10 Romance Authors Who Dominate America's Bestseller Lists
American fiction sales are significantly influenced by romance, with Colleen Hoover emerging as the top-selling fiction author in 2022 based on print copies sold. Her book "It Ends With Us," published in 2016, surged in popularity through BookTok, resulting in a sequel released in 2022 and a film adaptation set for August 2024. Meanwhile, Rebecca Yarros's "Fourth Wing," launched in May 2023, became a sensation, with its sequels "Iron Flame" (November 2023) and "Onyx Storm" (January 2025) both hitting number one. Sarah J. Maas has authored 16 books across three series, beginning with "Throne of Glass" in 2012. Emily Henry has dominated contemporary rom-coms since her 2020 release "Beach Read." Other influential authors include Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel, Nicholas Sparks, Julia Quinn, Kristin Hannah, and Lisa Kleypas.
Key facts
- Colleen Hoover was the best-selling fiction author in the U.S. in 2022 by print copies sold through Circana BookScan.
- Rebecca Yarros's "Fourth Wing" was published in May 2023 by Red Tower Books, an imprint of Entangled Publishing.
- Sarah J. Maas has published 16 books across three series: "Throne of Glass," "A Court of Thorns and Roses," and "Crescent City."
- Emily Henry's "Beach Read" was published in 2020, and every adult novel since has debuted at or near the top of U.S. fiction bestseller lists.
- Nora Roberts has published more than 200 novels since her 1981 debut, "Irish Thoroughbred."
- Danielle Steel has sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide across more than 190 books since 1973.
- Nicholas Sparks has sold tens of millions of books since "The Notebook" appeared in 1996.
- Julia Quinn's Bridgerton novels returned to bestseller lists after Netflix premiered its adaptation in December 2020.
Entities
Artists
- Colleen Hoover
- Rebecca Yarros
- Sarah J. Maas
- Emily Henry
- Nora Roberts
- Danielle Steel
- Nicholas Sparks
- Julia Quinn
- Kristin Hannah
- Lisa Kleypas
- J.D. Robb
- Justin Baldoni
- Blake Lively
- Ryan Gosling
- Rachel McAdams
- Shonda Rhimes
- Bruce Wilder
- Julie Cotler
Institutions
- Circana BookScan
- Atria Books
- Simon & Schuster
- Red Tower Books
- Entangled Publishing
- Bloomsbury
- Berkley
- Penguin Random House
- Delacorte Press
- Grand Central Publishing
- Hachette Book Group
- Avon Books
- HarperCollins
- St. Martin's Press
- Romance Writers of America
- Turn the Page Bookstore
- Netflix
- Amazon MGM Studios
- Hulu
- Shondaland
- FictionPress
- Goodreads
Locations
- United States
- San Francisco
- Paris
- New York
- North Carolina
- Texas
- California
- London
- Maryland
- Boonsboro
- Washington
- France
- England
Sources
- Quartz —