Number of writers and authors in the U.S. 2023| ��ƽ��

Number of writers and authors in the United States from 2011 to 2023

Characteristic	Number of employees
2023	49,450
2022	54,010
2021	49,410
2020	44,240
2019	45,860
2018	45,210
2017	45,300
2016	44,690
2015	43,380
2014	43,500
2013	43,590
2012	41,990
2011	40,930

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Release date

April 2024

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Region

United States

Survey time period

2011 to 2023

Special properties

excluding self-employed workers, figures as of May for each respective year

Supplementary notes

Figures for periods other than 2023 come from previous publications.

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In 2023, there were close to 49,500 writers and authors working in the United States, down from the previous year but in line general trends on the timeline and close to the figure reported in 2021. Many changes have occurred for employees in this sector over the last few years, with self-publishing and online publishing on the up. Whilst many writers and authors struggle to make a living from writing work exclusively, for those who get their big break, the profession can be incredibly lucrative.

Who is the richest author in the world?

As of June 2019, the wealthiest author worldwide was J.K. Rowling. The author is best known for her world famous ‘Harry Potter’ franchise which has enjoyed global success, and the film adaptations of Rowling’s books rank as some of the highest earning movies worldwide. The box office revenue of all Harry Potter films combined amounts to over 7.7 billion U.S. dollars, and some cost in excess of 200 million U.S. dollars to produce.

Aside from her reputation as one of the world’s most famous authors, J.K. Rowling is also known for her engagement with politics and philanthropy but has also been the subject of controversy in recent years in connection with her stance and comments on the transgender community.

Other wealthy authors

James Patterson ranked as the second highest earning author with an income of 70 million U.S. dollars. Patterson has received mixed reviews from his critics and peers alike but has seen incredible success throughout his prolific career. His income was last recorded as far outperforming horror writer Stephen King, the latter of whom is one of Patterson’s biggest critics. Some of Patterson’s books have been (loosely) adapted into film; the first of which was 1995 novel ‘Kiss the Girls’, which inspired the 1997 movie of the same name starring Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes, and Ashley Judd.

The world’s third highest earning author was former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, whose memoir ‘Becoming’ was published in 2018. Obama’s book was the 2018 best-seller and also made the ranking of best-selling print books in the United States the following year.