# What science fiction writer makes the most money? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [March 27, 2021, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850 "2021-03-27T14:18:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/1 "2021-03-27T14:18:35Z")
In the [George R. R. Martin Signs 5 Year Deal with HBO for Tens of Million Dollars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-r-r-martin-signs-5-year-deal-with-hbo-for-tens-of-million-dollars/938822) thread iiandyiiii wrote: > [@George R. R. Martin Signs 5 Year Deal with HBO for Tens of Million Dollars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-r-r-martin-signs-5-year-deal-with-hbo-for-tens-of-million-dollars/938822/3): > > GRRM probably makes more money than every other living SF-Fantasy author, aside from Stephen King, put together. So yes, this is a very unusual amount of money. I find it fascinating that no living _science fiction_ writer is even in the conversation. During the 80s, when sf first became true bestsellers, the Asimov/Heinlein/Clarke contingent were far in the lead. (Tolkien was dead by then.) Now who would be on top? John Scalzi and Robert Sawyer may be multi-millionaires but nowhere near Martin. William Gibson? Orson Scott Card? I’m defining science fiction in that old-fashioned way. No fantasy, no horror, no vampires, no zombies, no superheroes. Some YA authors might make the list, the way J. R. Rowling probably out-earns King and Martin combined. Maybe Suzanne Collins. I’m betting that no one who hasn’t had their books turned into hit television or movies can hope to join those ranks. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/2 "2021-03-27T14:22:54Z")
Your ‘no zombies, horror’ removes Dan Simmons from contention who was my first thought here. It’s two people, but James S. M. Corey of _The Expanse_? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/3 "2021-03-27T14:32:51Z")
Very likely [Jonathan Scalzi](https://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-john-scalzi-signs-10-year-34-million-book-deal-with-tor-20150525-story.html) > [@](#): > > Science fiction author John Scalzi has signed a $3.4-million book deal with Tor, the publisher announced Sunday. Scalzi is the bestselling author of “Old Man’s War” and won the 2013 Hugo Award for best novel for “Redshirts.” > > The multimillion-dollar deal will last a decade. During that time, Scalzi will write 13 novels for Tor. They’re partially mapped out: 10 novels for adults, plus three young adult novels; a sequel to “Lock In,” his most recent book; a return to the “Old Man’s War” universe; and an entirely new series set in the far future. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/4 "2021-03-27T14:34:58Z")
I’m not sure if you would include or exclude Dean Koontz from consideration, but my guess is he’s probably up there in terms of his earnings. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/5 "2021-03-27T14:41:41Z")
There’s definitely a lot of crossover between thrillers, horror, and science fiction. But for pure SF, James SA Corey and John Scalzi are probably the leaders. If you’re talking about making money _for their writing_, not for TV/movie deals, Scalzi probably wins out. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/6 "2021-03-27T14:44:18Z")
Does “makes the most money” refer to how much they’re currently pulling in, or to how much they’ve earned from their writing over the entire course of their career? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/7 "2021-03-27T16:03:19Z")
That’s a good question. I was thinking of active writers pulling in the big bucks today. Otherwise Robert Silverberg’s millions of books probably puts him on top over his career. Scalzi’s haul is impressive, of course, for any ordinary writer, but 13 books for $3.4 million is only $261,538 per book. That’s couch cushion change for bestsellers. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/8 "2021-03-27T16:05:57Z")
Samuel R. Delany is still making a ton of money from _Dhalgren_. It was, at one point, his publisher’s best selling novel of any nature, selling over a million copies. In addition, nearly all of his earlier novels are still in print. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/9 "2021-03-27T16:24:02Z")
It was a $1.95 paperback, meaning that Delany may have made a quarter off each copy. That $250,000 was big bucks in 1975 but eclipsed by the hardback bestsellers in the 1980s. None of Delany’s other books came close to making that kind of money. That’s the problem with the older writers. They made big money for their day, but today’s rewards are gigantic in comparison. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/10 "2021-03-27T16:54:54Z")
No longer with us but I assumed Michael Crichton was making big money based on movie adaptations. No idea how lucrative those were for him, he didn’t get the chance for big cable/streaming mega-buck deals. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/11 "2021-03-27T17:13:23Z")
I’m going to toss Veronica Roth into the ring, and second Suzanne Collins. The one thing about Roth is she’s only 32. Plenty of time for her to catch up. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/12 "2021-03-27T17:15:50Z")
The Expanse includes “vomit zombies” - but I know what you mean. Niven and Pournelle pioneered crossover SF/thrillers with Lucifer’s Hammer, and Niven has a pretty long backlist - Ringworld is still in print (Niven also started off rich, which is the best way to be a rich writer). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/13 "2021-03-27T17:33:05Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > (Niven also started off rich, which is the best way to be a rich writer). Didn’t know that. So his grandpa was a real part of [American Scandalous History.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_L._Doheny) His isn’t the kind of writing that would lend itself easily to movie making. I guess he could leverage his regard in the SF world just to plaster his name on things to make money if he wanted to. Maybe he doesn’t want to. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/14 "2021-03-27T18:15:50Z")
George Lucas. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/15 "2021-03-27T18:36:39Z")
I started looking for the net worth of Peter F. Hamilton and found an article written by John Scalzi which has comments from both Peter F. Hamilton and Jay Lake. > **[The Full-Time SF Novelist: Probably Not as Endangered as You Think](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2010/06/30/the-full-time-sf-novelist-probably-not-as-endangered-as-you-think/)** > > In e-mail, I’m asked if I have any comments about Robert J. Sawyer’s recent blog post, in which he worries that within a decade, it will be impossible to make a living solely as a scien… Which then bring the question of what means science fiction writer? GRRM is making a lot of money by developing ideas, but he’s not being paid by the book. If each author would be getting paid the same amount per word, then Peter F. Hamilton might be ahead, even if he didn’t sell as many copies as others. His books (tomes?) are huge. And he just made some more money, because my husband just bought two more books. What about Larry Niven? Most of his career is behind him, but I’m sure many of his books are still being sold in many different languages. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/16 "2021-03-27T19:19:38Z")
Hugh Howey is doing pretty well. And if the “Wool” series actually gets turned into a TV show, will be doing even better. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/17 "2021-03-27T19:24:48Z")
Andy Weir is doing well too. > [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > What about Larry Niven? Most of his career is behind him, but I’m sure many of his books are still being sold in many different languages. Mentioned up thread > [@What science fiction writer makes the most money?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/12): > > The Expanse includes “vomit zombies” - but I know what you mean. Niven and Pournelle pioneered crossover SF/thrillers with Lucifer’s Hammer, and Niven has a pretty long backlist - Ringworld is still in print (Niven also started off rich, which is the best way to be a rich writer). ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/18 "2021-03-27T19:29:21Z")
P.S. Larry had two books come out last year. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-writer-makes-the-most-money/938850/19 "2021-03-27T19:30:56Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Didn’t know that. So his grandpa was a real part of [American Scandalous History.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_L._Doheny) Yeah. Ironic that he and Heinlein were friends - Heinlein in his early life campaigned for Upton Sinclair who wrote a fictionalized expose of Niven’s ancestor (and that book became a movie [There Will Be Blood - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Will_Be_Blood)).