Becoming an author isn’t one of those get-rich schemes or even the most lucrative job in the world. In fact, Indeed reports that the average novelist's salary is just $49,046 per year. Few writers make a comfortable living from their work, but there are a few outliers that have been lucky enough to make a fortune from their talents. Today, we will figure out who are the richest authors in the world.
Who Is the Richest Author in The World?
The richest author in the world is Elisabeth Badinter. The prominent feminist writer Elisabeth Badinter is a billionaire after inheriting 19 million shares in Publicis Groupe, an advertising and public relations giant. The company was founded by his father, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, in 1926. She has served on the board since 1996.
She is also an author of nearly two dozen books and a professor at Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, where she teaches philosophy. In 2010, her book "The Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines the Status of Women" sparked heated debate and became a bestseller across Europe.
Elisabeth isn’t the only author to have hit it big in publishing. In fact, there are a few authors that have gained billions/millions solely from their publishing talents. Let’s examine a few of the other authors known for becoming rich from publishing based on numbers from The Richest, Forbes, and Celebrity Net Worth.
Richest Authors in the World Outside of Elisabeth Badinter
J.K. Rowling
The second richest author in the world is the British author "J.K. Rowling". Rowling is best known for creating the highly successful Harry Potter series. Harry Potter is the highest-grossing movie franchise of all time.
In the year 2022, J.K. Rowling’s was worth an estimated $1 Billion.
James Patterson
Next on the list is James Patterson, a well-known American thriller author. Patterson has studied his market and now understands exactly how to write a book that will sell like hotcakes. So, much so, that he had 20 bestsellers in 2010.
James Patterson currently has an estimated net worth of roughly $560 Million where he stands as the third richest author in the world.
Stephen King
Stephen King is a bestselling author of contemporary fantasy, suspense, science fiction, and horror. King holds a bachelor's degree in English and is one of the world's most popular authors. TV series such as "IT" and "The Shining" has adopted many of his books.
Stephen King's net worth is estimated at $400 million in 2022.
Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts is an American bestselling author who has written more than 200 romance novels. She began writing in the late 1970s and scored her first bestseller with "Playing the Odds" in 1985.
Currently, Nora Roberts' net worth is estimated to be $390 million, making her the world's 5th richest author.
Danielle Steel
According to Forbes, Danielle Steele is one of the world's best-selling living authors, selling over 800 million copies of her books. She has also been declared the fourth best-selling author of all time.
The net worth of Danielle Steel is estimated at $310 million.
Barbara Taylor Bradford
Barbara Taylor Bradford is an English novelist who has sold millions of copies of her books. She has had her books published in 90 countries and sold over 80 million copies worldwide. Queen Elizabeth II awarded her an OBE in 2007 for her contributions to literature for A Women of Substance, which was published in 1979.
In 2022, Barbara Taylor Bradford will have a net worth of $300 million, making her the 7th richest author in the world.
Nigel Blackwell
Nigel Blackwell, born in rural England, has a love for books and a knack for spotting the obvious and has written for several New York Times bestsellers with Diane Capri.
Nigel Blackwell received a substantial portion of Blackwell Publishing's sale in 2006 for 572 million euros. Currently, his net worth hovers around $292,5 million.
John Grisham
As a lawyer, John Grisham served in the House of Representatives for Mississippi while he was an internationally well-known American writer.
John Grisham's net worth is estimated to be $220 million in 2022, making him the 9th richest author on the list.
Jeffrey Archer
Archer was a politician and novelist from England. Before becoming an author, Archer served as a Member of Parliament. His books have sold 330 million copies worldwide; Archer revived his fortunes as a best-selling author.
According to Forbes, Jeffrey Archer will have a net worth of $195 million by 2022.
Dan Brown
American author Dan Brown is best known for his novel "The Da Vinci Code". In addition to being the highest-paid author in the world, Brown's bestselling books "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" have been adapted into world-famous movies.
Dan Brown has a net worth of approximately $178 million.
David Oyedepo
Founder of the Living Faith Church and Nigerian preacher, David Olaniyi Oyedepo is also a Christian author, businessman, and architect. Pastor David Oyedepo is widely regarded as Nigeria's wealthiest pastor today. He is currently the president and preacher of Living Faith Chruch World Wide, also known as Winners Chapel.
David Oyedepo is estimated to have a net worth of $150 million as of 2022, making him the 12th richest author in the world.
Dean Koontz
Dean Koontz is an American author whose style of writing has been compared to Stephen King. Koontz's suspense thrillers, science fiction, and horror novels have earned him millions of fans all over the world.
Dean Koontz has a net worth of about $145 million.
Stephenie Meyer
Author Stephenie Meyer never imagined when she first started writing that she would write a vampire love story novel. Meyer wrote The Twilight Saga a few years later in 2003, at just 29 years old. Twilight then went on to gross $1.8 billion at the global box office across the three films it has produced.
Stephenie Meyer has an estimated net worth of $125 million as of 2022.
Paul McKenna
McKenna is an English hypnotist and writer who specializes in teaching hypnosis. He left school with just two O-levels and an A-level in art and soon started working as a DJ on Topshop's in-store radio station in Oxford Street. As a result of this experience, he joined Capital Radio where he met a hypnotist who was a guest on his radio show and has trained himself to never look back since.
McKenna is estimated to be worth roughly $100 Million, making him the 15th richest author in the world.
Christopher Little
Christopher Little is a British author and proud founder of the London-based Christopher Little Literary Agency. From 1996 to 2011, this agency managed the Harry Potter author J.K Rowling. It has been said that he is "the luckiest literary agent of all time" who has been a part of the most commercially successful literary partnership in history.
The net worth of Christoper Little is approximately $86 Million as of 2022.
Jack Higgins
Jack Higgins is a bestselling novelist with a multi-million dollar fortune. The author was born and raised in Belfast in Northern Ireland and is considered to be one of the world's most popular authors.
According to Forbes, Jack Higgins' net worth is estimated at $86 Million as of 2022, making him the 17th richest author on the list.
