Many of us dream of writing a best-selling book, but only a handful of people have become wildly rich from their writing. From authors who have sold hundreds of millions of books to those whose works have inspired billion-dollar film franchises, read on as we look at the world's richest authors today. All dollar values in US dollars.

Welsh writer Ken Follett is thought to have earned a net worth of $55 million (£41.4m) from his historical novels. His debut novel Eye of the Needle was published in 1978 and he's since written more than 30 books, selling over 160 million copies around the world.

The University College of London graduate has topped The New York Times Best Sellers list numerous times and at least six of his novels have been adapted for film or TV. Follett even had a cameo appearance in two, despite having been forbidden from watching TV by his religious parents as a child. The rights to The Third Twin were reportedly sold to CBS for a then-record $1.4 million (£1m) in 1997. 

American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney has amassed an estimated fortune of $70 million (£50.7m) thanks to his best-selling children’s book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid. First published in 2007, the series features 16 core books and several spin-offs. It has spawned four film adaptations, with Kinney serving as an executive producer on all of them.

Disney+ has now rebooted the beloved franchise as an animated series. To date, Kinney has sold a staggering 250 million copies of his books. Now one of the most successful living children’s writers, he also earned a spot on TIME's list of The World's Most Influential People in 2009. 

Henry Patterson is a thriller and espionage novelist better known by his pen name Jack Higgins. In the late 1950s and 60s, he published books under various pseudonyms. However, his breakout book – 1975's The Eagle Has Landed – was published under the alias Jack Higgins, and the name stuck. To date, it has sold over 50 million copies, and in 1976 it was adapted into a film starring screen legends Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland.

Over the course of his lengthy career, the British-born author has penned 85 novels, sold 150 million copies worldwide, and had his works translated into 55 languages. According to various reports, 92-year-old Patterson has amassed an estimated $86 million (£62.3m) fortune thanks to his writing talents.

Suzanne Collins began her career co-writing children's television shows for Nickelodeon in the 1990s but always dreamt of writing books. She penned a children’s book series, The Underland Chronicles, between 2003 and 2007 with middling success but her career took off once she published The Hunger Games in 2008. The young adult novel rapidly became a sensation, spending more than 60 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers list.

The trilogy of books was eventually adapted into four Hollywood blockbusters starring Jennifer Lawrence, grossing a whopping $2.9 billion (£2.1bn) worldwide. Having sold over 100 million books, Collins has an estimated net worth of $90 million (£65m).

Famed for his A Song of Ice and Fire books, which sparked TV phenomenon Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin wasn't always the renowned novelist he is today. Once a penniless writer, Martin barely survived on the proceeds from his short stories, becoming an English teacher to make ends meet. In 1976, he sold his first science-fiction novel, Dying of the Light, for three times more than his annual salary. This allowed him to devote his full attention to his craft, and throughout the 1970s and 1980s he published several sci-fi novels to modest success. He then transitioned into the TV industry, though he soon grew tired of tight production budgets restricting his imagination.

Inspired by his love of The Lord of the Rings, Martin began to pen his own fantasty book in 1991. A Game of Thrones was published in 1996, and the rest is history. To date, five of the seven planned books have been released. The epic saga has made Martin a very wealthy man indeed and he has an estimated net worth of $120 million (£87m).

A poster girl for never giving up on your dreams, American novelist Janet Evanovich was turned down by multiple publishers before becoming a successful writer. Disheartened by rejections, Evanovich had quit writing until an agency offered her $2,000 (£1.45k) for her romance manuscript, which the struggling mother thought was an "astonishing amount" at the time. Evanovich achieved reasonable success with her romantic fiction throughout the 1980s but it was only when she switched to crime books that her career really took off.

First published in 1994, her Stephanie Plum series revolves around the exploits of a female bounty hunter. To date, 40 of her novels have appeared on The New York Times Best Sellers list. There are 200 million of her books in print, which have been translated into 40 languages. Evanovich's initial paycheck for her first book is now a trifle; she currently has a net worth of $120 million (£87m).

Budding young author Stephenie Meyer was just 29 when she began penning her young adult novel Twilight. She says the idea for the vampire romance came to her in a dream. After battling for several years to find a publisher, Meyer signed a three-book deal with Little, Brown and Company for $750,000 (£544k). The book hit shelves in 2005, becoming a sensation with teenagers around the globe. Meyer went on to write four instalments, and several spin-offs. The novels also got a Hollywood adaptation starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattison. It made the then-unknown actors household names, and the five-film franchise grossed a staggering $3.35 billion (£2.4bn) worldwide.

Meyer has since published other young adult books, though none have achieved the mammoth success of Twilight. Still, she has an estimated $120 million (£87m) fortune having sold more than 100 million books worldwide. 

The erotic Fifty Shades series began life as a Twilight fan-fiction, which is surprising given Stephenie Meyer's books notoriously installed her Christian ideals and contained no vices or explicit scenes. In fact, the protagonists even wait until after marriage to consummate their relationship. A diehard Twilight fan, James' risque twist on the vampire saga gained online popularity, and she set out to write her own erotica novel.

A roaring success, the series has sold 125 million copies worldwide and became the fastest-selling paperback of all time in the United Kingdom. It also received the Hollywood treatment, starring Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson. The British author has since published a book outside of the trilogy, The Mister, which was panned by critics. Regardless, she has still amassed a $150 million (£109m) fortune. 

One of the best-selling books of all time, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has sold more than 80 million copies worldwide since it was first published in 2003. The book is part of the Robert Langdon mystery and adventure series, which contains five instalments and has sold over 200 million copies worldwide. Three of the books have been adapted into major movies starring Tom Hanks.

In addition, the American author has penned three stand-alone works, including an illustrated children’s book in 2020 titled Wild Symphony. His prowess in historical fiction mixed with religious themes has earned him a hefty $160 million (£116m) bank balance.

A master of suspense, American writer Dean Koontz has penned novels across a wide variety of genres over the course of his lucrative career: horror, science fiction, thriller, mystery, and fantasy. Since the release of his first novel Star Quest in 1968, Koontz has published over 105 books.

Globally, he's sold a staggering 450 million copies, so it's no surprise he has a net worth of $200 million (£145m). A critical and commercial success, many of his works have topped The New York Times Best Sellers list. 

R. L. Stine has been dubbed the "Stephen King of children's literature" for his terrifying tales geared at younger readers. He has penned over 300 horror titles, most notably the Goosebumps series. The best-selling franchise was adapted into a television series in 1995 and into a movie in 2015 starring comedy legend Jack Black as Stine – and the author even made a cameo in the film. Stine's teen-targeted Fear Street series was loosely adapted into three Netflix films earlier in 2021, although they were given an R-rated makeover.

Stine has also published several novels aimed at adults, though they haven’t achieved the same heights of success as his stories for children. Since he began publishing books in the 1960s, Stine has sold a staggering 400 million copies worldwide, banking himself a cool $200 million (£145m) in the process.

Jeffrey Archer, a former British politician turned novelist, was once the Mayor of London. He was charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice for lying in a 1987 libel case in 2000, and was subsequently imprisoned for two years between 2001 and 2003. While his political career might have ended abruptly, his writing career has flourished for over 40 years.

Archer penned his first novel Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less in 1974 to avoid bankruptcy, and the book was adapted into a TV series by the BBC in 1990. His biggest-selling book, 1979's Kane and Abel, achieved the number one spot on The New York Times Best Sellers list and is widely recognised as one of the world's best-selling books of all time. To date, he has published over 40 titles and sold 320 million copies worldwide, amassing a fortune of $286 million (£210m), according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2021. 

Former journalist Barbara Taylor Bradford hoped to become "a hard-bitten reporter in a dirty trenchcoat". Her debut novel, 1979's A Woman of Substance, became one of the best-selling books of all time, propelling her towards a prosperous career as a thriller and romance novelist instead.

Bradford has authored over 40 books, including multiple follow-ups to her debut. She has an estimated net worth of $300 million (£217m), having sold 92 million books worldwide. Her late husband, TV producer Robert Bradford, adapted some of her works into mini-series and made-for-TV movies.

American writer Danielle Steel has achieved both fame and fortune thanks to her best-selling romance novels. As of 2021, she has penned 190 books, selling over 800 million copies. Her romantic fiction stands out from the crowd as it frequently features grittier topics, often inspired by her own life experiences. Her first novel Going Home was published in 1972, and since then she has produced several books a year, often juggling five plots at a time.

Steel's works have been translated into 43 languages, with 22 of her books adapted for television. Her commitment to her craft has earned her an estimated net worth of $390 million (£283m) according to Forbes, who ranked her number 80 on their 2021 America’s self-made women list.

American novelist Nora Roberts has amassed a $390 million (£283m) fortune from her romance novels. The former homemaker began writing when she found herself trapped at home with her two young sons during a blizzard. Despite being repeatedly rejected by publishers, her debut novel Irish Thoroughbred eventually hit shelves in 1981. Like many other romance novels of that era, it was only scheduled to be on sale for one month but was reprinted due to its popularity.

To date, Roberts has penned a staggering 225 romance novels, with over 400 million copies sold by 2009 and many of her works topping the The New York Times Best Sellers list.

John Grisham is an American author and attorney best known for his gripping legal thriller books. His first novel A Time to Kill was released in 1989. His first bestseller, 1991's The Firm, sold seven million copies and was adapted into a 1993 film starring Tom Cruise. Eight more of his works have also been adapted for the silver screen. 

Grisham has published over 40 books, penning 28 consecutive number one best-sellers. Having sold upwards of 300 million copies, his literary prowess has garnered him an estimated $400 million (£293.9m) fortune.

Look at anyone's bookshelves and you're bound to find a copy of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. The 1988 novel has sold 150 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling book by a Brazilian writer. On average, Coelho has published one book every two years since the release of The Alchemist. Four of them are autobiographies, while the others are fiction.

His work has been translated into 83 languages and published in over 170 countries. Over 320 million copies of his novels have been sold, giving the self-proclaimed 'hippie' a hefty $500 million (£363m) estimated net worth. 

The aptly-nicknamed 'king of horror' is one of the most successful authors of all time, having sold over 350 million books worldwide. Carrie, his debut novel, was released in 1973 and launched King's lucrative career. Widely acknowledged as a book that defined the horror genre, it was later adapted into a 1976 film, and was the first of his works to be adapted for the silver screen. In fact, it's worth noting that King has had more novels and short stories adapted for film or TV than any other author.

To date, King has penned 63 novels and around 200 short stories, as well as winning a stream of accolades and awards for his writing. He reportedly has an impressive $500 million (£363m) net worth. 

American novelist James Patterson is most famous for his gripping Alex Cross detective series. A man of many accomplishments, he has penned around 200 novels and has sold upwards of 305 million books; he is also the first author to have sold a million e-books. Having written over 100 New York Times Best Sellers novels, it's estimated that his books account for 6% of all the hardback books sold in the United States. He has even co-written two books with the former US president Bill Clinton: 2018’s The President Is Missing and 2021's The President's Daughter. 

Patterson regularly tops Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid authors, and reportedly raked in $80 million (£58m) in 2020 alone. His total net worth is an astonishing $800 million (£580m). 

A struggling single mother, Joanne Rowling transformed her life when she conceived the idea for Harry Potter during a train journey from Manchester to London. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (known as the Sorceror's Stone in the US), the first of seven books, was released in 1997. Since then, over 500 million Harry Potter books have been sold globally and Rowling's wizarding world has grown into a lucrative empire, complete with two separate film franchises, stage shows, theme parks, video games, and a plethora of merchandise.

Forbes once named Rowling the first author-billionaire. According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2021, her net worth is a staggering $1.1 billion (£820m). Under the pen name Robert Galbraith, she has now turned her hand to crime fiction. Rowling raked in $60 million (£44.1m) in 2020. Writing no longer accounts for the majority of her income though – it actually reportedly comes from her rights to Universal Studios' Wizarding World attraction in Florida. 

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