubt his books have been a cash cow for the televangelist celebrated as a leader of the charismatic movement in Christianity. He owns private jets and they are just one of his lavish purchases.
18. Nigel Blackwell
- Net Worth: $292 Million
- Nationality: English
Nigel Blackwell, according to multiple sources, is also one of the richest book authors in the world. The English writer’s works range from humor and comedy to suspense and thrillers. Born in rural Oxfordshire located in Banbury, England, Nigel is passionate about books, so much that even his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry hasn’t kept him away from writing. As culled from his site, he is currently working on some thriller short stories with supernatural and mystical elements. Blackwell is the author of Paris Love Match which was first published in April 2013. However, his most significant work is the Jess Kimball series which he collaborated with Diane Capri to write.
Like other authors on this list, Nigel has made good money from his book. Although he is not the most successful writer out there, he is one of the richest in the field. From what we gathered, his wealth came from what he received when Blackwell Publishing was sold to John Wiley for £572 million sometime in 2006. It is said that Nigel and his uncle Toby Blackwell received £195 million from the sale. Although we are yet to authenticate this, various platforms claim that the English author is worth over $292 million.
19. Dave Ramsey
- Net Worth: $200 Million
- Nationality: American
Dave Ramsey has multiple sources of income and though he has made good money from his books, they are not the biggest source of his wealth valued at $200 million. The American author born on the 3rd of September 1960 in Antioch, Tennessee, has published about 30 distinct works. His most popular book is The New York Times bestseller, The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness. The personal finance book was first published in 2003 with updated editions published in 2007 and 2013. Some of his other popular books include Financial Peace Revisited and EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches.
More than being a writer, Dave is a radio show host and businessman. He reportedly took the real estate exam when he was 18 years old and began selling property while seeing himself through college. Since he obtained his degree in Finance and Real Estate, Dave has explored multiple business opportunities and has successfully built a brand around offering people financial advice. Amongst other things, he founded a financial counseling service called Lampo Group in 1988. Roughly four years later, he published his first book titled Financial Peace.
20. Jeffrey Archer
- Net Worth: $200 Million
- Nationality: English
Jeffrey Archer is one of the richest book authors in the world who made their wealth mostly from their books. Interestingly, writing was not the first career choice of the English novelist celebrated across the globe. Born in Holloway, London, on the 15th of April 1940, Jeffrey Howard Archer spent most of his early life at Weston-super-Mare. After his college education, he embraced a career in politics and soon became a Member of Parliament. But then, a financial scandal forced him out of politics and he had to turn to writing in a quest to avoid bankruptcy.
So, in 1974, the same year he left office as a Member of Parliament for Louth, Lincolnshire, he published his first book titled Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less. Since then, he has published at least 42 books, including the Kane and Abel series, the Clifton Chronicles, multiple individual novels, dozens of short stories, and a few plays, non-fiction, and children’s books. It is said that his works have been translated into as many as 33 languages with more than 320 million copies sold worldwide.
21. R.L Stine
- Net Worth: $200 Million
- Nationality: American
R. L. Stine is a native of Columbus, Ohio, and he was born on the 8th of October 1943. The American novelist also known as Eric Affabee and Jovial Bob Stine has been writing for a living since he graduated from Ohio State University where he bagged a degree in English; this was in 1965. While in college, he served as the editor of a humor magazine called The Sundial. Following his graduation, he relocated to New York City to focus on being a writer and soon created a unique niche for himself as an author for children’s horror fiction novels.
Regarded as the Stephen King of children’s literature, Robert Lawrence Stine has written hundreds of novels, including children’s book series like The Nightmare Room, the teenage horror fiction series Fear Street, Mostly Ghostly, Goosebumps, and Rotten School. He also has stand-alone novels like When Good Ghouls Go Bad, Superstitious, Red Rain, It’s the First Day of School—Forever! and Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls. It is estimated that over 400 million copies of his books have been sold. As Stine is also a screenwriter and television producer, it is not hard to see how he is one of the richest book authors in the world.
22. Dean Koontz
- Net Worth: $200 Million
- Nationality: American
Dean Koontz’s body of work as an author includes at least 105 novels, several novellas, and collections of short stories. Some reports have it that the American author from Everett, Pennsylvania has sold more than 450 million copies of his books. Some of his notable works include Lightning, Hideaway, Watchers, Intensity, Phantoms, and The Face of Fear. Nonetheless, he is mostly known for the Odd Thomas series, a New York Times Bestseller which was adapted into a 2013 American supernatural mystery thriller film of the same title.
Born on the 9th of July 1945, Dean Ray Koontz had a troubled childhood; he once disclosed that his abusive alcoholic father influenced his writing. Dean first suspected he has a future as a writer when he won a fiction competition sponsored by The Atlantic Monthly magazine during his senior year in college. Following his graduation, he worked as an English teacher and started writing his first novel titled Star Quest which was published in 1968. He has not relented since then and is now considered a master of suspense thrillers with elements of satire, mystery, fantasy, and horror.
23. Dan Brown
- Net Worth: $160 Million
- Nationality: American
Dan Brown is one of the most successful and richest book authors in the world at the moment. The American writer admired across the globe for his thriller novels was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, on the 22nd of June 1964. The beginning of his career as a writer has been traced to 1993 when he was on a vacation in Tahiti. As the story goes, Daniel Gerhard Brown read The Doomsday Conspiracy during the vacation and the thriller novel written by late American writer Sidney Sheldon inspired him to become a writer and by 1996, he abandoned being a teacher to focus on writing.
Since then, he has published multiple books categorized in genres like thriller, adventure, mystery, and conspiracy. His most popular works include Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Last Symbol, Inferno, Origin, Deception Point, and Digital Fortress. Back in 2012, it was estimated that about 200 million copies of his books have been sold. As several of his works have been adapted into films, how he joined the richest writers in the world is not far-fetched.
24. David Oyedepo
- Net Worth: $150 Million
- Nationality: Nigerian
David Oyedepo probably wouldn’t have had anything to do with writing if he isn’t a preacher. Born on the 27th of September 1954 in Omu Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria, Oyedepo is the founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide which has spread its wings to no fewer than 145 countries from its headquarters in Ota, Ogun States. Born into a mixed religious family with a Muslim father and a Christian mother, David was raised by his grandmother who inspired and nurtured his passion for the Christian faith.
A trained architect, the Bishop of Faith Tabernacle attended Kwara State Polytechnic in Ilorin where he studied architecture. He founded his ministry in 1981 and it has grown in leap and bounds since then. As far as many people are concerned, the church has been the biggest source of his wealth. But then, Oyedepo has published numerous Christian books through his ministry’s Dominion Publishing House. He is also the Chancellor of Covenant University, a private Christian university also located in Ota.
25. George R. R. Martin
- Net Worth: $120 Million
- Nationality: American
George R. R. Martin isn’t only one of the richest book authors but also one of the most influential people in the world. The American novelist and short-story writer is a native of Bayonne, New Jersey where he was born on the 20th of September 1948. His works are mostly grouped under the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres. Martin has published dozens of works but he is mostly known for his epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. The book was adapted into the famous HBO series, Game of Thrones, which ran from 2011 to 2019.
Some of his other famous works include A Song for Lya, Sandkings, The Way of Cross and Dragon, The Storms of Windhaven, Nightflyers, Guardians, The Monkey Treatment, Blood of the Dragon, and much more. He has won and received multiple nominations for coveted literary awards like Hugo, Locus, and Nebula. As he is also a screenwriter and television producer, anyone with half an eye could see how George R. R. Martin accumulated his wealth.
Recap of Richest Book Authors
- MacKenzie Scott
- Elisabeth Badinter
- J. K. Rowling
- James Patterson
- Jim Davis
- Matt Groening
- Candy Spelling
- Paolo Coelho
- Stephen King
- Danielle Steel
- John Grisham
- Nora Roberts
- Pleasant T. Rowland
- Barbara Taylor Bradford
- Grant Cardone
- Olivia Harrison
- Kenneth Copeland
- Nigel Blackwell
- Dave Ramsey
- Jeffrey Archer
- R.L Stine
- Dean Koontz
- Dan Brown
- David Oyedepo
- George R. R. Martin
Who Is The Best-selling Author of All Time?
According to Guinness World Records, late English writer Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time for fiction. Before she passed on in January 1976, she had published 66 detective novels and 14 collections of short stories. Her works have been translated into at least 44 languages with about two billion copies sold across the globe Now, it is hard to think of any author that has sold more than that number. So, it wouldn’t be wrong to assert that Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time.
Who Is The Highest-Paid Author In The World?
What writers make differ from year to year but is determined by the popularity of their work; that is, the number of their books sold and other franchise deals that might come with that. Based on the foregoing, J. K. Rowling is the highest-paid author in recent history. She is one of the top three richest book authors and the only author who became a billionaire directly from being a writer.
Is William Shakespeare The Most Famous Author In History?
William Shakespeare was an English author who lived from the 26th of April 1564 to the 23rd of April 1616. The fact that his name and works are still popular to date shows that he is arguable, the most famous author in history. Other famous writers in history include Dante Alighieri, Homer, Sun Tzu, and many others.
