The world is made of so many authors. They have authored books of all genres.
Many authors have spent years writing their books. Some have faced rejection from publishers, while others have succeeded.
However, talented writers have significantly benefited from their books. They make billions from this profession.
The Top 20 Richest Authors in the World 2021
Writing is not a walk in the park. It requires talent, creativity, and patience.
We have authors who have made a good fortune out of their books.
Let’s dive into the richest authors we have in the world today.
20. Paul McKenna – $100 million
Paul McKenna is a self-help book author having a net worth of $100 million. He is also an English hypnotist inspired after hosting a hypnotist on his show.
Paul is a non-fiction bookseller. Some of his books include and I Can Make You Happy and I Can Make You Thin.
19. Stephenie Meyer – $120 million
Stephenie Meyer is the author of the Twilight book series, which all turned into a movie. She boasts of a net worth of $120 million.
Stephenie is one of the highest-selling fiction authors in the world. She is extremely creative, the reason why she is this successful.
18. David Oyedepo – $150 million
David Oyedepo is an author and a popular Nigerian pastor. He joins our list with a net worth of $150 million as of 2021.
He has authored many motivational and inspirational books. David Oyedepo has published thousands of books sold in many countries.
17. Dan Brown – $160 million
American author Dan Brown is popular for his best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code. He has an approximated net worth of $160 million.
His book The Da Vinci Code was absorbed as two movies starring Tom Hanks. Dan has since sold over 250 million copies of the book worldwide.
16. Jackie Collins – $180 million
Jackie Collins is best known for her romance novels. She was a renowned novelist with a net worth of $180 million.
500 million copies of Jackie’s novels have been sold globally. She was one of the best novelists in history.
15. Jeffrey Archer – $200 million
Jeffrey Archer is not only an author but also a politician. He has amassed a net worth of $200 million.
When he was imprisoned, Archer did his Prison Diaries series. From his career as an author, he has sold over 250 million copies of his books globally.
14. R.L Stine – $200 million
American author R.L. Stine has a net worth of $200 million. R.L. Stine is known for writing wildly children’s books having horror themes.
Stine has been an author for years, making him one of the highly successful authors. He has sold over 400 million books around the world.
13. Nigel Blackwell – $292.5 million
Nigel’s love for books has made him one of the greatest authors in history. He has an estimated net worth of $292.5 million.
Nigel Blackwell has published several books to his name. He also co-writes with Diane Capri for multiple New York Times bestsellers.
12. Barbara Taylor Bradford – $300 million
English novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford has amassed a net worth of $300 million. A Woman of Substance is one of her best novels, selling over 30 million copies globally.
Bradford-Taylor has a series of interior design books. She also has a series of children’s books in her name.
11. Tom Clancy – $300 million
Tom Clancy was an American author who passed on in 2013. He had amassed a great fortune that stands at $300 million as of 2021.
Tom authored dozens of books which were eventually turned into movies and video games. He had mastered the skill of writing non-fiction books.
10. Nora Roberts – $390 million
American author Nora Roberts comes in with a net worth of $390 million. Playing the Odds was her first bestseller.
Nora has published over 209 novels as of 2021. She has invested in writing, for she writes eight hours a day.
9. Danielle Steel – $400 million
If you are an avid novel reader, you must have come across Danielle Steel’s novels. He is a talented, prolific novelist with a net worth of $400 million.
Steel is one of the best-selling authors in the world. She has made sales of over 800 million copies of her romance novels.
8. John Grisham – $400 million
John Grisham is a renowned American author with many novels to his name. He has a net worth of $400 million as of 2021.
Yearly, Grisham makes up to 80 million in movie royalties and books. He has sold more than 300 million copies of his legal thriller novels.
7. Michael Crichton – $400 million
Michael Crichton is a legend in the book writing industry. He has authored some of the best works in history.
Michael’s net worth is roughly $400 million. He has sold more than 200 million copies of his best books, Jurassic Park and Rising Sun.
6. Stephen King – $500 million
Stephen King is a creative author with an approximated net worth of $400 million. He has since more than 350 million copies of his novels worldwide.
Stephen authors books in the genres of suspense, horror, gothic, and fantasy. One would wonder what goes through his mind when he is writing.
5. Paulo Coelho – $500 million
Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho comes in with a net worth of $500 million. He is a pretty successful author.
He is the author of the popular novel The Alchemist. He has sold over 65 million copies worldwide.
4. Candy Spelling – $600 million
Writer and American heiress Candy Spelling has a net worth of $600 million. However, most of her fortune is from her renowned husband, entertainment tycoon Aaron Spelling.
Candy has authored her autobiography, Stories from Candyland. It became a New York Times bestseller within no time.
3. James Patterson – $800 million
James Patterson is an author dealing with fiction. He is popular from his Alex Cross series.
James has amassed a net worth of 800 million dollars. He is talented in storytelling and works so well on romance novels.
2. J.K. Rowling – $1 billion
Another billionaire to make it into the list is British author JK Rowling. She is famous for her Harry Potter series.
The Harry Potter series was since turned into movies. Rowling has earned quite a fortune from the film, which made around $7.7 billion.
1. Elisabeth Badinter – $1.7 billion
The richest author in the world is Elisabeth Badinter. She has a whopping net worth of $1.7 billion.
French author Elisabeth Badinter is best known for her feminist writings. Her bestseller is The Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines the Status of Women.
Conclusion
Writing is a challenging career. Without the required zeal, you cannot achieve success.
For you to make it in this industry, you must captivate the reader. As an author, you must woo the reader by all means.
If your readers are compelled, you will make a massive fortune. It is not a complex industry to navigate.