This page provides a list of the largest deals for books and book series to date. It differentiates from the list of best-selling books in that book deals are secured before the book is released, and often before the book is completed. The books are listed according to the highest book deal estimate as reported in reliable, independent sources.American authors hold the record for the largest book deals made for individual books (Bill Clinton and Britney Spears), and for book series (James Patterson and Barack and Michelle Obama). While Patterson's book deal with Hachette Book Group is by far the largest for a book series, Patterson has disputed the reported amount.
Contrary to popular belief, J. K. Rowling's advances for the individual Harry Potter books or series overall do not appear on this list. For the first two books in the series (1997's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and 1998's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), she received an advance of £2,000 apiece.[1] Rowling's later book The Casual Vacancy, released in 2012 and not affiliated with the Harry Potter series, does appear on this list.
These book deals share some facts in common: The top five book deals have been memoirs and their authors have all been American.
Note: book deals are listed at the time the book deal was made and not adjusted for inflation.
| Book | Author | Author nationality | Original language | First published | Approximate deal | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Life | Bill Clinton | American | English | 2004 | $15 million[2] | Memoir |
| The Woman in Me | Britney Spears | American | English | 2023 | $15 million[3] | Memoir |
| Hard Choices | Hillary Clinton | American | English | 2014 | $14 million | Memoir |
| Born to Run | Bruce Springsteen | American | English | 2016 | $10 million | Memoir |
| The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo | Amy Schumer | American | English | 2016 | $9 million | Memoir |
| Crossing the Threshold of Hope | Pope John Paul II | Italian | 1994 | $8.5 million | Nonfiction | |
| Life | Keith Richards | British | English | 2010 | $7.3 million | Memoir |
| Back to Blood | Tom Wolfe | American | English | 2008 | $7 million[4] | Nonfiction |
| The Maramon Convention | Abraham Verghese | American | Unknown | Not yet released | $5 million | Nonfiction |
| The Casual Vacancy | J. K. Rowling | British | English | 2012 | Between $2—$8 million | Crime fiction |
Note: book series deals are listed at the time the deal was made and not adjusted for inflation.
| Book series | Number of books in series | Author(s) | Author(s) nationality | Original language | First published | Approximate deal | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 books (11 adult; 6 children's) | 17 | James Patterson | American | English | 2009 | $100—150 million | Crime fiction |
| Becoming and A Promised Land | 2 | Michelle Obama (Becoming) Barack Obama (A Promised Land) | American | English | 2018 (Becoming); 2020 (A Promised Land) | $65 million+[5] | Memoirs |
| Century trilogy (Fall of Giants, Winter of the World, and Edge of Eternity) | 3 | Ken Follett | British | English | 2008 (Fall of Giants); 2012 (Winter of the World); 2014 (Edge of Eternity) | $50 million | Historical fiction |
| The Downing Street Years and The Path to Power | 2 | Margaret Thatcher | British | English | 1993 (The Downing Street Years); 1995 (The Path to Power) | £3.5m | Memoirs |