The art of writing is tough and only provides room for talented authors. The toughest thing for the people involved in this field is to get good pay for their work. The writers on this list of the richest authors seem to have mastered the art as they are making millions of dollars. One may consider writing as a career as it pays serious money if you manage excellency.

More Info On Richest Billionaires | World Richest Celebrities By Profession

#1. J. K. Rowling Is The Richest Author

Pen Names	J. K. Rowling (incorporated her grandmother’s name, Kathleen) and Robert Galbraith.
Famous for	Harry Potter Series
Born on	31st July, 1965
Official Site	J K Rowling Biography

With a net worth of $1 billion, British novelist Joanne “Jo” Rowling is one of the richest writers. She is married to Neil Murray and is the mother of 3 children. She was born in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, this 48-year-old hails from a humble background and all her wealth is self-made. She was an English teacher in northern Portugal.

She graduated from the University of Exeter, where she studied Classics and French. After graduating, she worked as a researcher and then a teacher before venturing into the writing industry. Her first novel ‘Harry Potter And The Philosophers Stone’ was released in 1995. It marked the first of the popular 7-series of harry potter novels. The idea of writing the book came to Rowling while she was traveling on a train. All the Harry Potter novels have counterpart movies, which have brought in a gross total of $7.7 billion making her one of the richest female celebrities. Despite having written other books, Harry Potter novels are responsible for Rowling’s fame and fortune.

Rowling is the founder of a couple of charitable organizations. She has been present in several charity works where she has helped raise money to fight issues such as poverty and illnesses.

#2. Jim Davis

Best Comics	Strip Garfield, Gnorm Gnat, Tumbleweeds.
Date Of Birth	28th July, 1945.
Place Of Birth	Marion, Indiana
Number of Awards Won	12
Parents Name	James William Davis and Anna Catherine

James Robert Davis is the second wealthiest author with a net worth of $800 million. This 68-year-old is an American cartoonist, author, and entrepreneur. He has been married twice and is the father of 4 children. He is one of the richest celebrities and is famous for creating the popular comic strip Garfield which made its debut in 1978. He grew up on a small farm in Indiana where he developed his love of cartooning.

Davis majored in Art and Business at Ball State University, where he got the lowest grade point in the history of the school. He landed his first job working in a local advertising agency and then became an assistant in Tom Ryan’s comic strip, Tumbleweeds. He then proceeded to create his own comic strip, Gnorm Gnat which ran in an Indiana newspaper for 5 years.

In 1978, his comic strip Garfield began syndication in 41 newspapers. Currently, the strip appears in over 2000 newspapers and has a readership count of more than 2 million people. Today, Garfield is produced under Davis’ own company; Paws, Inc. He is responsible for writing numerous Garfield television specials. Aside from his comical strips, he has also written books that include Pet Force, and Garfield At Large. Moneymaking schemes aside, he is the founder of the Garfield Foundation, an organization that supports children’s literacy.

#3. Candy Spelling

Member of Los Angeles Coliseum Commission

Carole Gene Marer was born in Beverly Hills on September 20^th, 1945. She is an American author, philanthropist, television personality, heiress, and entrepreneur. She was born in a rich Jewish family and married to the popular producer and screenwriter Aaron Spelling. The couple has two children (Tori Spelling and Randy Spelling) who are both in the acting industry. She lived with her husband in one of the most expensive mansions called ‘Spelling Manor’ in Holmby Hills, California. This Chateauesque-styled manor was built on an area of 56,500 square feet, which she sold for $85 million to Petra Ecclestone after Aaron’s death. This sale was one of the biggest real estate sales in Los Angeles. She bought a luxurious $47 million two-story condo in Century City after Aaron died and lived there for several years before moving out after suing the developers for not adding a restaurant in the mansion as promised.

With an estimated net worth of $600 million, she currently works as a regular writer for LA Confidential, The Huffington Post, and TMZ.com. Her autobiography, “Stories from Candyland” became a New York Bestseller just two weeks after publication. She is a member and board member of several charitable organizations.

#4. Stephen King

Stephen Edwin King is a 66-year-old American author who has managed to make a name for himself in the writing industry. His work involves horror, fantasy, fiction, and suspense novels. King’s writing began while he was still in school where he sold self-written stories to his peers. At the time, he was also a contributory writer to Dave’s Rag, a newspaper his brother published. During his writing career, King has managed to sell over 350 million copies of his novels. Aside from authoring several novels, King has also written 7 books using the pen name Richard Bachman as well as several short stories. Most of King’s books have been turned into films, and mini-series, and some have been adapted as comic books. Aside from being an author, King is also a screenwriter, producer, columnist, and actor. With a net worth of $400 million, King is a passionate writer who sets a goal of writing at least 2000 words a day. King leads a lavish lifestyle and owns several homes, a few luxury cars, and a private jet.

#5. Danielle Steel

Richest American novelist, Danielle Steel, began writing her first manuscript when she was 19 years old and published her debut novel, Going Home, 9 years later. With a net worth of $375 million, he is famous for writing many romantic novels and he has written over 70 novels, children’s literature, and several picture books.

Amazing Findings

Danielle Steel may be at the bottom of this list, but she is the only author who has managed to make it to the Guinness Book of World Records for having a book on the New York Bestseller list for a consecutive 381 weeks.

Who is the most successful author of all time?

James Patterson is the all-time most famous author from America and the richest too (Reference). As of June 2013, his total earnings have been estimated at $91 Million according to Forbes. He is famous for his book Alex Cross series, which is written in the fictional psychological character Alex Cross.