The saying “The pen is mightier than the sword” aptly fits in the case of authors who can put the words in the best possible way. However, like the majority of things in life, writing also needs a lot of physical and mental energy.
The job of a writer is not that easy as the ability of a reader to comprehend a literary work depends on various factors that may or may not be controlled.
Not everyone can encash their writing, however, there are few exceptional writers who are known not only for their work but also for their huge fortune. Few of the world’s popular authors’ net worth is more than a billion dollars.
List of the World’s Top 10 Richest Authors
We have compiled a list of the world’s top 10 richest authors along with their net worth and a short bio. Scroll down!
1. Elisabeth Badinter
Net Worth: $1.3 Billion
Elisabeth Badinter is a French philosopher, author, and historian with an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion as of 2022. Badinter is popular for her philosophical works on feminism and the role of women in society.
Elisabeth is the world’s richest author in the world of all time and was also named “France’s most influential intellectual” by Marianna news magazine in 2010. She is the largest shareholder and chairwoman of the advertising and public relations conglomerate Publicis Groupe. She inherited her stake in the company from her father Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet.
Below are some of her latest publications.
- Dead End Feminism
- Ou l’Ambition féminine au XVIIIe siècle
- Le conflit, la femme et la mère.
- The Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines the Status of Women.
- Marie-Thérèse d’Autriche 1717–1780 – L’impératrice-reine
2. J.K. Rowling
Net Worth: $1 Billion
Joanne Kathleen Rowling is a British author and the world’s second-richest author with an estimated net worth of $1 billion as of 2022. Rowling gained prominence worldwide for her contribution to the seven-volume children’s fantasy series, Harry Potter, which was a commercial success.
The Harry Potter franchise is the world’s highest-grossing movie series of all time. The idea for the characters of Harry Potter stuck in her thought process while she was waiting for a delayed train in 1990.
Rowling was born in Yate and completed her graduation from the University of Exeter in 1987 with a degree in French. She started doing temp jobs as a bilingual secretary. Rowling has won several prestigious awards for her works in her career spanning more than two decades.
3. James Patterson
Net Worth: $560 Million
James Patterson is an American author who is ranked third on the list of the world’s richest authors and has a net worth of approximately $560 million as of 2022. He writes stand-alone thrillers, non-fiction, and romance novels.
Patterson learned the knack of how to sell his books as hotcake as he sold more than 400 million copies. He is the world’s first author to sell 1 million e-books. No wonder, he made it to Forbes’s list of highest-paid authors for six consecutive years.
Some of his notable works are the Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Maximum Ride, Daniel X, NYPD Red, Witch, and Wizard. The National Book Foundation cited him as a “passionate campaigner to make books and reading a national priority” and presented him with the Literarian Award in 2015.
4. Stephen King
Net Worth: $400 Million
Stephen King is one of the world’s most popular authors with an estimated net worth of $400 million as of 2022. He is an acclaimed American author of contemporary suspense, fantasy, horror, and science fiction.
His books have sold more than 350 million copies worldwide. King has published 64 novels in his career spanning more than four decades.
5. Nora Roberts
Net Worth: $390 Million
Nora Roberts is one of the bestselling American authors with an estimated net worth of $390 million as of 2022. Roberts became the first author when she was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame in 1986.
She is the author of more than 225 romance novels. Roberts started her writing career in the late 70s and received prestigious accolades in her professional career spanning more than three decades.
6. Danielle Steel
Net Worth: $310 Million
Danielle Steele is an American novelist and the sixth richest author in the world popularly known worldwide for her romance novels. She is the world’s best-selling living author according to Forbes having sold more than 800 million copies of her books.
Steele is the fourth best-selling author of all time with a net worth of around $310 million. She wrote 190 books which includes 141 novels.
7. Barbara Taylor Bradford
Net Worth: $300 Million
Barbara Taylor Bradford is a best-selling English novelist. Her books have sold more than 80 million copies in 90 countries. A Women of Substance was published in 1979 and in 2007, Queen Elizabeth II awarded the OBE for her contributions to literature.
As of June 2022, Barbara Taylor Bradford’s net worth is estimated to be $300 million, making her the 7th richest author in the world.
Below are some of her latest fiction novels.
- The Triumph of Katie Byrne
- Three Weeks in Paris
- Playing the Game
- Letter From a Stranger
- Secrets From the Past
- Hidden (eBook Only)
- Treacherous (eBook Only)
- Who Are You? (eBook Only)
- Damaged (eBook Only)
8. Nigel Blackwell
Net Worth: $292.5 Million
Nigel Blackwell is ranked eighth in our list of the world’s richest authors with a net worth of $292.5 million as of 2022. He sold Blackwell Publishing for 572M Euros in 2006.
Nigel and his uncle received a big part of the proceeds received from the sale.
9. John Grisham
Net Worth: $220 Million
John Grisham is an internationally acclaimed American writer and lawyer who also served in the House of Representatives for Mississippi. He is the ninth richest author with an estimated net worth of $220 million.
He had sold approximately 300 million copies worldwide. John received several prestigious awards like the Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award (2005), Galaxy British Lifetime Achievement Award (2007), and Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction (2009) among others.
10. Jeffrey Archer
Net Worth: $195 Million
Jeffrey Archer is an English novelist and former politician with a net worth of around $195 million as of 2022. Before he started his career as an author, Archer was a Member of Parliament.
Archer sold more than 330 million copies of his books worldwide and received several awards in his professional career.
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