List of best - selling fiction authors - wikipedia List of best - selling fiction authors This is a list of best - selling fiction authors to date, in any language. While finding precise sales numbers for any given author is near - impossible, the list is based on approximate numbers provided or repeated by reliable sources. `` Best - selling '' refers to the estimated number of copies sold of all fiction books written or co-written by an author. To keep the list manageable, only authors with estimated sales of at least 100 million are included. Authors of comic books are not included unless they have been published in book format ( for example : comic albums or Tankōbon ). Authors such as Miguel de Cervantes, Alexandre Dumas, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Arthur Conan Doyle, Victor Hugo, Jules Verne, Rick Riordan, Jack Higgins and Leon Uris have not been included in the table because no exact figures could be found -- although there are indications that they too have more than 100 million copies of their work in print. This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries. Author Min. estimated sales Max. estimated sales Original language Genre or title Number of books Citizenship Christie, Agatha Agatha Christie 2 billion 4 billion English Whodunits including the Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot series 85 British Shakespeare, William William Shakespeare 2 billion 4 billion English Plays and poetry 42 English Cartland, Barbara Barbara Cartland 500 million 1 billion English Romance 723 British Steel, Danielle Danielle Steel 500 million 800 million English Romance 120 American Robbins, Harold Harold Robbins 750 million 750 million English Adventure 23 American Simenon, Georges Georges Simenon 500 million 700 million French Detectives, Maigret, romans dur 570 Belgian Sheldon, Sidney Sidney Sheldon 370 million 600 million English Suspense 21 American Blyton, Enid Enid Blyton 300 million 600 million English Children 's literature, Noddy, The Famous Five, The Secret Seven 800 British Rowling, J.K. J.K. Rowling 450 million 500 million English Harry Potter 11 British Seuss, Dr. Dr. Seuss 100 million 500 million English Children 's literature 44 American Patten, Gilbert Gilbert Patten 125 million 500 million English Adolescent adventures 209 American Oda, Eiichiro Eiichiro Oda 320 million 430 million Japanese One Piece, Manga 86 Japanese Tolstoy, Leo Leo Tolstoy 413 million Russian War and Peace, Anna Karenina 48 Russian Tellado, Corín Corín Tellado 400 million 400 million Spanish Romance 4,000 Spanish Collins, Jackie Jackie Collins 250 million 400 million English Romance 25 British Alger, Horatio Horatio Alger 200 million 400 million English Dime novels 135 American Stine, R.L. R.L. Stine 100 million 400 million English Goosebumps series, Fear Street series, horror, comedy 430 + American Koontz, Dean Dean Koontz 325 million 400 million English Horror, thriller, science fiction, fantasy 91 American Roberts, Nora Nora Roberts 145 million 400 million English Romance 200 + American Pushkin, Alexander Alexander Pushkin 357 million Russian Plays, poetry, prose, Eugene Onegin 17 Russian King, Stephen Stephen King 300 million 350 million English Horror, science fiction, fantasy, It, The Shining, The Stand, Bag Of Bones, Needful Things, The Green Mile 70 American Coelho, Paulo Paulo Coelho 200 million 350 million Portuguese The Alchemist 28 Brazilian L'Amour, Louis Louis L'Amour 230 million 330 million English Western 101 American Gardner, Erle Stanley Erle Stanley Gardner 100 million 325 million English Mystery, Perry Mason 140 American Jin Yong 100 million 300 million Chinese Wuxia 15 Hong Kong Chinese Akagawa, Jirō Jirō Akagawa 300 million Japanese Mystery 500 + Japanese Dailey, Janet Janet Dailey 300 million 300 million English Romance 93 American Wallace, Edgar Edgar Wallace 300 million English Detective 175 British Ludlum, Robert Robert Ludlum 110 million 290 million English Espionage, Jason Bourne 40 American Patterson, James James Patterson 150 million 275 million English Thriller, Alex Cross 98 American Dard, Frédéric Frédéric Dard 200 million 270 million French Detective, San Antonio 300 Swiss Archer, Jeffrey Jeffrey Archer 120 million 270 million English Crime thriller The Clifton Chronicles 30 British Berenstain, Stan and Jan Stan and Jan Berenstain 200 million 260 million English Berenstain Bears 300 + American Dahl, Roald Roald Dahl 200 million 250 million English Children 's literature 50 British Grisham, John John Grisham 100 million 250 million English Legal thriller 22 American Grey, Zane Zane Grey 250 million English Western American Wallace, Irving Irving Wallace 250 million English Suspense American Tolkien, J.R.R. J.R.R. Tolkien 200 million 250 million English The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, classical fantasy 36 British Toriyama, Akira Akira Toriyama 240 million Japanese Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, Manga 60 Japanese Kishimoto, Masashi Masashi Kishimoto 220 million Japanese Naruto, Manga 72 Japanese May, Karl Karl May 100 million 200 million German Western, adventure 80 German Spillane, Mickey Mickey Spillane 100 million 200 million English Detective, Mike Hammer American Lewis, C.S. C.S. Lewis 100 million 200 million English The Chronicles of Narnia, fantasy, popular theology 38 British Nishimura, Kyotaro Kyotaro Nishimura 200 million Japanese Mystery 400 + Japanese Adachi, Mitsuru Mitsuru Adachi 200 million Japanese Manga Japanese Takahashi, Rumiko Rumiko Takahashi 200 million Japanese Manga Japanese Aoyama, Gosho Gosho Aoyama 200 million Japanese Manga Japanese Brown, Dan Dan Brown 200 million 200 million English Thriller, Robert Langdon 7 American Martin, Ann M. Ann M. Martin 172 million 180 million English The Baby - sitters Club 335 American Shiba, Ryōtarō Ryōtarō Shiba 180 million Japanese Historical 350 Japanese Hailey, Arthur Arthur Hailey 150 million 170 million English Thriller 11 British / Canadian Villiers, Gérard de Gérard de Villiers 150 million French Detectives, SAS 170 French Potter, Beatrix Beatrix Potter 100 million 150 million English Peter Rabbit 23 British Crichton, Michael Michael Crichton 150 million 150 million English Techno thriller 25 American Scarry, Richard Richard Scarry 100 million 150 million English Illustrated children 's books 250 American Cussler, Clive Clive Cussler 40 million 150 million English Adventure, Dirk Pitt 37 American MacLean, Alistair Alistair MacLean 150 million English Adventure, thriller, war stories 32 British Follett, Ken Ken Follett 90 million 150 million English Spy thriller, historical thriller 30 British Lindgren, Astrid Astrid Lindgren 100 million 145 million Swedish Children 's literature 100 Swedish Macomber, Debbie Debbie Macomber 60 million 140 million English Romance American EL James 100 million 125 million English Fifty Shades of Grey British Yoshikawa, Eiji Eiji Yoshikawa 120 million Japanese Musashi 7 Japanese Cookson, Catherine Catherine Cookson 100 million 120 million English Romance 103 British Meyer, Stephenie Stephenie Meyer 100 million 116 million English The Twilight Saga, The Host, romance 6 American Bridwell, Norman Norman Bridwell 100 million 110 million English Clifford the Big Red Dog 80 American Baldacci, David David Baldacci 110 million English Thriller 25 American Nicholas Sparks 90 million 105 million English Romance 22 American Hunter, Evan Evan Hunter 100 million 100 million English Detective ( Ed McBain ) 94 American Neiderman, Andrew Andrew Neiderman 100 million 100 million English V.C. Andrews, The Devil 's Advocate 60 American Hargreaves, Roger Roger Hargreaves 100 million 100 million English Children 's literature, Mr. Men British Rice, Anne Anne Rice 75 million 100 million English Gothic fiction, vampires, Interview with the Vampire ( The Vampire Chronicles ) 27 American Cook, Robin Robin Cook 100 million 100 million English Medical thriller Coma 27 American Smith, Wilbur Wilbur Smith 80 million 100 million English African adventure 32 South African / British Caldwell, Erskine Erskine Caldwell 80 million 100 million English Literature 25 American Judith Krantz 80 million 100 million English Romance 12 American Hibbert, Eleanor Eleanor Hibbert 100 million 100 million English Romance, historical, suspense 200 British Carroll, Lewis Lewis Carroll 100 million English Alice 's Adventures in Wonderland, absurdist literature British Robins, Denise Denise Robins 100 million English Romance 200 British Xueqin, Cao Cao Xueqin 100 million Chinese Dream of the Red Chamber Chinese Fleming, Ian Ian Fleming 100 million 100 million English James Bond 14 British Hesse, Hermann Hermann Hesse 100 million 100 million German Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, The Glass Bead Game 45 German - Swiss Stout, Rex Rex Stout 100 million 100 million English Nero Wolfe 50 American Golon, Anne Anne Golon 100 million 100 million French Angélique 14 French Slaughter, Frank G. Frank G. Slaughter 100 million English Medical 62 American Burroughs, Edgar Rice Edgar Rice Burroughs 100 million 100 million English Tarzan, Barsoom and Pellucidar series, science fantasy American Creasey, John John Creasey 100 million English Crime thriller 600 British Michener, James A. James A. Michener 100 million English Historical 47 American Uchida, Yasuo Yasuo Uchida 100 million Japanese Mystery 130 + Japanese Morimura, Seiichi Seiichi Morimura 100 million Japanese Mystery 350 + Japanese Higgins Clark, Mary Mary Higgins Clark 100 million 100 million English Thriller American Jordan, Penny Penny Jordan 90 million 100 million English Romance 200 + British Cornwell, Patricia Patricia Cornwell 100 million English Thriller 34 + American Clancy, Tom Tom Clancy 100 million English Thriller American See also Lists of writers Literature List of best - selling books List of best - selling novels in the United States Notes Jump up ^ News.com.au on Agatha Christie : `` With more than two billion copies of her 80 crime masterpieces sold there is a ready - made audience for television adaptations. '' ( 8 February 2008 ) ^ Jump up to : Times Online on William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie : `` Christie wrote 80 detective novels mostly featuring Poirot or Marple and it has been suggested that only the Bible and Shakespeare 's canon have outsold an estimated 4 billion copies of her books. '' ( 15 September 2008 ) Jump up ^ Times Online on William Shakespeare : `` Christie sold more than two billion books, translated into 103 languages. Only the Bible and Shakespeare 's works are said to have sold more. '' ( September 14, 2005 ) Jump up ^ The Telegraph on Barbara Cartland : `` Barbara Cartland, who, we are informed ( on www.condor-sj.com ), ' is the most widely read author in the world with more than 500 million books in print ' ? '' ( 25 February 2007 ) Jump up ^ CBS News on Barbara Cartland : `` Dame Barbara Cartland, 98. Considered the world 's most prolific author and Britain 's queen of romantic fiction, with total sales of 1 billion books. '' ( December 20, 2000 ) Jump up ^ CBC on Danielle Steel : `` The reclusive Steel, who lives in San Francisco and Paris, has published more than 70 bestselling romance novels, which have sold more than 500 million copies worldwide. '' ( 21 April 2010 ) Jump up ^ Forbes on Danielle Steel : `` Yes, you read that right, 800 MILLION copies sold. Best known for romance and drama, Danielle Steel 's novels have spent over 390 consecutive weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list and 22 have been adapted for television. '' ( 6 June 2011 ) Jump up ^ The Independent on Harold Robbins : `` During his 50 - year career ( he died in 1997 ) he sold an estimated 750 million books and, in the process, transformed himself into a brand. '' ( 23 September 2008 ) Jump up ^ USA Today on Harold Robbins : `` Starting in 1948, he sold 750 million books, including megasellers such as The Carpetbaggers, A Stone for Danny Fisher and The Betsy. '' ( 9 October 2007 ) Jump up ^ The Age on Georges Simenon : `` With worldwide sales of 500 million, he was the most widely read living writer of his era. '' ( 14 September 2003 ) Jump up ^ The Wall Street Journal on Georges Simenon : `` In his lifetime Simenon published some 570 books, using 17 pen names, which have sold more than 700 million copies in 40 countries and were translated into 57 languages. '' ( 1 April 2003 ) Jump up ^ Variety on Sidney Sheldon : `` A NEW MILESTONE FOR Sidney Sheldon, who has sold more than 370 million books '' ( 6 October 1995 ) Jump up ^ The Columbus Dispatch on Sidney Sheldon : `` He was one of the world 's most translated authors, selling more than 600 million books in 180 countries. '' ( January 31, 2007 ) Jump up ^ Encyclopædia Britannica on Enid Blyton : `` By the late 20th century her books had sold more than 300 million copies and been translated into at least 90 languages. '' ( 24 November 2007 ) Jump up ^ The Huddersfield DailyExaminer on Enid Blyton : `` She has been translated into 90 languages, is the sixth most popular writer worldwide according to UNESCO and almost equal to Shakespeare, and has sold 600 million copies. '' ( 25 August 2008 ) Jump up ^ The BBC on J.K. Rowling : `` The Harry Potter novels have sold more than 450 million copies through Bloomsbury in Britain, and Scholastic in the United States. '' ( 23 June 2011 ) Jump up ^ Forbes on `` Harry Potter '' : `` It and the six subsequent books have now sold 500 million copies worldwide. '' ( 31 June 2015 ) Jump up ^ The Daily Utah Chronicle Archived 2008 - 04 - 15 at the Wayback Machine. on Dr. Seuss : `` The Pulitzer Prize - winning Seuss wrote and illustrated 47 books and sold more than 100 million copies in 18 languages. '' ( 5 March 2001 ) Jump up ^ The New York Times on Dr. Seuss : `` Today Dr. Seuss 's 44 books have been translated into 21 languages, selling more than 500 million copies. '' ( 2 March 2004 ) Jump up ^ Susan Edgerton e.a. in Imagining the Academy : Higher Education and Popular Culture page 53, on Gilbert Patten : `` It is estimated that at least 125 million copies of the Frank Merriwell series ( which itself ran to at least 209 books ) were sold. '' ( 2004 ) Jump up ^ LeRoy Ashby in With Amusement For All : A History of American Popular Culture Since 1830 page 145, on Gilbert Patten : `` (... ) the Merriwell brothers, the heroes of almost 250 children 's books, whose total sales of 500 million copies surpassed those of the Bible between 1896 and 1918. '' ( 2006 ) Jump up ^ Guinness World Records June 26, 2015 `` In the space of less than two decades, the series has accumulated an incredibly loyal following and has gone on to sell an incredible 320,866,000 units, with a substantial 77 volumes of the comic book released over that period. '' Jump up ^ `` One Piece Manga Has 430 Million Copies in Print Worldwide ''. Anime News Network. October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017. Hiroyuki Nakano, editor - in - chief of Shueisha 's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, announced at a press event for Shueisha 's new 2017 publications on Monday that Eiichiro Oda 's One Piece manga has more than 430 million copies in print worldwide. The series has 360 million copies in print in Japan and 70 million copies in print outside of Japan. ^ Jump up to : New York Times February 15, 1987 Jump up ^ Latin American Herald Tribune on Corin Tellado : `` In the course of her life she published more than 4,000 romance novels that sold 400 million copies, which earned her a place in the Guinness Book of Records where she has been a fixture since 1994. '' ( 11 April 2009 ) Jump up ^ AFP on Corin Tellado : `` Corin Tellado, Spain 's most prolific romantic novelist whose books sold over 400 million copies, died Saturday at the age of 81, three days after she finished her last novel, a hospital official said. '' ( 11 April 2009 ) Jump up ^ Chicago Tribune on Jackie Collins : `` More than 250 million copies of her books have been sold to fans in more than 40 countries '' ( 1 January 2007 ) Jump up ^ The Guardian on Jackie Collins : `` One of the world 's bestselling writers with more than 400 million books sold in over 40 countries. '' ( 27 June 2004 ) Jump up ^ The Chinook Observer on Horatio Alger, Jr. : `` Americans bought 200 million copies of his dime novels -- with intriguing titles like Raggedy Dick and Sink or Swim. '' ( 30 March 2005 ) Jump up ^ Time magazine on Horatio Alger : `` (... ) that have sold from 100 million to 400 million copies, depending on which literary historian you believe. '' ( 12 February 1973 ) Jump up ^ The Hindu on R.L. Stine : `` As R.L. Stine points out ( and he should know, having sold over a 100 million copies of over 160 different spooky stories ) '' ( 7 September 2003 ) Jump up ^ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on R.L. Stine : `` Altogether, Stine has sold more than 400 million books. '' ( 8 April 2007 ) Jump up ^ The OC Register Archived 2008 - 04 - 13 at the Wayback Machine. on Dean Koontz : `` Admitting to finally having found a great editor at Bantam, the author, who has sold 325 million books in 38 languages, talked about his craft. '' ( September 25, 2007 ) Jump up ^ Daily Pilot on Dean Koontz : `` He 's now the world 's sixth most highly paid author, tied with John Grisham at $25 million in annual sales, and his novels have sold more than 400 million copies. '' ( 7 January 2011 ) Jump up ^ BBC on Nora Roberts : `` Nora Roberts currently has 145 million books in print. '' ( 6 June 2002 ) Jump up ^ The Washington Post on Nora Roberts : `` Today, Roberts, 61, has published her 200th novel, `` The Witness, '' and is at the helm of a cottage industry : about 400 million copies of her books in print... '' ( 16 Apr 2012 ) Jump up ^ ABC Australia on Stephen King : `` Stephen King, author of more than 40 novels with sales of around 300 million copies, (... ) '' ( 12 November 2006 ) Jump up ^ BBC on Stephen King : `` But - after selling 350 million copies of his horror and suspense books - the author 's latest work draws on a series of events which almost broke him. '' ( 22 November 2006 ) Jump up ^ L'Illustré on Paulo Coelho : `` the man with 200 million books sold '' ( 6 April 2016 ) Jump up ^ The Washington Post on Paulo Coelho : `` the writer has sold an estimated 350 million books. '' ( 20 December 2016 ) Jump up ^ Ray Broadmus Browne and Pat Browne in The Guide to United States Popular Culture page 473, on Louis L'Amour : `` His books have sold over 230 million copies, making him one of the best - selling authors in modern literary history. '' ( 2001 ) Jump up ^ The Jamestown Sun on Louis L'Amour : `` More than 330 million copies of his books have been sold, translated into 27 languages. '' ( 29 October 2001 ) Jump up ^ The New York Sun on Erle Stanley Gardner : `` Erle Stanley Gardner ( whose Perry Mason stories sold more than a 100 million books ) '' ( 20 July 2005 ) Jump up ^ The New York Times on Erle Stanley Gardner : `` Gardner 's books continue to be reissued regularly both here and abroad. Sales to date exceed 325 million copies. '' ( 22 November 1992 ) Jump up ^ I.B. Tauris & Company on Jin Yong : `` Jin Yong ( 1924 - ) is China 's bestselling living novelist. His 15 books have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide... '' Jump up ^ Shue Yan Newsletter on Jin Yong : `` Professor Cha adopted ' Jin Rong ' as his pen - name for his 15 martial arts novels of which over 300 million copies have been sold to - date. Although Professor Cha stopped writing martial arts novels almost forty years ago, they remain in print and have been translated into English, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and other languages for his countless readers worldwide. '' Jump up ^ Lewis Manalo. `` The Billion Copy Opportunity ''. Publishing Perspectives. Without rival, the twentieth century 's king of the genre is Louis Cha. Estimates of his book sales reach up to 300 million copies. One editor at the Far Eastern Economic Review estimated that, if one also counted the pirated copies, over 1 billion of Cha 's books have been sold. His fourteen novels have been adapted into countless comic books, television shows, and films. Jump up ^ Nishi - Nippon Shinbun Archived 2008 - 03 - 30 at the Wayback Machine. ( Japanese Language, 25 February 2007 ) Jump up ^ BBC AudioBooks catalogue Archived 2011 - 07 - 07 at the Wayback Machine. on Janet Dailey : `` Janet Dailey has written more than 100 novels and is one of the world 's topselling women writers, with more than 300 million copies of her books sold in nineteen languages in ninety - eight countries '' ( 2007 ) Jump up ^ Pamela Regis in A Natural History of the Romance Novel page 159 on Janet Dailey : `` There are 300 million copies of her books in print, making her the third best - selling author of all time '' ( 2007 ) Jump up ^ The `` American mystery and detective novels : a reference guide '' on Edgar Wallace : `` Christie alone has sold 500 million copies ; Edgar Wallace, 300 million ; Georges Simenon, 300 million ; and Mickey Spillane, 150 million. '' ( 1999 ) Jump up ^ BBC on Robert Ludlum : `` He has sold more than 110 million books in 40 countries and 32 languages. '' ( 13 March 2001 ) Jump up ^ BBC on Robert Ludlum : `` The author, who died in 2001, has sold more than 290 million books worldwide. '' ( 11 August 2005 ) Jump up ^ ABC News on James Patterson : `` Interesting that James Patterson has sold nearly 150 million books. '' ( 13 March 2008 ) Jump up ^ Daily Express on James Patterson : `` At the last count the 65 - year - old American has sold 275 million copies of his books. '' ( 26 February 2013 ) Jump up ^ The New York Times on Frédéric Dard : `` Mr. Dard wrote almost 300 books, of which more than 200 million copies have been sold. '' ( 15 June 2000 ) Jump up ^ The Washington Post on Frédéric Dard : `` Mr. Dard worked as a journalist in Lyon from 1942 to 1950 before dedicating himself to novels, theater and film. He used a number of pseudonyms, among them Frederic Charles, Kaput and L'Ange Noir ( The Black Angel ), and sold more than 270 million books. '' ( 9 June 2000 ) Jump up ^ Hello Magazine on Jeffrey Archer : `` To date he has notched up sales of over 120 million books worldwide. '' ( 2008 ) Jump up ^ The Australian on Jeffrey Archer : `` The 270 million copies he has sold of his 28 books over three decades argue that he is. '' ( 1 April 2014 ) Jump up ^ The Daily Nebraskan Archived 2008 - 04 - 13 at the Wayback Machine. on the Berenstains : `` '' They 've sold over 200 million copies of their books, '' said director James Larson. '' ( 21 November 2005 ) Jump up ^ Variety on the Berenstains : `` The company also is offering a new animated series based on the Berenstain Bears, the hugely popular children 's brand that has sold more than 260 million books worldwide. '' ( 7 April 2002 ) Jump up ^ BBC on Roald Dahl : `` With his stories available in 59 languages and with more than 200 million book sales worldwide. '' ( 6 July 2015 ) Jump up ^ `` Roald Dahl : As popular - and profitable - as ever ''. BBC. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016. Jump up ^ The New York Times on John Grisham : `` Over the last 15 years, more than 100 million copies of Mr. Grisham 's books have been published in hardcover and paperback worldwide. '' ( 19 January 2005 ) Jump up ^ BBC on John Grisham : `` While legal thriller writer Grisham - who has sold more that 250 million books in his 20 - year career - picked up a lifetime achievement award, Ian Rankin 's The Naming of the Dead won best crime thriller. '' ( 28 March 2007 ) Jump up ^ The Payson Roundup on Zane Grey : `` '' Zane Grey had 250 million books published, '' Wolfe said. '' ( 22 November 2005 ) Jump up ^ The Writer 's Almanac on Irving Wallace : `` Although often scorned by critics, his 16 novels and 17 works of nonfiction have sold some 250 million copies worldwide. '' ( 19 March 2003 ) Jump up ^ USA Today on J.R.R. Tolkien : `` Tolkien 's franchise has resulted in more than 200 million books sold globally and $3.5 billion in box office revenue -- not to mention tens of millions of DVDs sold. '' ( 23 April 2007 ) Jump up ^ Vancouver Sun Archived 2012 - 11 - 05 at the Wayback Machine. on J.R.R. Tolkien : `` Since its publication in the mid 1950s, the series ( plus its prequel The Hobbit ) has sold an estimated 250 million copies and has inspired legions of fans who revere the books. '' ( November 20, 2008 ) Jump up ^ ( 1 ) `` The manga has sold over 240 million copies. '' Jump up ^ Anime News Network `` To put Naruto 's incredible worldwide sales in perspective, Sasaki told fans that 220 million copies of Naruto have sold around the world. '' Jump up ^ The Wall Street Journal on Karl May : `` the best - selling German author of all time, with 100 million books '' ( 1 January 2004 ) Jump up ^ Deutsche Welle on Karl May : `` With sales of over 200 million books, Karl May remains a household name in today 's Germany. '' ( 4 April 2001 ) Jump up ^ CBC obituary of Mickey Spillane : `` He sold more than 100 million books, and Hammer inspired several TV series and movies. '' ( 18 July 2006 ) Jump up ^ The Washington Post on Mickey Spillane : `` According to today 's industry estimates, his 26 books have sold more than 200 million copies. '' ( 22 August 2001 ) Jump up ^ BBC on C.S. Lewis : `` favourite Northern Irish author has sold over 100 million books and inspired the Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings novels. '' ( 8 February 2008 ) Jump up ^ The Daily Herald on C.S. Lewis : `` C.S. Lewis may not be on the best - seller list, but it is estimated that his 38 books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide and remain in print 38 years after his death. '' ( 20 October 2001 ) Jump up ^ Famitsu.com ( Japanese language, May 11, 2007 ) ^ Jump up to : 高橋 留美子 : コミックス が 累計 2 億 部 突破 あだち 充 に 続く 大 記録, Mantan Web, 14 March, 2017. ( Japanese language ) Jump up ^ 青山 剛昌 氏 、 コミックス 2 億 冊 突破 記念 あだち 充 氏 の 寄稿 イラスト 公開, Oricon News, 26 April 2017. ( Japanese language ) Jump up ^ ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/dan-browns-inferno-publishers-poised-for-biggestsales-since-harry-potter-as-da-vinci-code-authors-latest-robert-langdon-story-hits-shelves-8614082.html Jump up ^ `` The Official Website of Dan Brown ''. danbrown.com. Retrieved 2018 - 01 - 07. Jump up ^ Benjamin M. Compaine and Douglas Gomery, ' Who Owns the Media ? : Competition and Concentration in the Mass Media Industry ' page 115 '' Jump up ^ The Wall Street Journal on Ann M. Martin : `` A year earlier, however, the movie version of `` The Baby - Sitters Club '' -- based on a series of young - adult books that have sold more than 180 million copies -- sold only $10 million in tickets, barely exceeding its $6.5 million budget. '' ( 8 October 2004 ) Jump up ^ Japan Inc. on Ryōtarō Shiba : `` Altogether, including such genres as dialogues with other authors, more than 180 million copies of his books have been printed '' ( 22 June 2006 ) Jump up ^ The Age on Arthur Hailey : `` Arthur Hailey, who has died at his home in the Bahamas aged 84, was one of the most commercially successful authors of all time, producing 11 books which sold more than 150 million copies, were translated into about 40 languages, and brought him tens of millions of dollars '' ( 28 November 2004 ) Jump up ^ The Washington Post on Arthur Hailey : `` He wrote 11 books, which were published in 40 countries and 38 languages, with about 170 million copies in print. '' ( 27 November 2004 ) Jump up ^ Sunday Herald Archived 2008 - 04 - 13 at the Wayback Machine. on Gerard De Villiers : `` De Villiers, now 78, claims to have sold an extraordinary 150 million books over his career - with every year a million more added to the total in France alone. '' ( November 19, 2007 ) Jump up ^ Lucia Marginean in Collecting Beatrix Potter Figurines page 2, on Beatrix Potter : `` Beatrix Potter 's books have been translated into more than 35 languages and sold over 100 million copies. '' ( 2008 ) Jump up ^ USA Today on Beatrix Potter : `` Potter 's story of the rabbit who is nearly killed after defying his mother 's warnings to avoid the garden of a farmer named McGregor has sold more than 150 million copies in 35 languages. '' ( 23 June 2003 ) Jump up ^ The Telegraph on Michael Crichton : `` His books have sold more than 150 million copies. '' ( 1 July 2007 ) Jump up ^ The Wall Street Journal on Michael Crichton : `` Although it is always difficult to gauge the total sales of any author, Mr. Crichton 's Web site states that he has sold more than 150 million books, and that 13 of them have been adapted into movies. '' ( 16 November 2006 ) Jump up ^ Encyclopædia Britannica on Richard Scarry : `` His `` busy '' books and dictionaries sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, and in 1989 eight of his books made the list of the top 50 best - selling children 's books of all time. '' ( 2008 ) Jump up ^ World Screen on Richard Scarry : `` More than 150 million books by Richard Scarry have been sold worldwide and translated into 30 languages. '' ( 2 April 2007 ) Jump up ^ The Rocky Mountain Collegian Archived 2008 - 04 - 15 at the Wayback Machine. on Clive Cussler : `` An audit later revealed the number of Cussler books sold was around 40 million at the time the contract was negotiated in 2000. '' ( 5 March 2007 ) Jump up ^ The Telegraph on Clive Cussler : `` His widely popular novels - his new one, Golden Buddha, the first in an adventure series called The Oregon Files, is published next month - have sold 150 million copies in 40 languages and have made the author a very wealthy man. '' ( 23 February 2004 ) Jump up ^ Dominic Head in The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English page 431 on Alistair MacLean : `` Alistair MacLean 's works have sold more than 150 million copies worldwide. '' ( 2006 ) Jump up ^ CBS on Ken Follett : `` In all, he 's sold 90 million books. '' ( 7 October 2007 ) Jump up ^ Tampa Bay 10 News on Ken Follett : One of the world 's best - loved novelists, Follett has sold over 150 million copies of his books worldwide. '' ( 13 October 2014 ) Jump up ^ BBC on Astrid Lindgren : `` Lindgren 's books have sold over 100 million copies in some 80 languages. '' ( 28 January 2002 Jump up ^ BusinessWeek on Astrid Lindgren : `` True, Lindgren 's books, which have sold more than 145 million copies the world over, remain bestsellers to this day and the films based on her scripts continue to be immensely popular. '' ( 16 November 2007 ) Jump up ^ Publishers Weekly on Debbie Macomber : `` Last year her new books sold 2.8 million copies, bringing her total in print to more than 60 million. '' ( 19 June 2006 ) Jump up ^ The Minneapolis Star - Tribune Archived 2010 - 04 - 29 at the Wayback Machine. on Debbie Macomber : `` She is constantly on one bestseller list or another, and right now there are more than 140 million copies of her novels in print '' ( 25 April 2010 ) Jump up ^ The New York Times on Eiji Yoshikawa : `` It has remained on the Japanese best - seller list ever since its initial publication as a novel in 1971, and has sold an estimated 120 million copies. '' ( 13 September 1981 ) Jump up ^ The Age on Catherine Cookson : `` One hundred million copies of her 103 books have been sold worldwide. '' ( 6 October 2008 Jump up ^ Hastings Chronicle Archived 2008 - 04 - 13 at the Wayback Machine. on Catherine Cookson : `` When Dame Catherine died, in June 1998, she had completed 103 novels, sold over 120 million books worldwide and had £ 20 million in the bank - all of which went to charities. '' ( 2008 ) Jump up ^ The Montreal Gazette on Stephenie Meyer : `` In book form, `` Twilight '' and its sequels `` New Moon, '' `` Eclipse '' and `` Breaking Dawn '', have sold 100 million copies worldwide, according to Little, Brown Book Group. '' ( 31 March 2010 ) Jump up ^ Publishers Weekly on Stephenie Meyer : `` Little, Brown to Publish Official ' Twilight ' Guide. '' ( 6 October 2011 ) Jump up ^ The Library of Congress on Norman Bridwell : `` Now more than 80 Clifford books have been published, close to 100 million books are in print, and Clifford 's adventures are published in several languages worldwide. '' ( 2002 ) Jump up ^ KRCB television Archived 2008 - 04 - 04 at the Wayback Machine. on Norman Bridwell : `` Scholastic 's beloved, best - selling children 's books by Norman Bridwell, with more than 160 titles and 110 million books in print. '' ( 2008 ) Jump up ^ The National on David Baldacci : `` At last count, David Baldacci had sold 110 million copies of his incredibly popular thrillers. '' ( 9 August 2011 ) Jump up ^ Bachko, Katia. `` Touring MoMA with The Longest Road Author Nicholas Sparks ''. Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 14. Jump up ^ `` ' The Notebook ' author Nicholas Sparks coming to Wichita ''. kansas. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 14. Jump up ^ The New York Times on Ed McBain : `` Ms. Gelfman, his agent, estimated that in 50 years of writing, he had sold more than 100 million copies of his work. '' ( July 7, 2005 ) Jump up ^ The Hollywood Reporter on Ed McBain : `` Evan Hunter, 78, a best - selling cop novel author who sold more than 100 million books under his own name and the pseudonym Ed McBain. '' ( December 30, 2005 ) Jump up ^ The Sun Runner Archived 2008 - 04 - 05 at the Wayback Machine. on Andrew Neiderman : `` Aside from the fact that `` The Devil 's Advocate '' is a film classic featuring Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron, Neiderman has over 100 million books in print and has been published in 95 countries. `` ( 2005 ) Jump up ^ Authors ' Den on Andrew Neiderman : `` Neiderman has over 100 million books in print and has been published in 95 countries. '' ( 3 August 2006 ) Jump up ^ The Independent on Roger Hargreaves : `` The popularity of the original characters led to a television series, sold 100 million books and created a business worth £ 130m '' ( 22 January 2003 ) Jump up ^ News Australia on Roger Hargreaves : `` The popular series featured characters like Mr Strong, Mr Tickle and Mr Muddle, and it has been estimated that more than 100 million books from the Mr Men range had been sold worldwide. '' ( February 11, 2008 ) Jump up ^ The Dallas Morning News on Anne Rice : `` All told, her books have sold more than 75 million copies worldwide, been made into movies and inspired a Broadway musical. '' ( 5 October 2008 ) Jump up ^ Tampa St. Petersburg Times on Anne Rice : `` Her 27 novels have sold some 100 - million copies. '' ( 5 October 2008 ) Jump up ^ Variety on Robin Cook : `` Cook, who with more than 100 million books in print virtually owns the medical - thriller genre, appears to be branching out of his element by adding an extraterrestrial component. '' ( 2 May 1997 ) Jump up ^ Wesleyan University Archived 2010 - 11 - 20 at the Wayback Machine. on Robin Cook : `` He has sold more than 100 million books worldwide, which have been translated into approximately 40 languages. '' ( 2007 ) Jump up ^ The Telegraph on Wilbur Smith : `` Translated into 26 languages, they have sold more than 80 million copies worldwide. '' ( 28 April 2007 ) Jump up ^ The Herald on Wilbur Smith : `` He is the author of 25 best - sellers and claims in court papers to have sold about 100 million books. '' ( 21 May 2002 ) Jump up ^ Augusta Chronicle on Erskine Caldwell : `` Mr. Caldwell 's books have sold 80 million copies and have been published in 43 languages. '' ( 11 February 2007 ) Jump up ^ The New York Times on Erskine Caldwell : `` More than 100 million copies of his books have been printed around the world, and his short stories continue to be included in anthologies '' ( 1 December 1982 ) Jump up ^ The Independent on Eleanor Hibbert : `` She sold staggering amounts, in the region of 100 million copies. '' ( 28 September 2008 ) Jump up ^ The New York Times on Eleanor Hibbert : `` Eleanor Hibbert, a prolific and popular novelist whose books, written under the pen names Jean Plaidy, Victoria Holt and Philippa Carr, sold more than 100 million copies, died on Monday aboard a Mediterranean cruise ship. '' ( January 21, 1993 ) Jump up ^ The New York Times on Lewis Carroll : `` Over 100 million copies of Carroll 's book have been sold, Mr. Allen said. '' ( 18 April 1985 ) Jump up ^ Miami Herald on Denise Robins : `` Miss Robins ' novels, translated into 15 languages, sold more than 100 million copies. '' ( 3 May 1985 ) Jump up ^ China.org on Cao Xueqin : `` Sun said that the book has sold over 100 million copies worldwide so far. '' ( 14 December 2005 ) Jump up ^ The Times of India on Ian Fleming : `` Faulks took up where Fleming left off in 1966 with Octopussy and the Living Daylights, the last of 14 Bond books which have sold 100 million copies since. '' ( 13 July 2007 ) Jump up ^ The New Zealand Herald on Ian Fleming : `` Faulks took up where Fleming left off in 1966 with Octopussy and the Living Daylights, the last of 14 Bond books which have sold 100 million copies since. '' ( July 11, 2007 - Jump up ^ Eckhard Bernstein in Culture and Customs of Germany page 101 on Hermann Hesse : `` Over 100 million copies of his works have been sold worldwide '' ( 2004 ) Jump up ^ The International Herald Tribune on Hermann Hesse : `` Hesse 's novels appear in 68 languages and have been sold more than 100 million copies worldwide '' ( 28 October 1999 ) Jump up ^ The Capital Journal Archived 2008 - 04 - 13 at the Wayback Machine. on Rex Stout : `` During his 88 - year life, he had written about 50 books and 75 novellas and short stories, which had been translated into 26 languages and sold more than 100 million copies. '' ( 21 September 2003 ) Jump up ^ The Philadelphia Inquirer on Rex Stout : `` Readers have snapped up more than 100 million copies of the books. '' ( 29 November 1986 ) Jump up ^ Dr. Jaap van Ginneken in Screening Difference : How Hollywood 's Blockbuster Films Imagine Race, Ethnicity and Culture page 124, on Anne Golon : `` All together, they published thirteen titles, translated into forty - five languages and selling more than 100 million copies. '' ( 2007 ) Jump up ^ The Age on Anne Golon : `` Somehow, despite her books having sold more than 100 million copies in 45 countries, Golon is living in straitened circumstances '' ( 13 November 2004 ) Jump up ^ Kevin McCarthy 's The Book Lover 's Guide to Florida on Frank G. Slaughter : `` Through 1990, Slaughter 's books have averaged more than a million sales per title, totaling over 100 million copies. '' ( 1992 ) Jump up ^ Steven R. Serafin in The Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature, p. 145, on Edgar Rice Burroughs : `` (... ) sales of his novels exceed 100 million copies. '' ( 2005 ) Jump up ^ Bret E. Carroll in American Masculinities : A Historical Encyclopedia, page 449, on Edgar Rice Burroughs : `` The twenty - five novels that followed between 1912 and 1947 were a huge commercial success, with over 100 million copies sold '' ( 2003 ) Jump up ^ Neil Shulman e.a. in Get Between the Covers : Leave a Legacy by Writing a Book, page 225, on John Creasey : `` Over his lifetime, he managed to write over 600 novels and to sell approximately 100 million copies of his books worldwide. '' ( 2006 ) Jump up ^ Thomas D. Hamm in The Quakers in America page 208, on James Michener : `` Michener produced a steady stream of books for the rest of his life, with total sales of over 100 million. '' ( 2003 ) ^ Jump up to : Zenkoku Shoten Shinbun Archived 2008 - 04 - 13 at the Wayback Machine. ( Japanese language, March 21, 2008 ) Jump up ^ Deseret News on Mary Higgins Clark : `` Mary Higgins Clark has been on The New York Times Best Seller list 27 times and has more than 100 million copies in print in the United States '' ( 29 March 2009 ) Jump up ^ Forbes on Mary Higgins Clark : `` Sales : 100 million books sold '' ( 6 June 2011 ) Jump up ^ The Telegraph on Penny Jordan : `` selling more than 90 million copies of nearly 190 titles '' ( 19 January 2012 ) Jump up ^ The Washington Post on Penny Jordan : `` sold more than 100 million copies worldwide '' ( 21 January 2012 ) Jump up ^ The Christian Science Monitor on Patricia Cornwell : `` Cornwell 's books have sold more than 100 million copies. '' ( 21 February 2013 ) Jump up ^ Los Angeles Times Sales figures, by the numbers : `` 100 million : Estimated number of books in print. '' ( 2 October 2013 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_best-selling_fiction_authors&oldid=824905735 '' Categories : Lists of bestsellers Lists of writers Literature records Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from December 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Webarchive template wayback links All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2015 Dynamic lists Articles with hCards Articles with unsourced statements from November 2015 Talk About Wikipedia 한국어 日本 語 Português Edit links This page was last edited on 10 February 2018, at 07 : 14. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who is the best selling novelist of all time
Answer: Agatha Christie