William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) - Often cited as the greatest writer in the English language and the bane of every high school student’s existence, William Shakespeare has an estimated 4 billion copies of his works in circulation.
Agatha Christie (1890 – 1976) - Dame Agatha Christie currently holds the title of the world’s best-selling novelist, according to Guinness World Records, as well as the most-translated author in history.
Barbara Cartland (1901 – 2000) - Over the course of her lifetime, Dame Barbara Cartland wrote an astounding 723 books, most of which were romances.
Danielle Steel (1947) - Since her debut in 1978, Danielle Steel has written 190 books. She’s no stranger to juggling up to five projects per year, and all of her novels have been bestsellers.
Harold Robbins (1916 – 1997) - Harold Robbins's rise from clerk to executive at Universal Pictures was already an impressive achievement, but he also went on to write over 25 best-selling books.
Georges Simenon (1903 – 1989) - Georges Simenon was a Belgian author who wrote over 400 novels and numerous short stories.
Enid Blyton (1897 – 1968) - Enid Blyton was an English children’s writer whose books have sold over 600 million copies since the 1930s.
Sidney Sheldon (1917 – 2007) - Sidney Sheldon got his start writing Broadway plays and Hollywood screenplays, including The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer and I Dream of Jeannie.
J.K. Rowling (1965) - A novel written on an old typewriter took J.K. Rowling from a struggling single mother to best-selling billionaire status in just a matter of years.
Gilbert Patten (1866 – 1945) - The king of the dime novels, Gilbert Patten wrote over 75 books and numerous short stories under the pen name Burt L. Standish.