15 Richest Authors in the World

These gifted and richest authors can generate engaging books that entice readers to purchase their subsequent works.

The richest authors have frequently written a novel adapted into a film or turned into a product.

The 15 richest authors globally, their net worth, and how they made their fortunes are listed below. 

Table of Contents

• 1. Elisabeth Badinter: Estimated Net Worth $1.7 Billion
• 2. J.K Rowling: Estimated Net Worth: Estimated Net Worth $1 Billion
• 3. James Patterson: Estimated Net Worth $800 Million
• 4. Jim Davis: Estimated Net Worth $800 Million
• 5. Candy Spelling: Estimated Net Worth $600 Million
• 6. Matt Groening: Estimated Net Worth $600 Million
• 7. Paulo Coelho: Estimated Net Worth $500 Million
• 8. Stephen King: Estimated Net Worth $550 Million
• 9. Danielle Steel: Estimated Net Worth $400 Million
• 10. John Grisham: Estimated Net Worth $400 Million
• 11. Nora Roberts: Estimated Net Worth $390 Million
• 12. Pleasant Rowland: Estimated Net Worth $310 Million
• 13. Barbara Taylor Bradford: Estimated Net Worth $300 Million
• 14. Grant Cardone: Estimated Net Worth $300 Million
• 15. Kenneth Copeland: Estimated Net Worth $300 Million

1. Elisabeth Badinter: Estimated Net Worth $1.7 Billion

Elisabeth Badinter, a well-known feminist author, is a billionaire thanks to 19 million shares in Publicis Groupe, a global advertising and public relations conglomerate.  

She is one of the richest authors in the world. However, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, her father, founded the Company in 1926. Since 1996, she has served as the board’s chairperson.

Furthermore, she has also written nearly two dozen books and is a professor at Paris’ Ecole Polytechnique, where she teaches philosophy. 

Furthermore, in 2010, her book “The Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines Women’s Status” sparked intense controversy and became a bestseller across Europe.

She is the mother of three children. Simon, her son, is a member of the Publicis board of directors. 

2. J.K Rowling: Estimated Net Worth: Estimated Net Worth $1 Billion

Joanne Rowling was born in Yate, United Kingdom, on July 31, 1965. She is also one of the richest authors in the world.

J.K. Rowling is an English author who is best recognized for her work on the Harry Potter series.  

Rowling from the ashes and is a true rags-to-riches story. Her narrative is not only inspiring, but it also contains many valuable lessons.

Furthermore, Joanne Rowling, better known as J.K. Rowling, was born and raised in the United Kingdom, and she had her share of problems from childhood to adulthood.  

She went on to entertain the globe with her amazing stories after that. Additionally, J.K. Rowling has published a variety of books for children, youths, and adults.

She is the producer of the Harry Potter film franchise.  

She’s also dabbled in young adult fiction and fantasy drama. However, Harry Potter remains her most successful attempt to date. 

3. James Patterson: Estimated Net Worth $800 Million

James Patterson is an author and producer from the United States with a net worth of $800 million. On March 22, 1947, in Newburgh, New York, James Brendan Patterson was born.  

Isabelle, his mother, was a homemaker and teacher, and Charles, his father, was an insurance broker. James was born into a working-class family and received a B.A. from Manhattan College and an M.A.  

In English from Vanderbilt University, where he graduated summa cum laude. Furthermore, He is best known for the “Women’s Murder Club,” “Detective Michael Bennett,” “Maximum Ride,” “Daniel X,” and “Witch and Wizard” series, as well as numerous stand-alone thrillers and non-fiction books. 

Furthermore, Patterson’s novels have sold over 300 million copies worldwide, making him the best-selling novelist globally.  

In addition, Patterson has written over 140 stories since 1976, and he holds the “New York Times” record for the most #1 best-selling fiction titles by a single author (67). which is also a Guinness World Record; he also holds the Guinness World Record for “The first author to sell more than one million e-books.”

4. Jim Davis: Estimated Net Worth $800 Million

Jim Davis is a wealthy American cartoonist with an estimated net worth of $800 million. However, Davis is best known for his worldwide famous comic strip “Garfield,” which has been in syndication since 1978 and follows the adventures of Garfield, his owner, Jon Arbuckle, and Jon’s dog, Odie.  

In addition, He wrote and produced several direct-to-video “Garfield” films and the CBS series “Garfield & Friends,” which aired from 1988 to 1994. He also wrote and produced numerous “Garfield” television specials. 

Jim has also contributed to the “U.S. Acres,” “Gnorm Gnat,” “Tumbleweeds,” and “Mr. Potato Head” comic strips.

However, Jim Davis was born in Marion, Indiana, on July 28, 1945, as James Robert Davis. On a cattle farm in Fairmount, Indiana, he grew up with his mother, Anna, father James, and brother Dave. 

5. Candy Spelling: Estimated Net Worth $600 Million

Carole Gene Marer, better known in the theater world as Candy Spelling, is an author, philanthropist, and theater producer.

She is also one of the richest authors in the world. She was born in Beverly Hills, California, and has always been passionate about writing.  

However, her father worked as a salesman in his furniture store, and she attended Beverly Hills High School in her early years. However, Candy Spelling married Aaron Spelling, a prominent producer, in 1968.

They had a long and happy marriage that lasted until Aaron Spelling died in 2006. Tori Spelling and Randy Spelling, her two children, are also well-known.

She is regarded as one of Hollywood’s most influential and critically acclaimed writers.

6. Matt Groening: Estimated Net Worth $600 Million

Matt Groening is an animator, novelist, television producer, and cartoonist from the United States. Matthew Abraham Groening was born on February 15, 1954, in Portland, Oregon.  

Margaret Ruth, a former teacher, and Homer Philip, a filmmaker, advertising, writer, and cartoonist, had five children.

Mark, Patty, Lisa, and Maggie are his siblings’ names. He graduated from Lincoln High School and attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, from 1972 to 1977. 

Furthermore, James L. Brooks, a Hollywood writer, and producer, was drawn to “Life in Hell.” Brooks approached Groening and proposed that they collaborate on an unnamed project in the future.  

“The Simpsons” was created by Groening, who named the characters after members of his own family. On “The Tracey Ullman Show,” a series of “Simpsons” shorts aired, and their popularity led to a half-hour “Simpsons” spin-off in 1989. 

7. Paulo Coelho: Estimated Net Worth $500 Million

Paulo is one of the richest authors in the world. He is a novelist, singer, and lyricist from Brazil. However, Paulo Coelho was born on August 24, 1947, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and aspired to be a writer as a child.  

When he was 16, his parents committed him to a mental institution, where he fled at least three times before being released four years later. “It wasn’t that they meant to injure me, but they didn’t know what to do,” Coelho later explained.  

Furthermore, He began using drugs in the 1960s and returned to his homeland to work as a lyricist. He started penning songs for artists like Raul Seixas, Elis Regina, and Rita Lee.

Due to the substance of several pieces, Coelho became identified with magic and occultism due to his close collaboration with Raul.

Unfortunately, he was imprisoned for “subversive” actions in 1974 and, according to his account, tortured by the Brazilian military government.

He worked as an actor, journalist, and theatrical director before pursuing a career as an author.  

His first book, “Hell Archives,” was published in 1982 to mixed reviews, and in the mid-’80s, he conducted a 500-mile trek through Spain, which he describes as his spiritual enlightenment in his story “The Pilgrimage,” which he wrote in 1987. 

8. Stephen King: Estimated Net Worth $550 Million

Stephen King is a well-known American author of fantasy, horror, suspense, and science fiction. His novels have sold over 350 million copies around the world during his career.

He has about 200 short stories to his credit, most published in book collections.  

Furthermore, Stephen King was born in 1947 in Portland, Maine. King’s father abandoned the family when he was a child, and his mother, Nellie Ruth, reared Stephen and his adopted brother David on her own.  

However, When Stephen was eleven years old, his mother went to work as a caregiver in a mental health hospital. 

Furthermore, from a young age, King was fascinated by horror. He grew up reading EC horror comics, which included “Tales from the Crypt.” He began writing for fun when he was a child.

He sold stories based on movies he had seen to his friends. “I Was a Teenage Grave Robber” was the title of King’s first story.

9. Danielle Steel: Estimated Net Worth $400 Million

Danielle Steel is a well-known novelist from the United States. However, Steel has written over 180 books and is the world’s best-selling author, with over 800 million copies sold.  

She is best known for her romantic novels, including “The Promise” (1979), “Once in a Lifetime” (1982), and “Until the End of Time” (2013), but she has also written poetry and picture books for children, as well as the “Max & Martha” and “Freddie” series.  

Furthermore, more than 20 of Danielle’s novels have been turned into films or miniseries, and her writings have been translated into dozens of languages.

After one of her books reached 381 weeks on “The New York Times” Bestseller List, she was inducted into the “Guinness Book of World Records” in 1989.  

In addition, Danielle Steel was born Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel in New York, New York, on August 14, 1947. Norma, a Portuguese mother, and her father, a German, raised her. 

10. John Grisham: Estimated Net Worth $400 Million

John Grisham is a well-known American novelist. And also one of the richest authors in the world. In addition, John Grisham’s books have sold over 300 million copies worldwide during his career. His legal thrillers are well-known. 

However, He published his first novel, “A Time to Kill,” in 1989 and has since penned 28 straight number one bestsellers, with his books selling more than 300 million copies.

Grisham is also an activist and politician who served as a Democratic member of the Mississippi house of representatives.  

Furthermore, in 1955, John Ray Grisham Jr., the second of five siblings, was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

His father, John, worked in construction, while his mother, Wanda, was a stay-at-home mom. When Grisham was four years old, his family relocated to Southaven, Mississippi.  

He wanted to be a baseball player as a kid, and he also became a genuine Christian, citing his conversion as the most critical aspect of his life.

However, “The Firm,” Grisham’s second novel, was his first bestseller.  

The novel spent 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, finishing 1991 as the year’s seventh best-selling book. Following this accomplishment, Grisham retired from law, returning only temporarily in 1996 for a case that resulted in his career’s largest verdict.  

Nine of Grisham’s novels have been made into films as of 2021. “The Firm,” starring Tom Cruise and Holly Hunter, was the first and most commercially successful, released in 1993. 

11. Nora Roberts: Estimated Net Worth $390 Million

Born Eleanor Marie Robertson in Silver Spring, Maryland, Nora Roberts started writing in the late 1970s. Furthermore, Harlequin initially rejected her work, but she could find a home with Silhouette Books. 

where she published 23 novels between 1982 and 1984. “Playing the Odds,” her first bestseller, was published in 1985. 

She went on to write for Bantam and then Putnam after that. She has since grown into her publishing industry. Her books have spent a total of 861 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List.  

Almost 200 of those weeks had a novel at the top of the bestseller list. She also writes romantic suspense under the pen name J.D. Robb and is known in the United Kingdom as Sarah Hardesty. 

Furthermore, she works eight hours a day, seven days a week, and is a prolific writer. She has a total of 209 novels under her belt and shows no signs of slowing down.  

Nora Roberts is one of the world’s highest-paid novelists. She made $18 million in just one year in 2014. Nora Roberts earned $14 million between June 2016 and June 2017. 

12. Pleasant Rowland: Estimated Net Worth $310 Million

Pleasant Rowland is an educator, writer, reporter, and entrepreneur from the United States. And also one of the richest authors in the world.

In addition, Rowland has partnered with her alma mater, Wells College, to redevelop historic properties in the Aurora, New York area.  

In the 1960s, Rowland worked as a teacher before becoming a reporter and anchor for an ABC affiliate.

She went on to become a textbook author and the editor of Children’s Magazine Guide. She created pleasant Company in 1986. 

Furthermore, American Girl dolls, accessories, and books are produced by the firm. In 1998, Rowland sold his Company to Mattel for $700 million. She bought the bankrupt MacKenzie-Childs in 2001 and sold it in 2008.  

In 2004, Rowland established the Rowland Reading Foundation. Pleasant and her husband, Jerome Frautschi, contributed $205 million to the Madison, Wisconsin-based Overture Center for the Arts. Rowland is one of America’s self-made millionaires. 

13. Barbara Taylor Bradford: Estimated Net Worth $300 Million

Barbara Taylor Bradford was born on May 1, 1933, in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Her debut novel, A Woman of Substance, released in 1979, is one of her most well-known works.

The story has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the top ten best-selling books of all time.  

She is a British American author.  However, The Emma Harte Saga, which includes Hold the Dream, To Be the Best, Emma’s Secret, Unexpected Blessings, Just Rewards, and Breaking the Rules, began with A Woman of Substance.  

The Ravenscar Dynasty, Heirs of Ravenscar, and Being Elizabeth are part of her Ravenscar Trilogy. Act of Will, The Woman in His Life, Remember, Angel, and Voice of the Angel are some of Bradford’s other works of fiction.

Furthermore, Bradford has also written a series of interior design books for children and religious children’s books. 

14. Grant Cardone: Estimated Net Worth $300 Million

Grant Cardone is a professional sales trainer and a lecturer on leadership, real estate investing, entrepreneurship, social media, and finance.

He is one of the richest authors in the world. Grant is the CEO of seven privately held companies and has written eight business books.  

He also runs thirteen business programs. In addition, Grant Cardone was born on March 21, 1958, in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Curtis Louis Cardone (who died in 1968) and Concetta Neil Cardone were his parents (deceased in 2009).  

Grant is the fourth of five children and has a twin brother named Gary. He graduated from McNeese State University in 1981 after attending LaGrange High School in Lake Charles.

McNeese State University would eventually bestow upon him the McNeese State University Medal. 

Additionally, He elected not to follow his primary area of accounting after college, and in 1987, he traveled to Chicago, Illinois, to work for a sales training organization.

He moved around the United States, settling in Houston for five years, La Jolla for twelve years, and eventually Los Angeles.  

Grant developed a drug issue along the way and attended rehab at the age of 25. However, Grant Cardone is the author of many books, including “If You’re Not First, You’re Last,” which debuted at no 1 on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and entered the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.  

Grant and his wife Elena also star in “The G&E Show,” a self-produced online sitcom. In addition, Cardone was ranked No. 7 on Richtopia’s global list of the 500 most essential CEOs in the world in 2016.

Forbes magazine named him the #1 marketer to watch in 2017. Joan Rivers’ show How’d You Get So Rich? Featured Cardone’s home. 

15. Kenneth Copeland: Estimated Net Worth $300 Million

Kenneth Copeland is an author, public speaker, televangelist, and musician from the United States.

Furthermore, Kenneth has drawn notoriety for his extravagant lifestyle in recent years, including many private jets (including one purchased for a rumored $20 million from Tyler Perry) and multiple houses.  

In addition, Kenneth Copeland was born in December 1936 in Lubbock, Texas. Kenneth Copeland Ministries is based in Tarrant County, Texas, where Copeland preaches the prosperity gospel, also known as the abundance gospel. Television, books, DVDs, and CDs are all part of his ministry.  

Additionally, Copeland was a music artist who scored a Top 40 hit with the track “Pledge of Love” before converting to Christianity in 1962.