Top 10 Richest Authors In The World – Updated List 2023

Throughout history, we have had thousands of great writers who have made significant changes in the world through their worlds. Words motivate, inspire, and give wings to people’s minds and history has also taught us that they are sharper than the swords of a warrior. Here we have compiled a list of the names and net worth of the top 10 richest authors in the world who have made their fortune through the art of writing. 

Other than this, writers today are also able to earn a considerable sum of money from their published works. It is surprising to know that there are famous writers who hold the title of a millionaire (and even billionaire) from the money that they gained through their passion for writing. Here is the list of the richest authors of all time.

List Of Richest Authors In The World And Their Net Worth – 2023

• Jeffrey Archer
• John Grisham
• Nigel Blackwell
• Barbara Taylor Bradford
• Danielle Steel
• Nora Roberts
• Stephen King
• James Patterson
• J.K. Rowling
• Elisabeth Badinter

10. Jeffrey Archer – $195 Million

Famous British author Jeffrey Archer came into the world of letters from an active career in politics, and it was through his second choice of profession that he was able to make a net worth of $195 million.

Born on April 15, 1049, Archer completed his education at some of the most prestigious institutions in the country like the Wellington School and Oxford University. Archer studied for a diploma in education. He was also an inactive participant in athletics and was even selected by the Oxford University Athletic Club. 

Jeffrey Archer was the first conservative candidate to be elected as the mayor of London. Later in 1999, Archer resigned his candidacy as he was also found guilty by the court of charges of perjury and perverting the course of justice in a case he was involved in, which took place in 1987.

He was sentenced to imprisonment and remained behind the bars from 2001 to 2003. Archer was the victim of a severe investment fraud that involved a Canadian company. He lost a major share of his fortune and was almost bankrupt. 

Jeffrey Archer took up writing as a way to avoid bankruptcy. He penned his first work, which was a novel under the title ‘Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less’ in the year 1974. The book was accepted by Debrah Own, a literary agent and it was first published in the U.S. The book was published in the U.K. around two years later, in 1976.  

The novel written by Archer in 1979, titled Kane and Abel, is credited as his best-selling work to date. The book has sold almost 34 million copies worldwide, and it has also made it to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list.

As it became widely popular, the work became the base of many adaptations. The novel was made into a television mini-series by CBS in 1985. Like most of his early works, the Olympic fencing gold medalist Richard Cohen edited the book. 

Another best-seller novel written by Jefferey Archer is ‘First Among Equals’ which was published in 1984. Several situations in the novel which tell the story of four British politicians who strive to become the Prime Minister are said to be drawn from the real life of Jeffrey Archer.

The author is estimated to have sold over 250 million copies of his books worldwide and that has contributed to his massive net worth of $195 million. And he is one of the top richest authors in the world.

9. John Grisham – $220 million

The popular American novelist John Grisham is definitely one of the richest authors of all time. He was born on February 8, 1955, and his original name was John Ray Grishm Jr. He was born as the son of John Ray Grisham Sr who was a construction worker and also a cotton farmer. Despite his hard childhood, Grisham was able to build up a fortune valued at $220 million through his writing.

His mother Wanda was a homemaker. Even though his parents had no kind of formal education his mother was one of his biggest supporters in preparing him to read and write and also for his higher education. 

John Grisham received publicity and a reputation as a good writer through his book ‘The Firm.’ It was released in 1991 and the book was a legal thriller. It was the first bestseller written by Grisham.

The Firm is calculated to have sold over seven million copies worldwide, making the book a very popular one. The book became so popular that a movie starring actor Tom Cruise was made based on the book of the same name.

Another television series was also made based on the book, which featured the events that took place years after the events in the film and the novel.  

The first published novel written by John Grisham was ‘A Time To Kill.’It took him about four years to complete the novel. He has also written many other novels and around seven of his works were later adapted into films.

Examples of such works include The Chamber, The Client, Skipping Christmas, The Runaway Jury, and a few more. With such a high number of popular books, it is estimated that John Grisham earns around $50-80 million per year as the royalties or advances for his book/movie.

Well known for his legal thriller novels, John Grisham is estimated to have sold around 300 million copies of books in his career as an author. 

8. Nigel Blackwell – $292.5 Million

The author, Nigel Blackwell, was born in Oxfordshire, England. Nigel used to love books as much as he enjoyed his studies. Even though he is a reputed writer and has received millions through his profession as an author, Nigel Blackwell holds a Ph.D. in physical chemistry.

The richest author’s net worth is $292.5 million. On his Twitter account, Nigel Blackwell describes himself as a person who loves to travel very much. As for his other interests, Nigel has mentioned skiing, and fast cars and he has also added his family to the list. Nigel now resides in Texas along with his family. 

Nigel Blackwell wrote some of the most popular books like ‘Paris Love Match’ which was published in 2013 and ‘By The Light’ which was published in 2020. One of the most popular creations by Nigel Blackwell came from his association with writer Diane Capri.

It is said that Nigel and Diane got together to write their new book following the suggestion of one of their friends. That was what gave birth to the adventure stories of investigative reporter Jess Kimball. There have been about eight books in the Jess Kimball series, which pretty much stands for the popularity the character and the novel have among its readers. 

7. Barbara Taylor Bradford – $300 Million 

Regarded as one of the most successful female writers of our times, Barbara Taylor Bradford is a British- American novelist, the world’s richest author who has a net worth of $300 million. Her first novel titled ‘A Women of Substance’ was published in 1979 and her first book itself was an instant hit.

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The book sold over 30 million copies all over the world. All throughout her career, Barbara wrote about 39 novels. The most striking fact about all her work is that they were all best sellers in both England and also in the United States, giving her the official status of one of the most successful writers.

Born on May 10, 1993, in Yorkshire, England, Barbara was fascinated with writing from a very young age. Barbara wrote her first story at the age of ten and that was the start of her incredible career.

Later on in her life, Barbara worked as a writer for many different media organizations like Yorkshire Evening Post and later, the Woman’s Own Magazine. Barbara started his writing career through four novels, which were then reported to be abandoned. 

‘A Woman of Substance’ was the first novel written by her and the book became an instant success and sold millions of copies. According to a report by Reuters, the novel is regarded as one of the top ten best-selling novels of all time.

The other 38 novels that Barbara wrote after that also turned out to be bestsellers in England and the United States. As per records, it is calculated the writer has sold over 92 million copies over 90 countries and that too, in 40 different languages, making her one of the most popular writers of our time.

Robert E. Bradford, the husband of Barbara Bradford, turned ten of her novels into television mini-series and movies.

6. Danielle Steel – $310 Million

Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel was born in New York on August 14, 1947, and is an author who is well-known for her romance novels. Her fortune numbers at around $310 million, and she is ranked sixth on our list of the richest authors in the world. Danielle spent most of her childhood in France, and her parents got divorced when she was just eight years old.

Danielle had an affinity for writing from a very young age, and she used to write stories as a child and also wrote poetry in her teens. She joined New York University for her higher studies and completed her first manuscript at the age of just 19. In her careering writing, aside from being a writer, Danielle used to work in different firms like advertising and public relations. 

Danielle Steel’s first novel was Going Home, which was published in 1973. Danielle used to focus on themes like human relationships and family issues in almost all of her novels.

Just like her first novels, her following books like ‘Passion’s Promise’ and ‘Now and Forever’ were also huge hits among her readers and these back-to-back hits made her a very prominent figure in New York City society. Danielle Steels have written almost 190 books throughout her career and 140 of them are novels. 

The author is calculated to have sold over 800 million copies of her books worldwide. Almost all of her 140 novels are deemed best sellers, which brought a Guinness World Record for Danielle. She earned the record for having a book on the New York Times Bestseller List for the most consecutive weeks, which was 381 at that time. 

5. Nora Roberts – $390 Million

Originally named Eleanor Marie Robertson and better known by her professional name, Nora Roberts is an American author who is famous for her novels, which revolve around romantic themes.

She is one of the richest authors of all time, with a net worth of around $390 million. Nora was born on October 10, 1950, in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. Roberts was born in an Irish family as the youngest of five children.

She has described that she was born into a family of reading enthusiasts and books were an inevitable part of her childhood. But Nora did not start or discover her love for and talent for writing until late in her life. 

Throughout her successful writing career, Nora Robert has written almost 225 novels, only if more. Rather than writing in her own name, Roberts preferred to write under pseudo names.

Some of the names that she used to publish her works include J.D Robb, Jill March, and Sarah Hardesty. Nora Roberts is one of the most successful writers in the whole history of America and almost all of her works are well-received and appreciated by her readers. 

With millions of copies sold all across the globe, Nora Roberts was able to build a huge ner for herself. She also owns properties in different places that are valued at millions.

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She owns a huge house in Maryland and apart from that Roberts is also known to have properties in major cities like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, New York, and a few more. She is also said to own a posh array of luxury cars, including a Rolls Royce, Land Rover, Jaguar F Type, etc. 

Through her amazing works, Nora Roberts has built a huge fan base for her and also has gathered quite some amount of money from her career. It is noted that almost every word of Nora Robert from 1999 has become a bestseller. Also, Nora Roberts was one of the first authors to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America hall of fame. 

4. Stephen King – $400 Million

Often regarded as the ‘King of Horror,’ Stephen King is well known for his novels and other literary works which revolve around themes like horror, supernatural fiction, crime, sci-fi, and fantasy novels.

Stephen King is one of the best authors who work in the so-called ‘dark’ themes and have proven his talent in creating such amazing works. Throughout his ever-successful career, King has sold over 350 million copies of his works and it has helped him to build a net worth of $400 million.

He has not only focused on novels but has also written different short stories too. The number of novels he has written is around 64 while there are about 200 short stories that have been published. Stephen King also used to write under pseudo names like Richard Bachman. 

Born in Portland, Maine on September 21, 1947, Stephen King was the son of Donald Edwin King and Nellie Ruth King. It was said that Stephen King encountered a very tragic incident in his childhood when he witnessed the death of one of his friends.

There are critics who argue that the incident can be King’s inspiration for his works in dark themes but his memoir ‘On Writing’ which was published in 2000, made no mention of any such incidents. Stephen King attended Lisbon Falls High School for his formal education and later he joined the University of Maine where he studied and earned his bachelor of arts degree in English. 

Stephen King started his professional career as an author through his short story ‘The Glass Floor’ which was published in 1967. From there, the author is calculated to have sold more than 350 million copies worldwide.

Some of the rocks by Stephen King have been adapted and made into movies, television series, miniseries, and even comic books. Stephen King mentioned that as a writer, he was most influenced by Richard Matheson, an American writer who mainly has a writing interest the same as that of Stephen King. 

3.  James Patterson – $560 Million

James Brendan Patterson is the definition of a successful author. To get an insight into the success gathered through his writing career, Patterson was listed as number one on the list of highest-paid authors by Forbes for three consecutive years.

He is one of the richest authors in the world, with an estimated net worth of $560 million. As per statistics, James Patterson has sold more than 300 million copies of his book all over the world. He is also the first author in the world to have sold 1 million ebooks. 

Born on March 22, 1947, in Newburgh, New York, James Patterson, is the son of Isabelle and Charles Patterson. His father used to work as an insurance broker and his mother was a homemaker.

Patterson completed his education summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English from Manhattan College and also a Master’s degree in English from Vanderbilt University. After completing his education, advertising was his career choice made by Patterson.

In his advertising career, Patterson worked as an advertising executive at J. Walter Thompson. It was after retiring from his job and leaving the advertising field that Patterson took up writing. He published his first novel ‘The Thomas Berryman Number in 1976. 

James Patterson is one of the most successful authors of all time. He also holds a Guinness world record for the #1 New York Times Bestseller by a single author. Patterson has gained the title around 67 times.

According to some reports, it is calculated that James Patterson has sold more books than the number of books sold by famous authors Stephen King, John Grisham, and Dan Brown combined. As obvious as it is, the number can be quite a large one, which is one of the best proofs of the height of his success and the acceptability that his work has among book lovers. 

Almost all books written by the author are well received and appreciated by their readers. His most notable works include books like Along Came a Spider-Man, 22 Seconds, The President is Missing, Fear No Evil, and The Girl in the Castle, which have made him one of the richest authors of all time.

Some of the works by James Patterson have also been made into movies, like Alex Cross, Along Came a Spider, First to Die, and a few more. 

2. J. K. Rowling – $1 Billion

J. K. Rowling, who is the second-richest author in the world, is right next to James Patterson. J.K. Rowling, arguably one of the most famous writers of the modern era, rose to prominence in the 2000s with her fantasy novel series Harry Potter.

While the richest author’s net worth is estimated to be $1 Billion, the writer had insisted that he was not a billionaire but reports say that J.K Rowling is the first billionaire author in the world Just like being a successful author, Rowling is also a philanthropist and it is said that she has given a very significant share of her earnings to charity.

Her novels in the Harry Potter series are regarded as one of the best-selling books of all time and are calculated to have sold over 500 million copies worldwide. It has also been translated into more than seventy different languages, making it one of the most read and popular books of all time. 

Joanne Rowling was born on 31 July 1965 in Gloucestershire. She is the daughter of Anne and Peter. Her parents met for the first time during a train journey and both her parents were associated with the Royal Navy.

Later they both resigned from their job in the Navy and got settled. Both of her parents did not attend university. After her high school education, Rowling enrolled at the University of Exeter and graduated there in 1986. 

It was while working for Amnesty International in London that Rowling started writing her masterpiece Harry Potter novels. She was a single mother and had to face different difficulties in her life. Rowling also used to work as an English teacher and later after the birth of her child, she settled in Edinburgh. 

The first volume of the Harry Potter series was published in 2007 and the book was mainly intended for kids. Her first novel written for adults was ‘The Casual Vacancy’ which was published in 2012.

The Harry Potter series was later adapted into a movie and is one of the most-grossing film franchises of all time. The enormous success of the films also took the popularity of Rowling to next level and she also gained a huge amount of rights over the story.

She also wrote some other books which are connected to the world of Harry Potter like the Fantastic Beast series, which were also later made into movies.

J.K Rowling is credited for using her wealth and popularity gained through her books to stand for greater social and political causes and also for her immense contributions to the field of charity. 

She has also received many accolades for her career as an author. She is the winner of awards like the British Book Awards, World Science Fiction Conventions Hugo Awards, and also many other recognitions.

She is an official member of different elite societies like the Royal Society of Literature, The Royal Society of Edinburgh, and also the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. 

1. Elisabeth Badinter – $1.3 Billion

Regarded as one of the most influential and wealthiest French citizens, Elisabeth Badinter is a famous author, historian, and also philosopher. Elisabeth Badinter is most known for her work on the treaties on feminism.

She is a very strong advocate of women’s rights and works for better treatment and role for women in society and also for the rights of migrant workers rights in France. She is considered the world’s richest author, with a net worth of $1.3 billion. 

Other than being an author, Elizabeth Badinter is also a very successful businesswoman. She is the largest shareholder of Publicis Groupe, which is a multinational advertising and public relations company, making her the richest author of all time.

They are often considered the largest company in its area, with operations in almost all major countries. The company was founded by her father and the shares were inherited by her from her father. 

Elisabeth Badinter was born on March 5, 1944 in Boulogne-Billancourt. Her father was Marcel Boulogne-Billancourt, who was the founder of Publicis Groupe and her mother was Sophie Valliant. Sophie was the granddaughter of a French political leader and activist.

After her school education, Elisabeth was greatly influenced by The Second Sex, which is a book written by the French author Simon de Beauvoir. Elisabeth was highly influenced by the book which prompted her to take up philosophy at Sorbonne University. 

After completing her education, Elizabeth Badinter took up the job of a teacher at the Ecole Polytechnique in France. It was then Badinter stepped into her career of writing. Her first book, which was titled ‘L’Amour en plus’ was published in 1980.

The book looked into the issue of maternal love and examined the concept from different angles. Her book ‘The Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines the Status of Women’ made quite a stir in 2010 and it also became a bestseller in Europe.  

Conclusion

Let’s be frank. Writing is not considered the best career choice and the struggles that one must go through in order to have a highly successful career in writing are not simple. Here we have listed the richest authors in the world and their net worth.

While most of the writers are not lucky enough like the authors mentioned above, let that not stop people from embracing the art of writing. Also, it should be kept in mind that if you are looking to earn from your writing, connecting with your readers is the ultimate key, and let the stories of these writers inspire you too. 

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