List of best-selling fiction authors

Best selling fiction authors to date in any language From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of best-selling fiction authors to date, in any language. While finding precise sales numbers for any given author is nearly impossible, the list is based on approximate numbers provided or repeated by reliable sources. "Best selling" refers to the estimated number of copies sold of all fiction books written or co-written by an author. To keep the list manageable, only authors with estimated sales of at least 100 million are included. Authors of comic books are not included unless they have been published in book format (for example, comic albums, manga tankōbon volumes, trade paperbacks, or graphic novels).

Authors such as Jane Austen, Miguel de Cervantes, Alexandre Dumas, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, Victor Hugo, Jules Verne, Rick Riordan, Ernest Hemingway, Jack Higgins, Isaac Asimov and Leon Uris have not been included in the table because no exact figures could be found—although there are indications that they too have more than 100 million copies of their work in print.[citation needed]

List

Estimates come from different years and are therefore not directly comparable.

More information Author, Min. estimated sales ...
AuthorMin. estimated salesMax. estimated salesOriginal languageGenre and/or major worksNumber of booksNationality
William Shakespeare 2 billion 4 billion[1] English Plays and poetry, e.g. Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet 42 British
Agatha Christie 2 billion[2] 4 billion[1] English Whodunits, including the Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot series 86 British
Barbara Cartland 500 million[3] 1 billion[4] English Romance 723 British
Danielle Steel 500 million[5] 800 million[6] English General fiction, romance 179 American
Harold Robbins 750 million[7] 750 million[8] English Adventure 23 American
Georges Simenon 500 million[9] 700 million[10] French Detectives, Maigret, romans durs 570 Belgian
J. K. Rowling 600 million[11] 650 million[12] English Harry Potter among other works 22 British
Eiichiro Oda 500 million 535 million[c] Japanese Manga, One Piece 110 Japanese
Enid Blyton 400 million[22] 600 million[23] English Children's literature, Noddy, The Famous Five, The Secret Seven 800 British
Jackie Collins 400 million[24] 500 million[25] English Romance 32 British
Sidney Sheldon 300 million[26] 500 million[27] English Suspense 21 American
Gilbert Patten 125 million[28] 500 million[29] English Adolescent adventures 209 American
Dr. Seuss 100 million[30] 500 million[31] English Children's literature 44 American
Akira Toriyama 298 million[f] 438 million[f] Japanese Manga, Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Super 66 Japanese
Leo Tolstoy 413 million[34] 413 million[34] Russian War and Peace, Anna Karenina 48 Russian
Corín Tellado 400 million[35] 400 million[36] Spanish Romance 4,000 Spanish
James Patterson 400 million[37] 400 million[37] English Thriller, Alex Cross Maximum Ride 400+ American
Dean Koontz 325 million[38] 400 million[39] English Horror, thriller, science fiction, fantasy 91 American
Stephen King 300 million[40] 400 million[41] English Horror, science fiction, fantasy, It, The Shining, The Stand, Pet Sematary, Salem's Lot, The Green Mile 77 American
Horatio Alger 200 million[42] 400 million[43] English Dime novels 135 American
Nora Roberts 145 million[44] 400 million[45] English Romance 200+ American
R. L. Stine 100 million[46] 400 million[47] English Goosebumps series, Fear Street series, horror, comedy 430+ American
Alexander Pushkin 357 million[34] 357 million[34] Russian Plays, poetry, prose, Eugene Onegin 17 Russian
Paulo Coelho 225 million[48] 350 million[49] Portuguese The Alchemist 28 Brazilian
Jirō Akagawa 300 million[50] 330 million[51] Japanese Mystery 500+ Japanese
Jeffrey Archer 250 million[52] 330 million[53] English Saga, thriller, short stories, Kane and Abel, The Clifton Chronicles 33 British
Louis L'Amour 230 million[54] 330 million[55] English Western 101 American
René Goscinny 325 million[56] 325 million[56] French Franco-Belgian comics, Asterix, Lucky Luke, Iznogoud 108 French
Erle Stanley Gardner 100 million[57] 325 million[58] English Mystery, Perry Mason 140 American
Edgar Wallace 300 million[59] 300 million[59] English Detective 175 British
Janet Dailey 300 million[60] 300 million[61] English Romance 93 American
Jin Yong 100 million[62] 300 million[63][64] Chinese Wuxia 15 Chinese
Robert Ludlum 110 million[65] 290 million[66] English Espionage, Jason Bourne 40 American
Osamu Tezuka 276 million[67] 276 million[67] Japanese Manga, Astro Boy, Black Jack, Buddha 62 Japanese
Frédéric Dard 200 million[68] 270 million[69] French Detective, San Antonio 300 French
Stan and Jan Berenstain 200 million[70] 260 million[71] English Berenstain Bears 300+ American
Roald Dahl 200 million[72] 250 million[73] English Children's literature 50 British
Zane Grey 250 million[74] 250 million[74] English Western American
Irving Wallace 250 million[75] 250 million[75] English Suspense American
Masashi Kishimoto 250 million[76] 250 million[77] Japanese Manga, Naruto 72 Japanese
Gosho Aoyama 250 million[78] 250 million[79] Japanese Manga, Detective Conan 100 Japanese
J. R. R. Tolkien 200 million[80] 250 million[81] English The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, classical fantasy 36 British
John Grisham 100 million[82] 250 million[83] English Legal thriller 35 American
Karl May 100 million[84] 200 million[85] German Western, adventure 80 German
Mickey Spillane 100 million[86] 200 million[87] English Detective, Mike Hammer American
C. S. Lewis 100 million[88] 200 million[89] English The Chronicles of Narnia, fantasy, popular theology 38 British
Kyotaro Nishimura 200 million[90] Japanese Mystery 400+ Japanese
Mitsuru Adachi 200 million[91] Japanese Manga, Touch, H2, Slow Step, Miyuki,Cross Game Japanese
Rumiko Takahashi 200 million[91] Japanese Manga Urusei Yatsura, Ranma ½, Inuyasha, Maison Ikkoku, Rin-ne Japanese
Dan Brown 200 million 200 million[92] English Thriller, Robert Langdon 7[93] American
Alistair MacLean 150 million[94] 200 million[95] English Adventure, thriller, war stories 32 British
Ann M. Martin 172 million[96] 180 million[97] English The Baby-sitters Club 335 American
Ryōtarō Shiba 180 million[98] Japanese Historical 350 Japanese
Arthur Hailey 150 million[99] 170 million[100] English Thriller 11 British/Canadian
Astrid Lindgren 100 million[101] 165 million[102] Swedish Children's literature 100 Swedish
Koyoharu Gotouge 150 million[103] 150 million[104] Japanese Manga, Demon Slayer 23 Japanese
Anne Rice 150 million 150 million+[105] English Gothic fiction, vampires, Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles) The Witching Hour (Lives of the Mayfair Witches) 40 American
Gérard de Villiers 150 million[106] French Detectives, SAS 170 French
Beatrix Potter 100 million[107] 250 million[108] English Peter Rabbit 23 British
Michael Crichton 150 million[109] 150 million[110] English Techno thriller 25 American
Richard Scarry 100 million[111] 150 million[112] English Illustrated children's books 300+ American
Clive Cussler 40 million[113] 150 million[114] English Adventure, Dirk Pitt 37 American
Ken Follett 90 million[115] 150 million[116] English Spy thriller, historical thriller 30 British
Debbie Macomber 60 million[117] 140 million[118] English Romance American
Naoki Urasawa 140 million[119] Japanese Manga Japanese
E.L. James 100 million 125 million English Fifty Shades of Grey 7 British
Carter Brown 100 million[120] 120 million[121] English Detective Australian
Tite Kubo 120 million[122] Japanese Manga, Bleach 74 Japanese
Eiji Yoshikawa 120 million[123] Japanese Musashi 7 Japanese
Hajime Isayama 120 million 120 million[124] Japanese Manga, Attack on Titan 34 Japanese
Catherine Cookson 100 million[125] 120 million[126] English Romance 103 British
Stephenie Meyer 100 million[127] 116 million[128] English The Twilight Saga, The Host, romance 6 American
Norman Bridwell 100 million[129] 110 million[130] English Clifford the Big Red Dog 80 American
David Baldacci 110 million[131] English Thriller 25 American
Nicholas Sparks 90 million[132] 105 million[133] English Romance 22 American
Hirohiko Araki 120 million 120 million[134] Japanese Manga, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure 131 Japanese
Tom Clancy 100 million[135] 100 million[135] English Espionage, Thriller, Jack Ryan 19 American
Andrew Neiderman 100 million[136] 100 million[137] English V. C. Andrews, The Devil's Advocate 60 American
Evan Hunter 100 million[138] 100 million[139] English Detective (Ed McBain) 94 American
Roger Hargreaves 100 million[140] 100 million[141] English Children's literature, Mr. Men British
Robin Cook 100 million[142] 100 million[143] English Medical thriller Coma 27 American
Wilbur Smith 80 million[144] 100 million[145] English African adventure 32 South African/British
Erskine Caldwell 80 million[146] 100 million[147] English Literature 25 American
Judith Krantz 80 million [148] 100 million [149] English Romance 12 American
Eleanor Hibbert 100 million[150] 100 million[151] English Romance, historical, suspense 200 British
Lewis Carroll 100 million[152] English Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, absurdist literature 5 British
Denise Robins 100 million[153] English Romance 200 British
Cao Xueqin 100 million[154] Chinese Dream of the Red Chamber Chinese
Ian Fleming 100 million[155] 100 million[156] English James Bond 14 British
Hermann Hesse 100 million[157] 100 million[158] German Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, The Glass Bead Game 45 German-Swiss
Rex Stout 100 million[159] 100 million[160] English Nero Wolfe 50 American
Anne Golon 100 million[161] 100 million[162] French Angélique 14 French
Frank G. Slaughter 100 million[163] English Medical 62 American
Edgar Rice Burroughs 100 million[164] 100 million[165] English Tarzan, Barsoom and Pellucidar series, science fantasy American
John Creasey 100 million[166] English Crime thriller 600 British
James A. Michener 100 million[167] English Historical 47 American
Yasuo Uchida 100 million[168] Japanese Mystery 130+ Japanese
Seiichi Morimura 100 million[168] Japanese Mystery 350+ Japanese
Mary Higgins Clark 100 million[169] 100 million[170] English Thriller American
Penny Jordan 90 million[171] 100 million[172] English Romance 200+ British
Patricia Cornwell 100 million[173] English Thriller, Kay Scarpetta series 34+ American
Terry Pratchett 122 million 122 million English Discworld and others 50+ British
Close

See also

Notes

  1. Copies sold per week
  2. Overseas copies have not been updated since August 2022, when the most recent volume available internationally was number 100.[13]
  3. One Piece manga volume sales: 523,203,195 copies worldwide
    • Japan: 423,203,195
      • Volumes 1–103: 416,566,000[13]
      • Volume 104: 1,609,752[14]
      • Volume 105: 1,912,008[15]
      • Volume 106: 1,690,973[15]
      • Volume 107: 1,424,462[a]
    • Overseas (volumes 1–100): 100,000,000[b]
  4. Tankōbon book sales of Akira Toriyama's manga:

References

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