The Greatest Living Writers & Most Famous Authors Today

Over 15.9K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Greatest Living Writers & Most Famous Authors Today
Voting Rules
Authors and writers who are still alive. Vote up the best, most talented, living writers.

If you consider yourself a bibliophile, this list of the absolute best living authors should be of great interest to you. It features contemporary authors who have forever shaped the literary world, producing many books that will go down in history as classics. The people below are some of the best writers today. The art form of literature and writing usually attempts to depict the changing world around us in one aspect or another. That makes these famous writers today powerful tools for preserving the times. It's important to understand the times in which we live and forever record that for the next generation to read. That's where these best modern writers come in. Who are the best living writers attempting this feat? 

The novelists on this list are some of the most famous writers in history, not just in modern times. Many of the books these famous modern authors have written have been made into blockbuster films, while others are simply modern day literary classics, that need to be read to be truly appreciated. These contemporary writers, and their works, will be remembered for generations to come. Who are your favorite famous current authors

This list features the best living writers who are producing some of the world’s best written work including, Philip Roth, J.K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Stephen King, James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks, and Tom Wolfe. This list is all famous authors who are still alive. Vote up the best living authors below and see how the writers you think are the best rank!

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Ranked by
  • Stephen King
    1
    5,679 votes
    The Shining, The Stand, Carrie
  • Cormac McCarthy
    2
    3,992 votes
    All the Pretty Horses, Child of God, No Country for Old Men
  • Haruki Murakami
    3
    3,398 votes
    A Wild Sheep Chase, Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
  • George R. R. Martin
    4
    2,578 votes
    A Game of Thrones, A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons
  • J. K. Rowling
    5
    6,457 votes
    Harry Potter series, The Casual Vacancy
  • Kazuo Ishiguro
    6
    1,632 votes
    The Saddest Music in the World, The White Countess, The Unconsoled