Writers much better known than faulkner georges simenon, john creasey, barbara cartland, alexandre dumas as well as others much more obscure appear on the list below her. Dec 05, 2014 historians estimate he wrote a total of around 100 million words, most as short stories for magazines. This page includes a list of the 25 bestselling books of alltime as well as the 25 bestselling book series of alltime. If you divide that word count by the length of an average novel, old charlie published the equivalent of about 1,200 books. No one really knows which books have sold the most copies in history, because we simply dont have records that cover all of history. That earns him the gold crown as the most prolific writer in history. Best selling refers to the estimated number of copies sold of all fiction books written or cowritten by an. As of 14 april 2009 he held 100 guinness world records in total. Go ask alice it said on the cover that it sold over 5 million copies which one sold the most.
According to forbes, bill gates owns the most expensive book ever sold. Here are a few bestselling books whose authors did not give up on them. Thus i usually say that the average book sells 10,000 copies with a major publisher. The guinness book of world records reportedly ranks her as historys most prolific novelist, who wrote under six pen names. It is interesting to note that by may of 20, the books had sold half a billion copies worldwide thus rising to be the bestselling book sequence. The holder of the most current guinness world records is ashrita furman usa. Books since the bestselling guinness world records book was first published in 1955, it has sold more than 8 million copies in over 100 countries, and has been translated into at least 20 languages. The 20 bestselling books of all time updated 2020 wealthy. Historians estimate he wrote a total of around 100 million words, most as short stories for magazines. According to guinness world records, agatha christie has the title of worlds bestselling fiction. The last four books of the series have set a record as the fastest.
If the short definition of cognitive dissonance is holding two contradictory ideas to be true, ebooks are about as dissonant as. First edition of the federalist, the most soughtafter of all american books. But does that actually represent the number of books. How write down to database multiple authors in simple. The wall street journal archived september 7, 2017, at the wayback machine on georges simenon. Affordable alternative look for dahl books signed by his illustrator quentin. They marketed, pitched, and sold the heck out of their books. Bestselling books are ranked by number of copies sold, not my personal ratings. To appear on the list, the figure must have been published by a reliable source and the album must have sold at least 20 million copies. All books of a religious, ideological, philosophical or political nature have thus been excluded from the below lists of bestselling books for these reasons. While some bestselling authors have written a small number of books that have sold millions of copies, others have had lengthy careers and maintained a high level of output year after year. Agatha christie estimated 2 billion books sold according to guinness world records, agatha christie has the title of worlds bestselling fiction writer, with estimated sales of over 2. Jamie oliver and jk rowling top the 50 biggestselling authors of all time. If you take the above authors and their 51 titles, they averaged 12,455 lifetime copies sold for each book published.
Dame barbara cartland has also sold millions of copies of her books but wrote many more than christie. Sep 10, 2012 together, the four chefs account for 40 per cent of all the cook books sold in britain since records began in 1998. Amongst this list of expensive books, most are ancient texts that bear significant historical value and some are literature works by hugely celebrated authors. Many authors per book, but each author can have at most one book highly unlikely this way, youll put a foreign key in the author table, linking that author to the book. The last four books of the series have set a record as the fastestselling books ever. Traditional publishers ebook sales drop as indie authors. A splendid association copy from the library of major roger alden. The guinness book of records first published in 1955, the guinness book of records stands out as the greatest contemporary publishing achievement. Other than the bible, which is the far and away the bestselling christian book of all time with sales in the billions, here is my list for your consideration. Popular business books showing 150 of 76,049 the lean startup. To celebrate, here below we list ten of the best bookrelated world records. 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.
Also, it is worth noting that some religious and political books such as the bible, quran, and quotations from chairman mao are believed to. This list can contain any types of album, including studio albums, extended plays, greatest hits, compilations, various artists, soundtracks and remixes. Here are the 10 bestselling books of all time information news. The first novel in the series, harry potter and the philosophers stone, has sold in excess of 120 million copies, making it one of the bestselling books of all time. While some bestselling authors have written a small number of books. A lesson to all of us about being careful in what is thrown away. With all those caveats in mind and not including ebook sales, here are the 21 bestselling books of all time, as far as we can tell. While finding precise sales numbers for any given author is nearly impossible, the list is based on approximate numbers provided or repeated by reliable sources. The 21 bestselling books of all time howstuffworks. We combed through to find 15 of the bestselling authors of all time. Jun 28, 2016 other than the bible, which is the far and away the bestselling christian book of all time with sales in the billions, here is my list for your consideration. Dame agatha christie, the mostpublished novelist in history, is estimated to have sold 4 billion books, having written 69 novels and 19 plays.
To help readers pick out some of the best inspirational books, newsmax has compiled this list of the top 25 living, christian nonfiction authors. He inked 48 books which sold around 4 million units rendering him as one of the bestselling authors of all time. Add the childrens writers david walliams eight entries including 5 and 6 and jeff kinney 10, 36, 59, perennial presences in the past few years, plus guinness world records 9, and the most. Isabel allende goodreads author shelved 1 time as mostownedauthors avg rating 3. After being rejected by publishers, cummings selfpublished the collection with the help of.
Jun 10, 2010 the holder of the most current guinness world records is ashrita furman usa. Quotations from chairman mao authored by mao zedong book sales. Having sold more than 500 million copies worldwide, 6 7 8 harry potter by j. Most would never go through the trouble to obtain original copies, especially when reprinted versions contain the same information. A nuanced and epic novel that tackles the europes colonization of africa. Nov 03, 2018 we combed through to find 15 of the bestselling authors of all time.
Introduction to the question according to guinness world records, which author has the most published works. How todays entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses hardcover. This russian writer has presented the world of literature with gems like war and peace and anna karenina. While the first and most famous book in this classic series, interview with the vampire, doesnt rank on the list of bestselling single volumes, the overall series of books has sold an. This page includes a list of the 25 bestselling books of alltime as well as the 25 best selling book series of alltime. Amazons most sold charts rank books according to the number of copies sold and preordered through, amazon books stores, and books read through digital subscription. There are bestselling authors, and then there are megabestselling authors writers who have sold 100 million copies or more. It seems to only refer to the total number of titles that are in publication, presumably because scientology chooses to keep them all in print. Traditional publishers ebook sales drop as indie authors and. The book was first published in 1887 and has sold 83 million. It may feel a bit soon to add michelle obama to a list of alltime bestselling nonfiction authors, but the 10 million copies sold worldwide so far have earned her a spot. I doubt even obama herself saw those numbers coming, numbers that are shattering records and eclipsing sales of her husbands two books dreams from my father and the. Sep 25, 2015 leo tolstoy is one of the most accomplished authors of the literary world.
Christie wrote 85 books that sold between two and four. A survey by the bible society concluded that around 2. Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the worlds bestselling and most widely distributed book. Hebrew, greek, aramaic many copies of the holy bible have been freely given away during missionary work. The new york times best sellers may 24, 2020 authoritatively ranked lists of books sold in the united states, sorted by format and genre. Weve put together this list of the top 20 most sold books worldwide, with the number. The authors who sold the most books and are considered highly influential in the christian space. Jamie oliver and jk rowling top the 50 biggestselling. Ans according to guinness world records, which author has. This is a list of bestselling fiction authors to date, in any language. A classic for a reason steinbecks george and lennie loom large in american literature. Her works were published between 1920 and 1976, equating to around three publications every two years. Together, the four chefs account for 40 per cent of all the cook books sold in britain since records began in 1998.
Jun 15, 2016 while the first and most famous book in this classic series, interview with the vampire, doesnt rank on the list of bestselling single volumes, the overall series of books has sold an estimated 80 million copies total, making it one of the bestselling horrorgothic fantasy series of all time. Dec 31, 2016 add the childrens writers david walliams eight entries including 5 and 6 and jeff kinney 10, 36, 59, perennial presences in the past few years, plus guinness world records 9, and the most. The list is fascinating in its own right, even without the dominance of the big writers. It is estimated that cartland has sold over 750 million copies of her work, but that figure has been disputed. Aug 15, 2016 all of these books have one thing in common their authors did not simply publish and then lean back and enjoy their success. The future of ebook publishing may increasingly belong to the independent author, especially as traditional publishers charge a premium for their traditionally published product. A fter a 2014 that saw books for kids led by john green and david walliams novels ruling the annual sales chart, 2015 was the year of the women. According to guinness world records as of 1995, the bible is the bestselling book of all time, with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed. Amazons most read charts rank titles by the average.
United kingdom although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the worlds bestselling and most widely distributed book. Dusty california, a dream of a better life, handtomouth labor, and a tragedy youll never forget. It is estimated that cartland has sold over 750 million. For proof, these are the bestselling novels of all time.
Best selling refers to the estimated number of copies sold of all fiction books. Jul 22, 2017 most would never go through the trouble to obtain original copies, especially when reprinted versions contain the same information. Having sold more than 500 million copies worldwide, harry potter by j. Youngest person to write a published book the youngest commercially published female author is dorothy straight b. Most collectible authors on the web include selfpublished writers. Dec 24, 2015 a fter a 2014 that saw books for kids led by john green and david walliams novels ruling the annual sales chart, 2015 was the year of the women. The last book sold more 11 million copies in the us in about 24 hours. Best selling books are ranked by number of copies sold, not my personal ratings. While finding precise sales numbers for any given author is nearly impossible, the list is based on approximate numbers provided. Jun 24, 2019 if you take the above authors and their 51 titles, they averaged 12,455 lifetime copies sold for each book published. The imitation of christ by thomas a kempis 1418 sales unknown, but widely regarded as the bestselling christian title after the bible. Writers like ken follett, nora roberts, james patterson and.
In 2015, guinness world records recognized it as the most copies published for the same comic book series by a single author. Leo tolstoy is one of the most accomplished authors of the literary world. Thus i usually say that the average book sells 10,000 copies with a major. Example questions that can be answered by this faq. Ans according to guinness world records, which author. An exceptional copy in the original boards, with the edges untrimmed. The best and most popular mystery books and series vulture. Two selfpublished authors roderick gordon and brian williams, who cowrote a fantasy novel called the. But if all their books only sold 10,000 copies, they might struggle financially. Ron hubbard has been awarded a guinness book of world records entry for most published. The books were published by puffin books, an imprint of penguin. This is a list of the worlds best selling albums of recorded music. Affordable alternative look for dahl books signed by his illustrator quentin blake.
No thanks is a 1935 collection of poetry by one of americas most famous poets, e. Oct 10, 2019 agatha christie estimated 2 billion books sold according to guinness world records, agatha christie has the title of worlds bestselling fiction writer, with estimated sales of over 2. Book, authors, original language, first published, approximate sales, genre. This page provides lists of bestselling individual books and book series to date and in any. Writer james chapman created a list of the most read books in the world based on the number of copies each book sold over the last 50 years he found. Barbara cartland wrote 723 novels during her career and is referenced in the guinness world records for publishing the most novels in a single year. This reading list shares the bestselling books of alltime and breaks down the. For the record, the excluded books have sold an estimated hundreds of millions of copies each several billion, in the bibles case and would have taken most of the top positions on the list. Although none of these authors came close to the bestselling author of all time, agatha christie, they have sold an impressive number of books. We rounded 15 authors who are some of the bestselling of all time. Is fifty shades of grey really the uks bestselling book. Guinness world records for publishing the most novels in a single year. The worlds most valuable childrens books do you have one. If you divide that word count by the length of an average novel, old charlie published the.
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