25 Wealthiest Authors in the World

This British author is best known for writing the hit novel “The Girl on the Train” in 2015. It’s a psychological thriller dealing with domestic violence and alcohol abuse.

YouTuber and writer of the hit novel, “The Fault in Our Stars,” Green has written several other novels, many of which have won literary awards like Michael L. Printz Award. 

Widely known as the author of the “Percy Jackson” young adult fantasy book series, Riordan also penned several other young adult fiction books, including “The 39 Clues” and “The Kane Chronicles.”

Before writing his epic fantasy “The Game of Thrones,” Martin was a writer on the television shows “The Twilight Zone” and “Beauty and the Beast.” He’s won several awards, including the Hugo Awards, Nebula Awards, and Locus Awards.

Once a newspaper cartoonist, Kinney published “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” in 2007, turning him into a New York Times best-selling author. Since then, he’s published several sequels and turned it into a popular movie series.

Famous for her best-selling young adult series “The Hunger Games,” she initially started her professional writing career on the Nickelodeon show “Clarissa Explains it All.” Overall, Collins books have sold 85 million copies worldwide.

This prolific author has written over 35 novels. She started writing romance in the ’80s but today writes action-adventure. She’s won several awards including the Quill Award and a Dilys Award.

Meyer earned most of her wealth off of her hit “Twilight” book series. It sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and was turned into a wildly successful film franchise. She currently is a movie producer under her production company “Fickle Fish Films.”

This prolific author has been writing since college and has sold over 450 million copies of his books in total. He’s written under several pen names and is mostly known for his horror and mystery novels.

Primarily a famous pastor in Nigeria, this author has written several popular books on faith and spirituality. He’s the lead pastor at Faith Tabernacle which can seat up to 50,000 people.

Publishing her romance novel “Fifty Shades of Grey” online, it became a viral sensation and was picked up by Vintage Books. Overall, her trilogy sold over 125 million copies and was adapted into a movie series.

Author of the best-selling novel “The Da Vinci Code,” Brown wrote several other novels, but none saw the same level of success. Still, sometimes all it takes is one book to put you over the top.

Focused on the finance and business, Ramsey has written several books on helping people manage their finances. Part of his program and advice is living completely debt-free. He’s written four New York Times best-sellers and runs his own radio show.

Children’s horror master R.L. Stine, famous for his “Goosebumps” series, has sold over 400 million copies of his books. He made the Guinness Book for being the best-selling Children’s book author in history.

Claiming to be a medium at age six, this author has penned several books on the subject, including “Talk To Me—What the Dead Whisper in Your Ear.” She also has helped law enforcement solve crimes.

A once corrupt English politician imprisoned from 2001 to 2003, Archer later became a famous author. He based most of his books on his experiences in prison. To date, he has sold over 250 million copies worldwide.

Author, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur, Cardone has written several books including, “If You’re Not First, You’re Last” which made #1 on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. However, much of his wealth comes real estate and investments rather than book sales.

Originally a lawyer, Grisham was inspired to write a novel in 1984. His first novel, “A Time To Kill” was rejected several times before finally being picked up, kicking off his career. Since then, he’s written several novels and has sold over 300 million copies in total.

This author got her start publishing in the ’80s and saw her first success with the book, “Playing the Odds.” Since then, she’s become a massive author, writing several best-sellers and practically becoming her own publisher. She is incredibly prolific, writing all hours of the day.

This author has written over 70 novels. She made the Guinness Book or having one of her novels stay on The New York Times best seller list for 381 consecutive weeks.

Horror, fantasy, and science fiction master, this author needs little introduction. He’s sold more than 350 million copies worldwide and is incredibly prolific in his own right. He’s won over 50 literary awards and many of his books have been made into films.

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Cartoonist and author of the widely successful comic strip “Garfield,” Davis has written and produced several film and television adaptations of the strip as well.

A titan of publishing in his own right, Patterson became well-known for his best-selling series with the protagonist Alex Cross. He’s written in several genres, including thrillers, mystery, and romance. Despite his success, many seasoned writers have frequently criticized him.

Famous for writing the “Harry Potter” series, Rowling has garnered significant success and wealth since its publication. The film adaptations boosted the phenomena even more, earning roughly $7 billion dollars in box office numbers.

Author of “The Testing of Luther Albright” and “Traps,” she won an American Book Award in 2006. While she’s technically an author and quite wealthy, much of that wealth derives from her recent divorce settlement with ex-husband Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon.