| Author |
Min. estimated sales |
Max. estimated sales |
Original language |
Genre or title |
Number of books |
Nationality |
| Shakespeare, WilliamWilliam
Shakespeare |
2 billion[1] |
4 billion[2] |
English |
Plays and poetry |
|
British |
| Christie, AgathaAgatha Christie |
2 billion[3] |
4 billion[2] |
English |
Detectives, Marple, Poirot |
85 |
British |
| Cartland, BarbaraBarbara Cartland |
500 million[4] |
1 billion[5] |
English |
Romance |
723 |
British |
| Robbins, HaroldHarold Robbins |
750 million[6] |
750 million[7] |
English |
Adventure |
23 |
American |
| Simenon, GeorgesGeorges Simenon |
500 million[8] |
700 million[9] |
French |
Detectives, Maigret |
570 |
Belgian |
| Blyton, EnidEnid Blyton |
300 million[10] |
600 million[11] |
English |
Children's literature, Noddy |
800 |
British |
| Steel, DanielleDanielle Steel |
560 million[12] |
570 million[13] |
English |
Romance |
72 |
American |
| Seuss, Dr.Dr. Seuss |
100 million[14] |
500 million[15] |
English |
Children's literature |
44 |
American |
| Patten, GilbertGilbert Patten |
125 million[16] |
500 million[17] |
English |
Adolescent adventures |
209 |
American |
| Tolstoy, LeoLeo Tolstoy |
|
413 million[18] |
Russian |
|
|
Russian |
| Rowling, J. K.J. K. Rowling |
350 million[19] |
400 million[20] |
English |
Harry
Potter |
10 |
British |
| Collins, JackieJackie Collins |
250 million[21] |
400 million[22] |
English |
Romance |
25 |
British |
| Alger, Jr., HoratioHoratio Alger,
Jr. |
200 million[23] |
400 million[24] |
English |
Dime novels |
135 |
American |
| Stine, R. L.R. L. Stine |
100 million[25] |
400 million[26] |
English |
Goosebumps series, Fear Street
series, Horror, Comedy |
430+ |
American |
| Tellado, CorinCorin
Tellado |
400 million[27] |
400 million[28] |
Spanish |
Romance |
4000 |
Spanish |
| Sheldon, SidneySidney Sheldon |
325 million[29] |
400 million[30] |
English |
Suspense |
19 |
American |
| Pushkin, Aleksandr
SergeyevichAleksandr
Sergeyevich Pushkin |
|
357 million[18] |
Russian |
|
|
Russian |
| King, StephenStephen King |
300 million[31] |
350 milion[32] |
English |
Horror, Fantasy |
70 |
American |
| L'Amour, LouisLouis L'Amour |
230 million[33] |
330 million[34] |
English |
Western |
101 |
American |
| Koontz, DeanDean Koontz |
200 million[35] |
325 million[36] |
English |
Thriller |
60 |
American |
| Gardner, Erle StanleyErle Stanley
Gardner |
100 million[37] |
325 million[38] |
English |
Mystery, Perry Mason |
140 |
American |
| Jin Yong |
100 million[39] |
300 million[40] |
Chinese |
Wuxia |
15 |
Hong Kong Chinese |
| Akagawa, JirōJirō Akagawa |
|
300 million[41] |
Japanese |
Mystery |
500+ |
Japanese |
| Dailey, JanetJanet Dailey |
300 million[42] |
300 million[43] |
English |
Romance |
93 |
American |
| Roberts, NoraNora Roberts |
145 million[44] |
300 million[45] |
English |
Romance |
145 |
American |
| Wallace, EdgarEdgar Wallace |
|
300 million[46] |
English |
Detective |
175 |
British |
| Ludlum, RobertRobert Ludlum |
110 million[47] |
290 million[48] |
English |
Espionage |
40 |
American |
| Dard, FrédéricFrédéric Dard |
200 million[49] |
290 million[50] |
French |
Detective, San Antonio |
300 |
Swiss |
| Berenstain, Stan and
JanStan and Jan
Berenstain |
200 million[51] |
260 million[52] |
English |
Berenstain Bears |
300+ |
American |
| Grisham, JohnJohn Grisham |
100 million[53] |
250 million[54] |
English |
Legal
thriller |
22 |
American |
| Grey, ZaneZane Grey |
|
250 million[55] |
English |
Western |
|
American |
| Wallace, IrvingIrving Wallace |
|
250 million[56] |
English |
Suspense |
|
American |
| Tolkien, J. R. R.J. R. R. Tolkien |
200 million[57] |
250 million[58] |
English |
The Lord of the Rings,
The Hobbit,
classical fantasy |
36 |
British |
| May, KarlKarl May |
100 million[59] |
200 million[60] |
German |
Western, Adventure |
80 |
German |
| Spillane, MickeyMickey Spillane |
100 million[61] |
200 million[62] |
English |
Detective, Mike
Hammer |
|
American |
| Lewis, C. S.C. S. Lewis |
100 million[63] |
200 million[64] |
English |
The Chronicles of
Narnia |
38 |
British |
| Nishimura, KyotaroKyotaro Nishimura |
|
200 million[65] |
Japanese |
Mystery |
400+ |
Japanese |
| Dickens, CharlesCharles Dickens |
|
200 million[66] |
English |
Literature |
|
British |
| Martin, Ann M.Ann M. Martin |
172 million[67] |
180 million[68] |
English |
The Baby-sitters Club |
335 |
American |
| Shiba, RyōtarōRyōtarō Shiba |
|
180 million[69] |
Japanese |
Historical |
350 |
Japanese |
| Hailey, ArthurArthur Hailey |
150 million[70] |
170 million[71] |
English |
Thriller |
11 |
American |
| Villiers, Gérard deGérard de
Villiers |
|
150 million[72] |
French |
Detectives, SAS |
170 |
French |
| Potter, BeatrixBeatrix Potter |
100 million[73] |
150 million[74] |
English |
Peter
Rabbit |
23 |
British |
| Crichton, MichaelMichael Crichton |
150 million[75] |
150 million[76] |
English |
Techno Thriller |
25 |
American |
| Scarry, RichardRichard Scarry |
100 million[77] |
150 million[78] |
English |
Illustrated children's books |
250 |
American |
| Patterson, JamesJames Patterson |
100 million[79] |
150 million[80] |
English |
Thriller |
48 |
American |
| Cussler, CliveClive Cussler |
40 million[81] |
150 million[82] |
English |
Adventure, Dirk
Pitt |
37 |
American |
| McLean, AlistairAlistair
McLean |
|
150 million[83] |
English |
Adventure,Thriller Wartime stories |
32 |
British |
| Lindgren, AstridAstrid Lindgren |
100 million[84] |
145 million[85] |
Swedish |
Children's literature |
100 |
Swedish |
| Archer, JeffreyJeffrey Archer |
120 million[86] |
140 million[87] |
English |
Crime thriller |
30 |
British |
| Brown, DanDan Brown |
|
120 million[88] |
English |
Thriller |
5 |
American |
| Yoshikawa, EijiEiji Yoshikawa |
|
120 million[89] |
Japanese |
Musashi |
7 |
Japanese |
| Cookson, CatherineCatherine Cookson |
100 million[90] |
120 million[91] |
English |
Romance |
103 |
British |
| Bridwell, NormanNorman Bridwell |
100 million[92] |
110 million[93] |
English |
Clifford the Big Red
Dog |
80 |
American |
| Coelho, PauloPaulo Coelho |
92 million[94] |
100 million[95] |
Portuguese |
Literature, The Alchemist |
|
Brazilian |
| Dahl, RoaldRoald Dahl |
100 million[96] |
100 million[97] |
English |
Children's literature |
50 |
British |
| Hunter, EvanEvan Hunter |
100 million[98] |
100 million[99] |
English |
Detective (Ed McBain) |
94 |
American |
| Neiderman, AndrewAndrew Neiderman |
100 million[100] |
100 million[101] |
English |
V. C.
Andrews, The Devil's
Advocate |
60 |
American |
| Hargreaves, RogerRoger Hargreaves |
100 million[102] |
100 million[103] |
English |
Children's literature, Mr. Men |
|
British |
| Rice, AnneAnne Rice |
75 million[104] |
100 million[105] |
English |
Thriller, vampires |
27 |
American |
| Cook, RobinRobin
Cook |
100 million[106] |
100 million[107] |
English |
Medical Thriller |
27 |
American |
| Smith, WilburWilbur Smith |
80 million[108] |
100 million[109] |
English |
African Adventure |
32 |
Zambian |
| Caldwell, ErskineErskine Caldwell |
80 million[110] |
100 million[111] |
English |
Literature |
25 |
American |
| Hibbert, EleanorEleanor Hibbert |
100 million[112] |
100 million[113] |
English |
Romance, historical, suspense |
200 |
British |
| Carroll, LewisLewis Carroll |
|
100 million[114] |
English |
Alice in Wonderland |
5 |
British |
| Robins, DeniseDenise Robins |
|
100 million[115] |
English |
Romance |
200 |
British |
| Cao, XueqinXueqin Cao |
|
100 million[116] |
Chinese |
Dream of the Red
Chamber |
|
Chinese |
| Fleming, IanIan Fleming |
100 million[117] |
100 million[118] |
English |
James Bond |
14 |
British |
| Hesse, HermannHermann Hesse |
100 million[119] |
100 million[120] |
German |
Literature |
|
German-Swiss |
| Stout, RexRex Stout |
100 million[121] |
100 million[122] |
English |
Nero
Wolfe |
50 |
American |
| Golon, AnneAnne Golon |
100 million[123] |
100 million[124] |
French |
Angélique |
14 |
French |
| Follett, KenKen Follett |
90 million[125] |
100 million[126] |
English |
Spy Thriller, Historical Thriller |
30 |
British |
| Slaughter, Frank G.Frank G.
Slaughter |
|
100 million[127] |
English |
Medical |
62 |
American |
| Burroughs, Edgar RiceEdgar Rice
Burroughs |
100 million[128] |
100 million[129] |
English |
Tarzan, Barsoom |
|
American |
| Creasey, JohnJohn Creasey |
|
100 million[130] |
English |
Crime thriller |
600 |
British |
| Michener, JamesJames
Michener |
|
100 million[131] |
English |
Historical |
47 |
American |
| Uchida, YasuoYasuo Uchida |
|
100 million[132] |
Japanese |
Mystery |
130+ |
Japanese |
| Morimura, SeiichiSeiichi Morimura |
|
100 million[132] |
Japanese |
Mystery |
350+ |
Japanese |
| Macomber, DebbieDebbie Macomber |
60 million[133] |
100 million[134] |
English |
Romance |
|
American |
| Higgins Clark, MaryMary Higgins
Clark |
|
100 million[135] |
English |
Thriller |
|
American |