Here Are the 10 Richest Self-Published Authors of All Time

Sep 15, 2023

By: Sunayna Kanjilal

These self-published authors made a name and fortune with their work

Penning a novel means going through the whole process of creating a plot, meaty characters, and building worlds. While many creative individuals don't find the tedious process of writing a book daunting, what everyone does find a task is looking for someb...

1. El James

El James is the writer of the popular trilogy of Fifty Shades. She started out when she became interested in reading novels and watching the trilogy Twilight. The prominent writer wrote the erotic book trilogy that sold more than 125 million copies across the ...

2. H.M. Ward

One of the biggest authors of romance, H.M Ward is the writer of the Ferro Family Saga. She started out with her first book "Damaged" which became a bestseller in the New Adult genre. She continued with the series and it has sold over 4 million books...

3. K.A Tucker

The Canadian writer was self-publishing her own stories for a long time. She published her novel "Ten Tiny Breaths" which was about a girl who was starting her life over after a tragic drunk driving accident. She was later picked by Atria Books and w...

4. Andy Weir

Andy Weir became immensely famous just after his debut novel, "The Martian" which was also adapted into a film by director Ridley Scott back in 2015. His second novel "Artemis" came in 2017. He is the recipient of many awards including the ...

5. Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood is known for writing the dystopian novel "The Handmaid's Tale," started her career back in the 1960s with a series of self-published poems titled, "Doule Persephone."  The Canadian poet and novelist has won multiple awa...

6. Amanda Hocking

The American novelist is famous for her paranormal romance. She self-published her book called, "My Blood Approves", a vampire romance series, and also the "Trylle Trilogy", which covers a teenage girl's journey of self-discovery both ...

7. Hugh Howey

The American writer is best known for his science fiction "Silo" which was published independently through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing system. He is also known for his Wool trilogy. Born in 1975, he says that he always loved reading and sa...

8. Lisa Genova

The American neuroscientist and author is known for self-publishing her debut novel, "Still Alice" back in 2007. The book centers around the Harvard University professor who suffers from early-onset Alzheimer's disease and gained reaction. The b...

9. Barbara Freethy

The successful author did have traditional publishers but she started self-publishing her backlist and her choice of genres of romantic suspense took the literary world of e-books by storm. She is one of the most successful authors in the category of e-books a...

10. Michael J.Sullivan

Michael J. Sullivan is a bestselling writer known for his debut series, "The Riyria Revelations." His books have been translated into many languages and is one of the most successful self-published authors. He has two New York bestsellers under his b...