- Science fiction books, combined with fantasy, generated $590.2 million in revenue in the United States.
- Within comic books, science fiction sales grew by 8.3% in 2021 compared to 2020.
- In the United Kingdom, science fiction sales in 2021 were 23% higher compared to 2020.
- Science fiction books in Australia sold 9% more copies in 2021 than in 2020.
- During the first half of 2018, the science fiction genre sold 2,679,000 copies, 18% higher than in 2017, with “Ready Player One” by Ernest Chile selling 430,000 copies alone.
- In the juvenile category, the science fiction genre combined with fantasy sold over 20.3 million copies during the first half of 2018.
- Along with fantasy, the science fiction genre ranks no.8 on Amazon’s most competitive categories list.
- In audiobooks, science fiction with fantasy holds the largest share of sales among all audiobook categories, generating over $1.6 billion in revenue in 2021.
What are the best-selling science fiction books of all time?
Known for exploring new concepts, addressing complex issues and challenging conventional thinking, science fiction titles make up some of the best-selling audiobooks of all time.
| Title (Year) | Author | Copies sold* | |
| 1 | 1984 (1949) | George Orwell | Over 30 million |
| 2 | Dune (1966) | Frank Herbert | Over 20 million |
| 3 | The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1979) | Douglas Adams | 15 million copies worldwide |
| 4 | Foundation Series (1942-1993) | Isaac Asimov | |
| 5 | Ender’s Game (1985) | Orson Scott Card | 7 million |
| 6 | The Time Machine (1895) | H. G. Wells | Several million copies have been sold to date |
| 7 | Cat’s Cradle (1963) | Kurt Vonnegut | |
| 8 | The Martian (2011) | Andy Weir | 3 million |
| 9 | 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) | Arthur C. Clarke | 3 million |
| 10 | Ready Player One (2011) | Ernest Cline | 1.7 million printed copies sold |
Who are the best-selling science fiction and fantasy authors of all time?
| Rank | Author | Copies sold |
| 1 | J.K Rowling | Over 600 million |
| 2 | Stephen King | Over 400 million |
| 3 | J.R.R. Tolkien | Over 350 million |
| 4 | Stephenie Meyer | 250 million |
| 5 | Dean Koontz | Over 200 million |
| 6 | Michael Crichton | 200 million |
| 7 | Anne Rice | 136 million |
| 8 | CS Lewis | 120 million |
| 9 | Edgar Rice Burroughs | Over 100 million |
| 10 | Arthur C. Clarke | Over 100 million |
Science fiction builds entirely new vocabularies for worlds that don’t exist yet. Word games do the opposite, finding all the words hidden in what already exists. WordsRated’s Word Finder and Unscramble Words are free daily tools, our Wordle Solver is updated every day for Wordle, and our Word Descrambler unscrambles any set of letters instantly.
How much do science fiction authors make?
- Up to 75% of science fiction authors earn under $2,000 in a year from publishing.
- 90% of sci-fi authors earn under $15,000 per year from publishing.
- 95% of science fiction authors earn around a minimum wage per year.
- 5% of science fiction authors can make a living from the wiring.