Table of contents:
- Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling
- The Lord of the Rings by John R. R. Tolkien
- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- Fifty Shades of Gray by E. L. James
- The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery
- "Ten Neg … They're Going" by Agatha Christie
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
- The Catcher in the Rye by Jerome Salinger
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Clive Lewis
Video: 10 books that made their authors millionaires
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Many writers dream of a book that will not only make the author famous, but will also bring him very solid royalties. Some people do it. Their books are published in millions of copies, their works are filmed, souvenirs with heroes are produced and, accordingly, all this brings literary men a very decent income. In our selection of books, the authors of which became millionaires through their work.
Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling
The author of the Harry Potter books knows what unemployment, want and unhappy love are. However, the very first book about a wizard boy made J. K. Rowling a celebrity. Today she is one of the richest women in the world. She spends truly fabulous sums on charity and never forgets about the time when she was in desperate need. Her books are published in many countries, and their total circulation has already exceeded 500 million copies. Today the fortune of the writer is estimated at $ 13 billion.
READ ALSO: J. K. Rowling and Neil Murray: "Love is stronger than fear, stronger than death …" >>
The Lord of the Rings by John R. R. Tolkien
The author's work on the novel lasted almost 12 years, and after completing work on The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien began to create a map of the Mediterranean and to engage in endless disputes with publishers about the division of the common text. For the author, it was one big work, but, according to the publishers, it was impossible to put it in one book. That is why the trilogy came into being. Only in 1954, five years after writing, "The Lord of the Rings" was published.
However, the real success came to the author a little later, when "The Lord of the Rings" was published in the USA. The trilogy was especially popular among young people, who found in the work a reflection of their own view of the world. The epic novel has been translated into almost 40 languages, and to date, more than 150 million copies of the work have been published.
READ ALSO: What was fantasy like before "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings": 10 stories that inspired Tolkien >>
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens became famous much earlier than he wrote "A Tale of Two Cities", dedicated to the French Revolution. However, it is this work that is considered the main one among the English-language books, it is called the bestseller of all time. The demand for this book by Charles Dickens has not declined for 160 years, and sales are steadily growing. Since 1859, more than 200 million copies have been published, and in Great Britain "A Tale of Two Cities" is considered the best and most popular work of Dickens.
READ ALSO: Charles Dickens and three sisters, three rivals, three loves … >>
Fifty Shades of Gray by E. L. James
This novel has earned the most controversial reviews from both critics and readers since its release. Despite much criticism, negative reviews and disparaging remarks, the novel by Erica Leonard (real name E. L. James) continues to top the charts of the best-selling books. In just a few years, circulation in various countries has crossed the line of 150 million copies. Naturally, the writer's income is calculated in amounts with six zeros.
The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery
This naive philosophical tale has long been loved not only by children, but also by adults. Everyone finds answers to many questions in it and learns to look at the world through the eyes of an amazing boy. Official statistics say that more than 140 million copies of the book "The Little Prince" are sold, but some researchers say the figure is one and a half times more.
READ ALSO: Memories of a Rose: Love Saint-Exupery. View from Consuelo >>
"Ten Neg … They're Going" by Agatha Christie
If you scrupulously count all the published books of Agatha Christie, you can see that their total circulation has long exceeded a billion copies. But the most popular work of the author of detective stories is undoubtedly "Ten Neg … ityat", the circulation of which exceeded 100 million. However, recently the detective story has been published under a different title, "And there was nobody." This is explained by questions of political correctness, but how many such books have already been published is still unknown.
READ ALSO: 10 wise tips from the "queen of detectives" Agatha Christie >>
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Mitchell's only novel sold over a million copies in just six months. According to official figures, approximately 30 million copies have been sold since 1936. In fact, it is not possible to make an accurate calculation, since in Japan and China copyright was not respected and in these countries books were published in an unauthorized translation and published without consent and, accordingly, without royalties to the writer.
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
In just three years since Dan Brown's book was published, The Da Vinci Code, along with four other works by the author, have been able to improve the well-being of the writer by $ 260 million. Despite the scandalous nature of the work, accusations of libel, protests and criticism, the total number of books sold exceeded 80 million.
The Catcher in the Rye by Jerome Salinger
Jerome Salinger's novel was banned in the United States for 20 years, accused of being rude, considered a bad example for young people and encouraging drunkenness and debauchery. However, the book has been translated into many languages and has sold a total circulation of 65 million copies.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Clive Lewis
The novel, which opened the Chronicles of Narnia cycle, was released in 1950 and almost immediately made Clive Lewis famous and rich. Since then, 85 million copies of the book have been sold, but this is far from the limit. According to Time magazine, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is one of the 100 most popular works in English.
The reaction of society to the topics raised by writers and propagandized ideas can be sharp and painful. In this case scandals flare up around books, they are withdrawn from sale, prohibited from lending in libraries and even burned. Subsequently, these same works can win the highest literary awards and be put on a par with the best examples of literature. In our review, books that at one time came into conflict with generally accepted moral norms.
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