Best-Selling Authors of All Time

Everyone has their favourite author and a preference for the literary genres they read. Some authors find it challenging to find a market and sell very few books, while others appeal to the masses and enjoy successful careers as authors. The most successful authors have sold millions of copies of their work around the globe. Here are the world’s best-selling authors of all time.

Best-Selling Authors of All Time

1. The Best-Selling Author of All-Time: William Shakespeare, 4 Billion

Not only is William Shakespeare one of the most successful and best-selling authors of all time, but he is also one of the best-known across the globe. The English playwright is best known for his plays and poetry, and he published 42 books in his lifetime. His works are often compiled into a single book, which has been translated into multiple languages for international sales. The author was born in Stratfor-upon-Avon in 1564, and he died in 1616. Despite more than four centuries passing since his death, children still study his works at school, and actors continue to perform his plays. Some of Shakespeare’s works include Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

2. Agatha Christie, 4 Billion

Agatha Christie was a British author best known for her crime books, including the Poirot series and the Miss Marple series. The author is also known for writing The Mousetrap, the world’s longest-running play. During her lifetime, Christie wrote 85 books. She was born in 1890 and died in 1976.

3. One of the Best-Selling Authors of Romance: Danielle Steel, 800 Million

American author Danielle Steel is known for her romance novels; she published more than 190 books, including over 140 novels. Her success means she is one of the richest authors in the world. The California-based writer was born in New York City in 1947. Although she is known as one of the best-selling authors of romantic literature, her own love life has been less successful. Steel has been married and divorced five times and has nine children.

4. Barbara Cartland, 750 Million

Dame Barbara Cartland was a British writer born in Birmingham in 1901. She is best known for writing novels in the romance genre, which is how she became known as the Queen of Romance. Cartland has also written many non-fiction works, including plays, biographies, verse, operettas, cookbooks, and music. In total, Cartland wrote 723 books in her career. Alongside her work as an author, Barbara Cartland was also a businesswoman as the head of Cartland Promotions. Barbara Cartland died in 2000 at the age of 98.

5. Harold Robbins, 750 Million

American adventure writer Harold Robbins has sold more than 750 million copies of his works, yet he only wrote 23 books in his lifetime. There are fans of his work across the globe, as his publishers have translated his books into 32 languages. He published his first book, Never Love a Stranger, in 1948. One of his best-known novels is The Carpetbaggers. Following Robbins’ death in 1997, publishers posthumously published 12 books credited wholly or partially to Robbins.

6. Georges Simenon, 700 Million

Georges Simenon was a Belgian author who wrote detective stories, and he is best known for creating the Maigret series of books that focus on the cases of Detective Maigret. The prolific writer wrote a staggering 570 books during his lifetime. Simenon died in Switzerland in 1989.

7. One of the Best-selling Authors of Children’s Books: Enid Blyton, 600 Million

Enid Blyton is the seventh best-selling author and the best-selling author of children’s books. She is also the most prolific writer on the list, having published 800 books. Furthermore, she is the 4th most translated author in the world. Amongst her works are series including The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, Malory Towers, and Noddy. Blyton was born in London in 1897, and she died in 1968. Blyton married twice and had two daughters.

8. Sidney Sheldon, 600 Million

Sidney Sheldon was an American suspense writer who was most prolific during the 1930s. He wrote 21 novels, five of which were transformed into two television series. Sheldon also wrote eight Broadway plays, a London play, a children’s novel, and his autobiography, The Other Side of Me. Additionally, Sidney wrote several novels intended to introduce the English language in Japan and the screenplays of multiple movies, including Annie Get Your Gun, No Questions Asked, and Easter Parade.

9. The Best-Selling Author of Manga: Eiichiro Oda, 516.5 Million

Eiichiro Oda is the best-selling author of manga and the ninth-best-selling author overall, having sold 516.5 million copies of his books. Most notably, he is the creator of the One Piece series, the best-selling comic series printed in volume and the best-selling manga in history. The author has received multiple awards throughout his career.

10. J.K. Rowling, 500 Million

British author J.K. Rowling is best known as the writer of the Harry Potter series of books, which have been translated into more than 70 languages, inspired a series of films, and led to a vast array of merchandise. She is also the writer of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, plus several books aimed at the adult market. In total, Rowling has written 22 novels.

Other Notable Best-Selling Authors

While J.K. Rowling is in the 10th position on our list, she is one of several authors to achieve more than 500 million book sales. Other authors who have reached this achievement include Gilbert Patten and Dr Seuss. Gilbert Patten was an American author of adolescent adventure stories who published 209 books. Dr Seuss, also an American author, wrote 44 children’s literature books.