The Top Romance Authors of All Time – A Definitive Guide (2026 Edition)
Romance is the best-selling fiction genre in the world for a reason: it delivers hope, heat, and happily-ever-afters (or at least happy-for-nows) when we need them most. As at the end of 2025, the global romance market is worth over $1.4 billion annually in the U.S. alone, and these authors – past and present – are the giants who built and continue to expand the empire. This list is based on sales data (NPD BookScan, Amazon charts, RWA statistics), cultural impact, awards, and reader votes across Goodreads, TikTok #BookTok, and romance-specific polls up to November 2025.
1. Nora Roberts (1948– )
Sales: 230+ million books sold worldwide Pseudonyms: J.D. Robb (In Death futuristic police series) Key Series: Bride Quartet, Inn BoonsBoro, The Dragon Heart Legacy, Chronicles of The One
Why she’s #1 Nora has published 240+ novels since 1981 and has landed on the New York Times bestseller list a record-breaking 1,000+ weeks collectively. She writes across sub-genres (contemporary, paranormal, romantic suspense) at a pace that would exhaust mere mortals – usually 3–5 full-length novels per year. Her strength: airtight pacing, unforgettable secondary characters, and the ability to make a small-town inn or a post-apocalyptic rebellion feel equally romantic. 2024–2025 highlight: Inheritance (The Lost Bride Trilogy #1) debuted at #1 and stayed on the NYT list for 19 weeks.
2. Danielle Steel (1947– )
Sales: 900+ million copies (claims over 1 billion with international editions) Signature style: Multi-generational sagas, glamorous settings, tear-jerking twists
Love her or side-eye her prose, the numbers are undeniable. Steel has published 205 books, with 144 hitting the NYT bestseller list and 22 adapted for television. Her 2025 release The Ceremony (February) instantly shot to #1. She still hand-writes every manuscript on legal pads.
3. Julia Quinn (1970– )
Sales: 25+ million (Bridgerton effect pushed this past 40 million by 2025) Key Series: Bridgerton (8 siblings + Queen Charlotte spin-off)
The woman who made Regency romance explode for a second time. The 2020 Netflix adaptation turned her into a household name and sent every book in the series back to #1 simultaneously – a feat never seen before on Amazon. Her witty banter and cinnamon-roll heroes (Colin, Benedict, and Anthony especially) dominate #BookTok. 2025 release: Queen Charlotte paperback with new bonus content became the fastest-selling romance paperback of the year.
4. Tessa Bailey (1983– )
Current Queen of Spicy Contemporary / #BookTok Darling Key Series: Bellinger Sisters, Hot & Hammered, It Happened One Summer
Bailey went from self-published to traditionally published superstar in under five years. Known for filthy-talking blue-collar heroes and heroines who own their sexuality. It Happened One Summer (2021) is credited with kicking off the current “spicy small-town” trend. In 2024–2025 she released three #1 NYT bestsellers: Unfortunately Yours, Wreck the Halls, and The Au Pair Affair.
5. Emily Henry (1990– )
Literary-adjacent romance that readers and critics both love Key Standalones: Beach Read, Book Lovers, Happy Place, Funny Story
Henry averages 1.5–2 million copies per new release in the first year. Funny Story (April 2024) and her upcoming 2026 title (still under wraps) already have 1.2 million pre-orders combined. She’s the rare romance author regularly reviewed in The New Yorker and The Atlantic.
6. Colleen Hoover (1979– )
Sales: 40+ million since 2016 Key Books: It Ends With Us, Verity, Reminders of Him, the Slammed series
Love-it-or-loathe-it, CoHo dominated 2020–2024. It Ends With Us movie (2024 starring Blake Lively) grossed $350 million worldwide and pushed the book back to #1 for 68 weeks. Her 2025 release Too Late (definitive special edition) debuted with 1.1 million first-week sales – still the record for a single romance title.
7. Jasmine Guillory (197?– )
Reese’s Book Club darling & wedding-series queen Key Series: The Wedding Date → The Wedding Party → Party of Two
Guillory brought diverse, joyful contemporary romance to the mainstream. Royal Holiday and While We Were Dating regularly top “feel-good” lists. Her 2025 novel The Break-Up Tour hits shelves in March and is already optioned by Netflix.
8. Ali Hazelwood (STEMinist RomCom Queen)
Background: Neuroscientist turned author Key Books: The Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain, Bride (paranormal 2024)
Hazelwood started with Reylo (Rey/Kylo Ren) fanfiction that went viral on AO3, rewrote it as The Love Hypothesis, and sold 2.5 million copies in 18 months. Her paranormal werewolf romance Bride (Feb 2024) proved she can jump sub-genres and still hit #1. 2025’s Deep End (enemies-to-lovers swimming rivals) has 800k+ Goodreads TBR adds already.
9. Lisa Kleypas (1964– )
Historical Romance Gold Standard Key Series: The Wallflowers, The Ravenels, Friday Harbor (contemporary)
Kleypas is the bridge between old-school bodice-rippers and modern sensual historicals. Devil in Winter (Sebastian St. Vincent) remains the most-beloved historical hero on Goodreads 18 years after publication. Her 2024 release The Love List topped the historical charts for 12 weeks.
10. Sarah J. Maas (1986– )
Fantasy Romance / Romantasy Titan Key Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR), Throne of Glass, Crescent City
Technically romantasy, but the romance is the beating heart. ACOTAR alone has sold 18+ million copies. House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City #3, Jan 2024) had the biggest first-week sales of any adult fantasy/romance title ever (1.4 million). Her books dominate the top 10 spots on NYT paperback list most weeks.
11–20 Honorable Mentions (because ten is never enough)
Johanna Lindsey (1952–2019) – Queen of 1980s–90s pirate & viking romance
Judith McNaught – Perfected second-chance & rags-to-riches (Whitney, My Love still controversial and beloved)
Susan Elizabeth Phillips – Chicago Stars sports series basically invented the sub-genre
Talia Hibbert – Brown Sisters trilogy brought fat, neurodivergent Black British heroines to the forefront
Kennedy Ryan – Hoops & Grip series: emotional, issue-driven, and scorching
Ana Huang – Twisted & Kings of Sin series: dark billionaire TikTok royalty
Elena Armas – The Spanish Love Deception: slow-burn workplace fake dating blueprint
Christina Lauren – Beautiful & Wild Seasons series: the duo that made MMF and friends-to-lovers mainstream
Katee Robert – Dark Olympus & Wicked Villains: monster & mythology retellings with extreme heat
Beverly Jenkins – Trailblazing Black historical romance author (Indigo, Forbidden)
The New Guard Rising Fast in 2025
Lauren Asher (Dreamland Billionaires, Lakefront Billionaires)
Elsie Silver (Chestnut Springs, Gold Rush Ranch) – Canadian small-town spicy
Hannah Grace (Icebreaker, Wildfire) – New-adult hockey romance
Bal Khabra (2024–2025 breakout hockey romance star)
Lizzie Huxley-Jones & Tarah DeWitt (queer rom-com excellence)
Final Numbers That Prove Romance Rules
39 million print romance units sold in the U.S. in 2024 (Circana BookScan)
58% of the top 100 Amazon Kindle bestsellers on any given day are romance/romantasy
#BookTok has driven over $4 billion in romance sales since 2020
Average romance reader buys 4–6 books per month (vs. 1–2 for general fiction)
Whether you want small-town spice, Regency ballrooms, werewolf knots, or billionaire grumpy-sunshine, one of these authors has already written your next obsession – probably three of them.