Even though many people claim that writing is not a rewarding profession, some writers would want to differ. In this article, we’ll discuss these authors. They have not only written books that have repeatedly appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, but they have also made millions of dollars through TV series and motion pictures.
I love both reading and writing. Who knows, maybe one day, I’ll publish a bestselling book of my own! It is a dream of mine, and I do expect something in return: fame and money. I researched some of our favorite and widely read authors, and their net worth just shook me to the core. People say authors don’t make much. They might be correct but not completely.
Most authors have financial difficulties. Success in the writing industry is tremendously challenging. However, a lot of authors consistently earn eight figures in revenue. Some fine examples are the well-known J.K Rowling, Stephan King, Barbara Taylor, Candy Spelling, and many more!
Don’t go away just yet! Here is a list of 10 authors with the highest net worth.
List of Authors Who Make the Most Money
1. Elisabeth Badinter
Net Worth: $1.7 billion
Elisabeth Badinter is a French philosopher, author, and historian born on 5 March 1944. Her intellectual writings on feminism and women’s roles in society are most known for them. She supports liberal feminism and the rights of female migrant workers in France. Badinter is said to be dedicated to the rationalism and universalism of the Enlightenment. She supports “moderate feminism.”
She was chosen France’s “most important intellectual” in a survey conducted by Marianne news magazine in 2010, primarily due to her writings on parenthood and women’s rights.
2. J. K. Rowling
Net Worth: $1.1 billion
Joanne Rowling, commonly known by her literary name J. K. Rowling, is a British novelist and philanthropist born on 31 July 1965. Rowling, a Yate native, started her career as a bilingual secretary in 1987 after earning a French degree from the University of Exeter.
She was the author of the seven-volume children’s fantasy series Harry Potter, which was released from 1997 to 2007. The series has generated a massive global media empire with over 500 million copies sold, at least 70 language translations, movies, and video games.
Her debut book for adults was The Casual Vacancy (2012). As Robert Galbraith, she creates the ongoing crime novel series Cormoran Strike.
3. James Patterson
Net Worth: $750 million
American author James Brendan Patterson was born on 22 March 1947. He wrote many stand-alone thrillers, non-fiction books, romantic novels, the Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Maximum Ride, Daniel X, NYPD Red, Witch and Wizard, and Private series.
More than 400 million copies of his books have been sold, and he was the first to sell one million e-books. With a salary of $95 million, Patterson topped Forbes’ list of the highest-paid authors in 2016 for the third consecutive year. It is estimated that he made $700 million over ten years.
The National Book Foundation presented Patterson with the Literarian Award in November 2015 and described him as a “passionate campaigner to make books and reading a national priority.”
4. Candy Spelling
Net Worth: 600 million
Candy Spelling is an American author, theatrical producer, and philanthropist who was born Carole Gene Spelling on 20 September 1945. She was born to Augusta and Merritt Marer in Beverly Hills, California, and was raised in a Jewish household.
Her older brother Anthony Marer Spelling’s autobiography, Stories from Candyland, published in March 2009, immediately topped The New York Times bestseller list. [8] Candy, at Last, her autobiography, was released by Wiley in May 2014. [9] Among other publications, she has written for TMZ and the Huffington Post.
5. Danielle Steel
Net Worth: $600 million
Fernandes, Danielle Dominique Schuelein-Steel, an American author best known for her romantic novels, was born on 14 August 1947. With over 800 million copies sold, she is the fourth-best-selling fiction novelist and the best-selling living author. She had written 190 books as of 2021, including more than 140 novels.
Steel has spent most of her career living in California, producing many books each year while managing up to five different projects. Her books have all been bestsellers, including the hardcover editions. In several of her novels, wealthy families are in peril and face terrible threats, including imprisonment, fraud, blackmail, and suicide. In addition to forming a foundation that funds groups dealing with mental illness, Steel has also written children’s poetry and fiction.
She has had 22 works adapted for television, two of which have been nominated for Golden Globes, and her books have been translated into 43 different languages.
6. Paulo Coelho
Net Worth: $500 million
Brazilian novelist and lyricist Paulo Coelho de Souza was born on 24 August 1947. Since 2002, he has been a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. After the success of The Alchemist, which he wrote, he went on to write another 28 works. Coelho’s debut book, Hell Archives, was released in 1982 but had little success.
He contributed to the Practical Manual of Vampirism in 1986, but he later attempted to have it removed from the stores because he thought it was “of poor quality.” Coelho wrote The Journey, published in 1987, after making the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in 1986.
7. Stephen King
Net Worth: $400 million
Stephen Edwin King, an American writer of horror, science fiction, fantasy, suspense, and supernatural literature, was born on 21 September 1947.
His books have sold more than 350 million copies, many of which have been made into movies, television shows, miniseries, and comic books.
This moniker, a play on his last name, refers to his prominence in popular culture. King has authored five non-fiction works and 64 novels, seven of which were published under the pen name Richard Bachman.
Additionally, he has produced about 200 short stories, most of which have been collected in books.
8. Nora Roberts
Net Worth: $390 million
Nora Roberts is an American writer of more than 225 romance novels. She was born Eleanor Marie Robertson on 10 October 1950. She has written under the pen names Jill March and Sarah Hardesty for publications in the UK and J. D. Robb for the In Death series.
Roberts was the first writer to be honored in the Hall of Fame of the Romance Writers of America. By 2011, her books had spent 861 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list, with 176 of those weeks at the top.
9. Pleasant Rowland
Net Worth: $310 million
Amiable Thiele Rowland, an American educator, reporter, writer, businessperson, and philanthropist (born Pleasant Williams Thiele; 8 March 1941), hails from the United States. Most people recognize Rowland for founding the American Girl line of dolls.
She is particularly well-known for restoring historic buildings in Aurora, New York, where she collaborated with Wells College, her alma mater. The Pleasant Company, which produced the “American Girl” dolls, books, and accessories, was launched by Rowland in 1986.
Rowland’s lifelong fascination with history served as inspiration for the development of the American Girl brand. She had the idea after visiting Colonial Williamsburg that young girls could develop an interest in history by identifying with dolls from historical eras.
10. Barbara Taylor Bradford
Net Worth: $300 million
Best-selling British-American author Barbara Taylor Bradford was born on 10 May 1933, and she received the OBE. A Woman of Substance, her debut book, has been a perennial bestseller and, according to Reuters, is among the top ten best-selling books of all time.
Thirty-eight books, all best sellers on both sides of the Atlantic, came after A Woman of Substance. More than 92 million copies of Bradford’s books have been sold worldwide in over 90 countries and 40 different languages.
Her husband, Robert Bradford, has developed television miniseries and movies based on ten of her books.
Conclusion| Which Authors Make Most of the Money
Writing can be a lucrative career, indeed. These authors we just talked about above are examples right before you. You need to be passionate and dedicated enough, and results will follow. This just made me so much more enthusiastic about writing. I hope it did to you all, too.
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