The 25 Bestselling Authors of 2023

Published by PangoBooks, Dec. 8, 2023

Earlier this week, we shared a list of the top bestselling titles of 2023 here on PangoBooks. Today, we’re turning our attention to the bestselling authors of the year.

What surprised us? Rebecca Yarros, despite dominating the bestsellers list for most of the year, is not even in the top five on this list. Alex Michaelides, whose work, The Silent Patient, was number five on our bestselling books list, didn't even make it to the top 25 of bestselling authors. And while Stephen King retained his number three slot from the 2022 bestselling authors list, Colleen Hoover dropped to number two.

Find out which authors beat out Rebecca Yarros to the top five and who stole Colleen Hoover's crown as the number one author of 2023 below!

25. Ruth Ware

24. Elle Kennedy

23. Rick Riordan

22. Katee Robert

21. Ali Hazelwood

20. V.E. Schwab

19. Lucy Score

18. Holly Black

17. Riley Sager

16. Ana Huang

15. Cassandra Clare

14. Stephanie Garber

13. Freida McFadden

12. Jennifer L. Armentrout

11. Lisa Jewell

10. Tessa Bailey

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Tessa Bailey, is known for her funny and heartwarming contemporary romance novels. Readers new to Bailey's work should start with the steamy small town romance, It Happened One Summer.

A review of It Happened One Summer:

"Loved this summer romance. It had bad boy meets city girl with all the feels in between." - Meredith Pettigrew

9. Kristin Hannah

The queen of historical fiction, Kristin Hannah has been writing bestselling books since 1991. If you’re looking to dive into a coming-of-age story about finding your path in life, you’ll love Firefly Lane. If you prefer historical fiction, you’ll want to go with The Nightingale or The Great Alone.

A review of The Nightingale:

"This was my first book by Kristen Hannah, but it definitely won’t be my last! If you are like me & have put off reading this amazing book, I highly recommend you pick it up!" - Tyler Turner

8. Rebecca Yarros

Romance writer Rebecca Yarros is best known for her viral fantasy hit, Fourth Wing, whose limited sprayed edges special editions sent readers everywhere into a frenzy, and its sequel, Iron Flame. Fourth Wing was also the number one bestselling book on PangoBooks in 2023.

A review of Fourth Wing:

"This book is worth ALL the hype it gets and more! ... The action, the romance, the games, and the danger all made for an AMAZING fantasy read." - Delaney

7. Leigh Bardugo

Leigh Bardugo is an American fantasy writer whose works have been adapted into television shows. If you love dark academia and campus novels, you'll love Ninth House. If you want to dive into the Grishaverse, we recommend starting with Shadow and Bone.

A review of Ninth House:

"If you are looking for a dark academia book with a secret society element, magic, ghosts/demons, and a murder mystery, I HIGHLY recommend this book!" - Lydia's Bookshop

6. Christina Lauren

Our sixth bestselling author is actually not one, but two people. Best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings have been collaborating since 2009. Fans of second-chance romances will swoon over Love and Other Words, while those who love an enemies-to-lovers should read The Unhoneymooners.

A review of Love and Other Words:

"Read this on a whim, and I can tell you.. I was NOT disappointed! Heart-beaking mixed with healing" - Brittany Copeland

5. Emily Henry

Romance writer Emily Henry has the second-most number of books on our Bestselling Books of 2023 list. If you love friends-to-lovers, we recommend People We Meet on Vacation. For enemies-to-lovers, go with Book Lovers or Beach Read. And for second-chance romance, read Happy Place.

A review of Book Lovers:

"I devoured it in 2.5 days and I am so sad that I finished it so fast, because this is a book I would want to go on forever." - Rachael Eslao

4. Taylor Jenkins Reid

Known to fans as TJR, Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times best-selling author of Daisy Jones and the Six, which adapted into an Amazon Prime Original Series, and our bestselling historical fiction of 2023, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

A review of Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing:

"When you read her book, you can almost hear her distinctive voice, and you'll immediately know it's her words you're reading. She certainly has the gift." - Pamela M.

3. Stephen King

Horror maestro Stephen King is celebrated for his ability to walk the line between pulpy genre writing and high literature. If you're not sure where to start, we recommend looking at our list of the bestselling Stephen King books for inspiration. Hint: number one is It.

A review of It:

"Enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone, as long as you're alright with horror/gore!! This book is a huge part of me, and I am deeply grateful for its existence." - Lily Crocamo

2. Colleen Hoover

With over 20,000 copies sold, Colleen Hoover is the number one bestselling author in PangoBook's history. Her romance novel, It Ends With Us, ranked as number six in our list of the bestselling books of 2023. Its sequel, It Starts With Us, came in tenth, while her dark thriller Verity was fourth.

A review of Verity:

"OH MY GOD!!!! This book is on a whole other level in suspense/romance!! Then the ending?!? I didn’t see that coming." - Pandora's TBR Box

The Number One Bestselling Author in 2023: Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas dominated the PangoBooks bestsellers list all year with five titles in our top bestsellers of 2023 round up. Her books, including the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, the Crescent City series, and the Throne of Glass series, have been translated into 37 languages. You can find multiple special editions of her books on Pango, as well as limited edition fan art and collectibles, making her a popular author for collectors. Read all about the reason behind the hype around the original covers of the ACOTAR books here.

A review of A Court of Thorns and Roses:

"THIS BOOK IS AMAZING! If you are thinking about buying it, just buy it. You won't regret it. The way Mass wrote this book is just amazing and so story rich. I could not put this book down while reading it, and it had the most amazing twists and turns." - Zoe