The Most Popular Authors of 2024, According to Libby (Exclusive)

Who was at the top of everyone’s reading list this year? The hits may surprise you!

The most popular authors of 2024 include writers from nearly every genre — from mystery to thrillers to romance novels — along with authors that went viral on TikTok and have had recent movie adaptations for their books, according to data from Libby, which offer millions of ebooks and audiobooks online. 

Taking the top spot was James Patterson, who penned several titles that were released this year including Lies He Told Me, The House of Cross — which forms the basis for an upcoming Amazon Prime show — and Tiger, Tiger, a biography on Tiger Woods.

The bestselling author of novels like Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls also recently announced that he was partnering up with Bill Clinton to write a new thriller called The First Gentleman. Their newest follows the United States’ first female president whose husband is on trial for murder.

Sarah J. Maas — who penned the popular romantasy A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series — was the runner-up of most popular authors this year. She published House of Flame and Shadow, the third installment of her Crescent City series in January and is expected to release another book in her iconic ACOTAR series next year.

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Rounding out the top three is Colleen Hoover, the bestselling author of the It Ends With Us series. The first book was adapted into a hot-button film starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. That movie’s release in August likely helped fuel her popularity despite not coming out with a new book this year. (Her last release was Never, Never in 2023.)

Next came David Baldacci, who is known for his suspense novels and legal thrillers. He released his new book To Die For in November. Kristin Hannah, known for her historical fiction novels like The Women, The Nightingale and The Four Winds took the fifth spot on the list. 

Freida McFadden, the thriller writer behind the bestselling novels The Housemaid and The Teacher, ranked sixth. She was followed by Rebecca Yarros, who penned the blockbuster Empyrean Series. The series kicked off with romantasy Fourth Wing, which went viral in 2023, selling more than 2 million copies and generating over a billion views on TikTok.

John Grisham, the author of the bestselling books The Firm, A Time to Kill and The Pelican Brief (which also spawned their own film adaptations) came in at number eight. Romance novelist Nora Roberts, who wrote The Witness, Inheritance and Mind Games (which was released earlier this year), came in at number nine.

Rounding out the list is Stephen King, the bestselling horror, suspense and science fiction writer whose novels including Carrie, The Shining and The Shawshank Redemption became fan-favorite cult movies. This year, he came out with short story collection You Like It Darker and is set to publish his new novel Never Flinch in May 2025.

Several of the top 10 authors also penned the top 10 titles of the year, which included Hannah’s The Women, Yarros’ Fourth Wing and Iron Flame and Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses, according to Libby.