The Best Selling Fiction Authors of all Time

A list of the most popular best selling fiction authors of all time ranked by how well their books have sold. Obviously, many of those books have gone on to become classics. With the introduction of the Nook, Kindle, and iPad with iBooks, reading is hot again. The writers on this list wrote everything from pulp fiction novels to literature still revered to this day. This list is intended to help long-time readers, and newcomers alike with discovering (and rediscovering) some of the best selling novelists the world has ever seen.

Also, please note that this list only includes fiction writers with sales figures that could at least be estimated.
Photo: Freebase / CC-BY
Ranked by
  • William Shakespeare
    1
    Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet
    Estimated Sales: 4 Billion
  • Agatha Christie
    2
    The A.B.C. Murders, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, A Pocket Full of Rye
    Estimated Sales: 4 Billion
  • Barbara Cartland
    3
    Love in the ruins, As eagles fly, Messenger of love
    Estimated Sales: 1 Billion
  • Harold Robbins
    4
    The Dream Merchants, The Carpetbaggers, Stiletto
    Estimated Sales: 750 Million
  • Georges Simenon
    5
    La Premiere enquete de Maigret, La Marie Du Port, La Veuve Couderc
    Estimated Sales: 700 Million
  • Sidney Sheldon
    6
    Bloodline, Rage of Angels, The Naked Face
    Estimated Sales: 600 Million