The use of data to track the demographics of authors has grown in importance as measures to promote equality are increased. By gathering and tracking author statistics, the publishing industry is able to address issues which may previously have been ignored or undetected.
- As of 2021, 50.45% of authors within the US are women and 49.55% of authors are men.
- However in terms of earnings, on average female authors’ salaries are 96% of the value of male authors’ salaries.
- The average age of an author that is employed is 42 years old.
- 75.58% of authors are White.
- The percentage of White authors within the US has dropped by 7.48% since 2010.
- 5.93% of authors are Black or African American, an increase of 0.87% since 2010.
- 4.93% of authors are Asian, a decrease of 0.72% since 2010 and the only analyzed minority to decrease.
- 7.62% of authors are Hispanic or Latino, an increase of 2.96% since 2010.
- 5.94% of authors are from other races or ethnicities, an increase of 2.93% since 2010.
- Of all authors analyzed, 16% have an LGBT related orientation.
Authors age statistics
- The most common age group for authors are those aged 40+.
- Authors aged 40+ make up 52% of total authors.
- The second most common age group for authors are those aged 30 – 40.
- Authors aged 30 – 40 make up 30% of total authors.
- The least common age group for authors are those aged 20 – 30.
- Authors aged 20 – 30 make up 18% of total authors.
| Age group | Percentage |
| 20 – 30 | 18% |
| 30 – 40 | 30% |
| 40+ | 52% |
A graph is given below to show the percentage of US authors split by age group:
First-time bestsellers by age
- In the 2010’s, the average age of a first-time bestselling author was 52.
- In the 1950’s, the average age of a first-time bestselling author was 44.5.
- On average, authors must wait 7.5 additional years to become a bestseller for the first time.
- For authors within the Thriller genre, the average age of becoming a bestselling author was 54.
- On average, Thriller authors need to wait 2 years longer in order to achieve their first bestselling status.
Author gender statistics
- As of 2019, 54.39% of US authors were female and 45.61% were male.
- Over the given period, female authors increased by 2.10%.
- Male authors decreased by the same figure.
- 2012 was the most balanced year, with 49.52% male and 50.48% female authors.
- 2016 was the most unbalanced year, with 45.32% male and 54.68% female authors.
- Out of the given 10-year period, Male authors only made up the majority in 2013 and 2014.
| Year | Male | Female |
| 2010 | 47.71% | 52.29% |
| 2011 | 48.97% | 51.03% |
| 2012 | 49.52% | 50.48% |
| 2013 | 51.51% | 48.49% |
| 2014 | 50.98% | 49.02% |
| 2015 | 48.41% | 51.59% |
| 2016 | 45.32% | 54.68% |
| 2017 | 46.11% | 53.89% |
| 2018 | 49.60% | 50.40% |
| 2019 | 45.61% | 54.39% |
A graph is given below to show the percentage of US authors by gender from 2015 – 2019:
Bestselling novels by author gender
- As of 2016, 48% of bestselling novels were written by women and 52% were written by men.
- There has been an increase of 20% in the number of bestselling novels by female authors since 1990.
- Likewise, there has been a decrease of 20% in the number of bestselling novels by male authors since 1990.
- In 2001, there were an equal number of bestselling novels published by male and female authors, the only year to do so.
- For the given period, female authors did not exceed males in the number of bestselling novels authored in any year.
| Year | Male | Female |
| 1990 | 72% | 28% |
| 1991 | 60% | 40% |
| 1992 | 58% | 42% |
| 1993 | 67% | 33% |
| 1994 | 63% | 37% |
| 1995 | 66% | 34% |
| 1996 | 63% | 37% |
| 1997 | 61% | 39% |
| 1998 | 57% | 43% |
| 1999 | 56% | 44% |
| 2000 | 55% | 45% |
| 2001 | 50% | 50% |
| 2002 | 56% | 44% |
| 2003 | 57% | 43% |
| 2004 | 51% | 49% |
| 2005 | 54% | 46% |
| 2006 | 53% | 47% |
| 2007 | 56% | 44% |
| 2008 | 54% | 46% |
| 2009 | 54% | 46% |
| 2010 | 55% | 45% |
| 2011 | 55% | 45% |
| 2012 | 53% | 47% |
| 2013 | 52% | 48% |
| 2014 | 55% | 45% |
| 2015 | 55% | 45% |
| 2016 | 52% | 48% |
A graph to show the percentage of bestselling novels by gender annually is given below:
Bestselling age by author gender
- As of 2019, both males and females publish bestsellers at an average of 48.8 years of age.
- During the 2010’s, females achieved bestseller status at an average age of 51.
- Males were slightly higher, achieving bestseller status at an average age of 52.
- Within the Thriller genre, males publish bestselling novels at an average age of 48.
- For females within the Thriller genre it is much higher, publishing bestselling novels at an average age of 56.
- The Romance genre differed however, with female bestselling authors averaging 45 years of age, compared to 47 years of age for men.
- Female authors within the Fantasy genre publish their first bestseller at an average of 47 years old, compared to 48 years old for men.
Bestselling genres by author gender
Male-dominated genres
- For the 2010’s, 97% of bestsellers within the Spy/Politics genres were written by men.
- Male authors have increased 21% within the Spy/Politics genres since the 1950’s.
- 85% of Adventure genre books were written by men, as of the 2000’s.
- Male authors have decreased 4% within the Adventure genre since the 1950’s.
- As of the 2010’s, 79% of Fantasy/Sci-Fi genres bestselling books were written by men.
- Male authors have decreased 6% within the Fantasy/Sci-Fi genres since the 1980’s.
- 78% of Suspense genre books were written by men.
- Male authors have decreased 6% within the Suspense genres since the 1990’s.
- 56% of Mystery genre books were written by men.
- Male authors have decreased 29% within the Mystery genre since the 1950’s.
Female-dominated genres
- For the 2010’s, 85% of bestsellers within the Historical genre were written by women.
- Female authors have increased 45% within the Historical genre since the 1950’s.
- 83% of Romance genre books were written by women.
- Female authors have increased 47% within the Romance genre since the 1950’s.
- 55% of Horror/Paranormal genre books were written by women.
- Female authors have increased 45% within the Horror/Paranormal genres since the 1980’s.
Authors race/ethnicity statistics
- Over the given period in the US, White authors decreased by 3.64%.
- Black or African American authors increased by 0.77%.
- Asian authors decreased by 0.20%, the only minority to decrease during the period.
- Hispanic or Latino authors increased by 2.50%.
- Authors of other races or ethnicities increased by 0.57%.
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino | Other race or ethnicity |
| 2010 | 83.06% | 5.06% | 4.21% | 4.66% | 3.01% |
| 2011 | 83.20% | 5.27% | 3.58% | 5.41% | 2.54% |
| 2012 | 81.14% | 5.81% | 4.36% | 5.75% | 2.94% |
| 2013 | 81.18% | 5.11% | 4.00% | 6.28% | 3.43% |
| 2014 | 79.93% | 5.90% | 4.02% | 6.69% | 3.46% |
| 2015 | 80.74% | 5.21% | 4.45% | 6.66% | 2.94% |
| 2016 | 80.80% | 5.63% | 4.29% | 6.29% | 2.99% |
| 2017 | 81.87% | 5.25% | 4.49% | 5.52% | 2.87% |
| 2018 | 80.52% | 4.88% | 4.18% | 7.10% | 3.32% |
| 2019 | 79.42% | 5.83% | 4.01% | 7.16% | 3.58% |
A graph is given below to show the percentage of US minority authors by race/ethnicity from 2015 – 2019:
Author levels of education
- As of 2021, the most common background for a US author (60%) is to be educated to Bachelor’s level.
- Authors educated to a Master’s level come second (16%) and those educated to an Associate level rank third (10%).
- Authors educated to a Bachelor’s level are over three times more common than those educated to a Master’s level.
- Authors with a Doctorate represent 5%.
- Authors with other educational levels represent 9%.
| Level of education | Percentage |
| Associate | 10% |
| Bachelor’s | 60% |
| Master’s | 16% |
| Doctorate | 5% |
| Other | 9% |
A graph is given below to show the percentage of US authors by level of education:
Author demographics FAQ
Which US cities have the most authors?
As of 2021, the US cities with the most authors are New York, NY and Chicago, IL.
Which US states have the highest average salaries for authors?
As of 2021, Massachusetts (1st), California (2nd) and Vermont (3rd) have the highest average salaries for authors.
Which US states have the lowest average salaries for authors?
As of 2021, Michigan (lowest), Nebraska (2nd lowest) and Utah (3rd lowest) have the lowest average salaries for authors.