Best-selling refers to the estimated number of copies sold of all books written or co-written by an author. Books are one of our primary sources of stories. They’re a way to connect with others and reading has been proven to increase empathy. We all have our favourite authors, our go to writers that we barely even look at the blurb or the critics’ reviews before adding their latest tome to our already heaving shelves.
Here are the top 20 best-selling authors in history.
| Rank | Author | Estimated sales |
| 1. | William Shakespeare | 4 billion |
| 2. | Agatha Christie | 4 billion |
| 3. | Barbara Cartland | 1 billion |
| 4. | Danielle Steel | 800 million |
| 5. | Harold Robbins | 750 million |
| 6. | Georges Simenon | 700 million |
| 7. | Enid Blyton | 600 million |
| 8. | Sidney Sheldon | 600 million |
| 9. | J. K. Rowling | 500 million |
| 10. | Gilbert Patten | 500 million |
| 11. | Dr. Seuss | 500 million |
| 12. | Eiichiro Oda | 448 million |
| 13. | Leo Tolstoy | 413 million |
| 14. | Corín Tellado | 400 million |
| 15. | Jackie Collins | 400 million |
| 16. | Horatio Alger | 400 million |
| 17. | R. L. Stine | 400 million |
| 18. | Dean Koontz | 400 million |
| 19. | Nora Roberts | 400 million |
| 20. | Alexander Pushkin | 357 million |
