James Bond book sales statistics
- Ian Fleming sold 30 million books in his lifetime
- In the two years following his death, Fleming’s books sold 60 million copies
- Fleming’s Bond books have sold over 100 million copies worldwide
- In 2008, Devil May Care became Penguin’s fastest selling hardback fiction title ever in the UK
- Sebastion Faulks was commissioned to write it to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s birth
- The movie franchise has generated $6.9 billion in revenue since the frist movie was released in 1962
- Skyfall is the most successful movie, generating $304 million in revenue at the box office
How many James Bond books are there?
- There are a total of 63 James Bond books
- 14 of the James Bond books were written by Ian Fleming
- 12 of which were novels and the other two a collection of short stories
- Including Fleming, a total of 13 authors have written authorized James Bond books
- In comparison, only 7 actors have portrayed James Bond in film to date
- John Pearson wrote a fictionalized, authorized autobiography of James Bond in 1973
- There are 10 books in the Young Bond series by Charlie Higson and Steve Cole
- Kim Sherwood is the first female author of a James Bond book with Double or Nothing – published in 2022
| Author | No. of Books |
| John Gardener | 16 |
| Ian Fleming | 14 |
| Raymond Benson | 12 |
| Charlie Higson | 6 |
| Steve Cole | 4 |
| Anthony Horowitz | 3 |
| Christopher Wood | 2 |
| Kingsley Amis (Robert Markham) | 1 |
| John Pearson | 1 |
| Sebastian Faulks | 1 |
| Jeffrey Deaver | 1 |
| William Boyd | 1 |
| Kim Sherwood | 1 |
When were the James Bond books published in order?
Ian Fleming books
| # | Name | Publish Date | Page Count | Audiobook Length |
| 1 | Casino Royale | 1953 | 213 | 5 hrs and 2 mins |
| 2 | Live and Let Die | 1954 | 234 | 6 hrs and 48 mins |
| 3 | Moonraker | 1955 | 256 | 7 hrs and 28 mins |
| 4 | Diamonds Are Forever | 1956 | 257 | 6 hrs and 46 mins |
| 5 | From Russia, with Love | 1957 | 253 | Toby Stephens |
| 6 | Dr. No | 1958 | 256 | Hugh Quarshie |
| 7 | Goldfinger | 1959 | 318 | 9 hrs and 7 mins |
| 8 | For Your Eyes Only | 1960 | 252 | 6 hrs and 20 mins |
| 9 | Thunderball | 1961 | 253 | 7 hrs and 51 mins |
| 10 | The Spy Who Loved Me | 1962 | 221 | 4 hrs and 51 mins |
| 11 | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | 1963 | 288 | 8 hrs and 5 mins |
| 12 | You Only Live Twice | 1964 | 255 | 7 hrs and 33 mins |
| 13 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 1965 | 221 | 4 hrs and 56 mins |
| 14 | Octopussy and The Living Daylights | 1966 | 94 | 3 hrs and 39 mins |
Books by Kingsley Amis (Robert Markham)
| # | Name | Publish Date | Page Count | Audiobook Length |
| 15 | Colonel Sun | 1968 | 255 | 7 hrs and 6 mins |
Books by John Pearson
| # | Name | Publish Date | Page Count | Audiobook Length |
| James Bond: The Authorized Biography of 007 | 1973 | 317 | – |
Books by Christopher Wood
| # | Name | Publish Date | Page Count | Audiobook Length |
| James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me | 1977 | 222 | – | |
| James Bond and Moonraker | 1979 | 221 | – |
Books by John Gardner
| # | Name | Publish Date | Page Count | Audiobook Length |
| Licence Renewed | 1981 | 272 | 9 hrs and 22 mins | |
| For Special Services | 1982 | 256 | 8 hrs and 43 mins | |
| Icebreaker | 1983 | 256 | 7 hrs and 54 mins | |
| Role of Honour | 1984 | 224 | 6 hrs and 5 mins | |
| Nobody Lives Forever | 1986 | 192 | 6 hrs and 17 mins | |
| No Deals, Mr. Bond | 1987 | 224 | 7 hrs and 36 mins | |
| Scorpius | 1988 | 224 | 7 hrs and 41 mins | |
| Win, Lose or Die | 1989 | 220 | 7 hrs and 26 mins | |
| License to Kill | 1989 | 224 | – | |
| Brokenclaw | 1990 | 192 | 7 hrs and 19 mins | |
| The Man from Barbarossa | 1991 | 231 | 8 hrs and 4 mins | |
| Death Is Forever | 1992 | 224 | 8 hrs and 45 mins | |
| Never Send Flowers | 1993 | 256 | 7 hrs and 25 mins | |
| SeaFire | 1994 | 247 | 7 hrs and 55 mins | |
| GoldenEye | 1995 | 218 | 7 hrs and 54 mins | |
| Cold | 1996 | 264 | 6 hrs and 51 mins |
Books by Raymond Benson
| # | Name | Publish Date | Page Count | Audiobook Length |
| Blast from the Past | 1997 | Short Story | – | |
| Zero Minus Ten | 1997 | 259 | 8 hrs and 22 mins | |
| Tomorrow Never Dies | 1997 | 213 | 5 hrs and 43 mins | |
| The Facts of Death | 1998 | 284 | 9 hrs and 5 mins | |
| Midsummer Night’s Doom | 1999 | Short Story | – | |
| High Time to Kill | 1999 | 304 | 9 hrs | |
| Live at Five | 1999 | Short Story | – | |
| The World Is Not Enough | 1999 | 200 | 5 hrs and 35 mins | |
| DoubleShot | 2000 | 320 | 7 hrs and 46 mins | |
| Never Dream of Dying | 2001 | 320 | 8 hrs and 52 mins | |
| The Man with the Red Tattoo | 2002 | 320 | 8 hrs and 28 mins | |
| Die Another Day | 2002 | 245 | 5 hrs and 10 mins |
Books by Sebastian Faulks
| # | Name | Publish Date | Page Count | Audiobook Length |
| Devil May Care | 2008 | 295 | 8 hrs and 21 mins |
Books by Jeffery Deaver
| # | Name | Publish Date | Page Count | Audiobook Length |
| Carte Blanche | 2011 | 448 | 13 hrs and 31 mins |
Books by William Boyd
| # | Name | Publish Date | Page Count | Audiobook Length |
| Blast from the Past | 2013 | 336 | 7 hrs and 39 mins |
Books by Anthony Horowitz
| # | Name | Publish Date | Page Count | Audiobook Length |
| Trigger Mortis | 2015 | 320 | 9 hrs and 32 mins | |
| Forever and a Day | 2018 | 288 | 7 hrs and 36 mins | |
| With a Mind to Kill | 2022 | 288 | 7 hrs and 24 mins |
Books by Kim Sherwood
| # | Name | Publish Date | Page Count | Audiobook Length |
| Double or Nothing | 2022 | 432 | 11 hrs and 7 mins |
Young Bond books
| # | Name | Author | Publish Date | Page Count | Audiobook Length |
| SilverFin | Charlie Higson | 2005 | 372 | 8 hrs and 28 mins | |
| Blood Fever | Charlie Higson | 2006 | 384 | 8 hrs and 40 mins | |
| Double or Die | Charlie Higson | 2007 | 389 | 8 hrs and 32 mins | |
| Hurricane Gold | Charlie Higson | 2007 | 372 | 8 hrs and 13 mins | |
| By Royal Command | Charlie Higson | 2008 | 354 | 8 hrs and 57 mins | |
| A Hard Man To Kill | Charlie Higson | 2009 | Short Story | – | |
| Shoot to Kill | Steve Cole | 2014 | 304 | 7 hrs and 5 mins | |
| Heads You Die | Steve Cole | 2016 | 320 | 7 hrs and 7 mins | |
| Strike Lightning | Steve Cole | 2016 | 288 | 6 hrs and 27 mins | |
| Red Nemesis | Steve Cole | 2017 | 320 | 7 hrs and 22 mins |
How many James Bond movies have been made?
- There have been 27 James Bond movies to date
- 7 different actors have played 007 – Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.
- Daniel Craig is the best paid Bond in history making a total of $93.3 million from 5 movies
- In comparison, Sean Connery made $100,000 for Dr. No – albeit in 1962.
- The movie franchise has generated $6.9 billion in revenue since the frist movie was released in 1962
- Skyfall is the most successful movie, generating $304 million in revenue at the box office
Writing James Bond
- During WW2, Fleming worked for the Naval Intelligence Division
- He drew inspiration from characters he met there, and in his interactions with Secret Intelligence Service, and Special Operations Executive.
- Part of the inspiration also came from Fleming’s brother who was involved in commando units
- James Bond was a real person. He was an author of a book about bird watching and Fleming saw the name and realized it was perfect for his character.
Ian Fleming statistics
- In The Times list of The 50 greatest British writers since 1945, Ian Fleming came in 14th
- Fleming’s father was a Member of Parliament for Henley in Oxfordshire
- Ian Fleming sold 30 million books in his lifetime
- In the two years following his death, Fleming’s books sold 60 million copies
- Fleming’s Bond books have sold over 100 million copies worldwide
- Fleming also wrote children’s book Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang that was later adapted into a successful stage play and movie