List of best-selling fiction authors

Author William Shakespeare Agatha Christie Barbara Cartland Harold Robbins Georges Simenon Sidney Sheldon Min. Max. Original estimated estimated language sales sales 2 billion[1] 4 billion[2] English 2 billion[3] 4 billion[2] English 500 million[4] 750 million[6] 500 million[8] 370 million[10] 1 billion[5] English 750 English million[7] 700 French million[9] 600 English million[11] Genre or title Plays and poetry Number of books 44+ Nationality British British British American Belgian American British American American American British

Detectives, Marple, 85 Poirot Romance Adventure 723 23

Detectives, Maigret 570 Suspense 19

300 600 Enid Blyton English [12] million million[13] Danielle Steel Dr. Seuss Gilbert Patten J. K. Rowling Leo Tolstoy Jackie Collins Horatio Alger, Jr. R. L. Stine Corn Tellado Dean 250 million[23] 200 million[25] 500 million[14] 100 million[16] 125 million[18] 350 million[20] 600 million[15] 500 million[17] 500 million[19] 450 million[21] English English English English

Children's literature, Noddy, The Famous 800 Five Romance 72

Children's literature 44 Adolescent adventures Harry Potter 209 7

413 Russian million[22] 400 English million[24] 400 English million[26]

historical fiction, philosophy, Anna 48 Karenina, War and Peace Romance Dime novels 25 135

Russian

British American American Spanish American

100 400 English million[27] million[28] 400 400 Spanish [29] million million[30] 325 400 English

Goosebumps series, Fear Street series, 430+ Horror, Comedy Romance Thriller 4,000 91

Author Koontz Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin Stephen King Louis L'Amour Erle Stanley Gardner Jin Yong Jir Akagawa Janet Dailey Nora Roberts Edgar Wallace Robert Ludlum Frdric Dard Stan and Jan Berenstain John Grisham Zane Grey Irving Wallace J. R. R. Tolkien Jeffrey Archer Karl May

Min. Max. Original estimated estimated language sales sales [31] million million[32] 357 Russian million[22] 300 million[33] 230 million[35] 100 million[37] 100 million[39] 350 milion[34] 330 million[36] 325 million[38] 300 million[40] 300 million[41] 300 million[43] 300 million[45] 300 million[46] 290 million[48] 290 million[50] 260 million[52] 250 million[54] 250 million[55] 250 million[56] English English English Chinese Japanese English English English English French English English English English

Genre or title

Number of books

Nationality

Russian Horror, Fantasy Western Mystery, Perry Mason Wuxia Mystery Romance Romance Detective Espionage,Jason Bourne Detective, San Antonio Berenstain Bears Legal thriller Western Suspense The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, 36 classical fantasy Crime thriller 30 70 101 140 15 500+ 93 145 175 40 300 300+ 22 American American American Hong Kong Chinese Japanese American American British American Swiss American American American American British British German

300 million[42] 145 million[44]

110 million[47] 200 million[49] 200 million[51] 100 million[53]

200 250 English million[57] million[58] 120 million[59] 100 million[61] 250 English million[60] 200 German million[62]

Western, Adventure 80

Min. Max. Original estimated estimated Genre or title language sales sales Mickey 100 200 Detective, Mike English Spillane million[63] million[64] Hammer The Chronicles of 100 200 C. S. Lewis Narnia, fantasy, [65] [66] English million million popular theology Kyotaro 200 Japanese Mystery Nishimura million[67] Charles 200 English Literature Dickens million[68] Ann M. 172 180 The Baby-sitters English Martin million[69] million[70] Club Rytar 180 Japanese Historical Shiba million[71] Arthur 150 170 English Thriller [72] Hailey million million[73] Grard de 150 French Detectives, SAS Villiers million[74] Beatrix 100 150 English Peter Rabbit Potter million[75] million[76] Michael 150 150 English Techno Thriller [77] Crichton million million[78] Richard 100 150 Illustrated children's English Scarry million[79] million[80] books James 100 150 English Thriller [81] Patterson million million[82] Clive 40 150 Adventure, Dirk [83] [84] English Cussler million million Pitt Alistair 150 Adventure,Thriller English McLean million[85] Wartime stories Astrid 100 145 Swedish Children's literature [86] Lindgren million million[87] Debbie 60 140 English Romance [88] Macomber million million[89] 120 Dan Brown English Thriller million[90] Eiji 120 Japanese Musashi Yoshikawa million[91] Catherine 100 120 English Romance Cookson million[92] million[93] Author

Number of books

Nationality American

38 400+

British Japanese British

335 350 11 170 23 25 250 48 37 32 100

American Japanese British/Canadian French British American American American American British Swedish American

5 7 103

American Japanese British

Author Stephenie Meyer Norman Bridwell David Baldacci Paulo Coelho

Min. estimated sales 100 million[94] 100 million[96]

92 million[99] 100 Roald Dahl million[101] 100 Evan Hunter million[103] Andrew 100 Neiderman million[105] Roger 100 Hargreaves million[107]

Max. estimated sales 116 million[95] 110 million[97] 110 million[98] 100 million[100] 100 million[102] 100 million[104] 100 million[106] 100 million[108]

Original language English English English Portuguese English English English English

Genre or title

Number of books

Nationality American American American Brazilian British American American British

The Twilight Saga, 6 The Host, Romance Clifford the Big Red 80 Dog Thriller Literature, The Alchemist Children's literature 50 Detective (Ed 94 McBain) V. C. Andrews, The 60 Devil's Advocate Children's literature, Mr. Men Thriller, vampires, Interview with the Vampire (The 27 Vampire Chronicles) Medical Thriller 27 25

Anne Rice

75 100 English [109] million million[110] 100 million[111] 80 million[113] 80 million[115] 100 million[117] 100 million[112] 100 million[114] 100 million[116] 100 million[118]

American

Robin Cook Wilbur Smith Erskine Caldwell Eleanor Hibbert Lewis Carroll Denise Robins Xueqin Cao Ian Fleming Hermann

English English English English

American Zambian American British British British Chinese

African Adventure 32 Literature 25

100 English million[119] 100 million[120] 100 million[121] 100 million[123] 100 English Chinese English German

Romance, 200 historical, suspense Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 5 Absurdist literature Romance Dream of the Red Chamber James Bond Literature 14 200

100 million[122] 100

British German-Swiss

Min. estimated sales Hesse million[124] 100 Rex Stout million[126] 100 Anne Golon million[128] 90 Ken Follett million[130] Frank G. Slaughter Author Edgar Rice Burroughs John Creasey James Michener Yasuo Uchida Seiichi Morimura Mary Higgins Clark

Max. estimated sales million[125] 100 million[127] 100 million[129] 100 million[131] 100 million[132]

Original language

Genre or title

Number of books

Nationality

English French English English

Nero Wolfe Anglique Spy Thriller, Historical Thriller Medical Tarzan, Barsoom, Pellucidar, other science fantasy Crime thriller Historical Mystery Mystery Thriller

50 14 30 62

American French British American American

100 100 English [133] million million[134] 100 million[135] 100 million[136] 100 million[137] 100 million[137] English English Japanese Japanese

600 47 130+ 350+

British American Japanese Japanese American

100 English million[138]