The two authors whose books have sold the most copies are the English playwright, poet, and actor William Shakespeare and the author of numerous detective novels, Agatha Christie. Approximately four billion books written by each of these authors have been sold worldwide. In third place, with one billion books sold, is Barbara Cartland, who specialized in romance novels set during the Victorian era. The American novelist Danielle Steel, as well as the writer J.K. Rowling, known for the Harry Potter universe, are the only ones on the list still alive in 2022.
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TCK Publishing. (January 1, 2022). Number of books sold by author worldwide up to 2022 (in millions) [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 23, 2026, from /statistics/1638131/best-selling-authors-books/
TCK Publishing. "Number of books sold by author worldwide up to 2022 (in millions)." Chart. January 1, 2022. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 23, 2026. /statistics/1638131/best-selling-authors-books/
TCK Publishing. (2022). Number of books sold by author worldwide up to 2022 (in millions). ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 23, 2026. /statistics/1638131/best-selling-authors-books/
TCK Publishing. "Number of Books Sold by Author Worldwide up to 2022 (in Millions)." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 1 Jan 2022, /statistics/1638131/best-selling-authors-books/
TCK Publishing, Number of books sold by author worldwide up to 2022 (in millions) ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/1638131/best-selling-authors-books/ (last visited July 23, 2026)
Number of books sold by author worldwide up to 2022 (in millions) [Graph], TCK Publishing, January 1, 2022. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1638131/best-selling-authors-books/
