The 100 Bestselling Black Authors in 2024

[Troy]

Here is a list of the 100 Black Bestselling Black Authors in 2024 ranked in order of total sales.

 

1. Percival Everett
2. James McBride
3. Kimberly D. Moore
4. Malcolm Gladwell
5. Octavia E. Butler
6. Rachel Renée Russell
7. Toni Morrison
8. Victoria Christopher Murray
9. Bell Hooks
10. Isabel Wilkerson
11. Vashti Harrison
12. Michelle Obama
13. Sharon M. Draper
14. Tomi Adeyemi
15. Colson Whitehead
16. Kennedy Ryan
17. Snoop Dogg
18. Amanda Gorman
19. Zora Neale Hurston
20. Angie Thomas
21. Trevor Noah
22. Tia Williams
23. Fawn Weaver
24. Jason Reynolds
25. Margot Lee Shetterly
26. R. H. Sin
27. Crystal Hubbard
28. Oprah Winfrey
29. Sarah Jakes Roberts
30. Nikole Hannah-Jones
31. Jacqueline Woodson
32. Alice Walker
33. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
34. Yaa Gyasi
35. Mellody Hobson
36. Matthew A. Cherry
37. Hanif Abdurraqib
38. Wes Moore
39. Lavaille Lavette
40. Whoopi Goldberg
41. B. B. Alston
42. Sonya Renee Taylor
43. Tracy Deonn
44. Michael Harriot
45. Walter Dean Myers
46. Rio Cortez
47. N. K. Jemisin
48. Nic Stone
49. Sadeqa Johnson
50. Joy-Ann Reid
51. Frederick Douglass
52. Billy Chapata
53. Keke Palmer
54. Mildred D. Taylor
55. Kiley Reid
56. Frank Berrios
57. Cole Arthur Riley
58. Sister Souljah
59. James Baldwin
60. Jerry Craft
61. Danzy Senna
62. Rita Williams-Garcia
63. Sherri L. Smith
64. Lebron James
65. Shasta Clinch
66. Maya Angelou
67. Tabitha Brown
68. Ross Gay
69. Christopher Paul Curtis
70. Ben Carson
71. Uché Blackstock
72. Antonia Hylton
73. Janay Brown-Wood
74. Brittney Griner and Michelle Burford
75. Clay Cane
76. August Wilson
77. Ketanji Brown Jackson
78. S. A. Cosby
79. A’ja Wilson
80. Morgan Harper Nichols
81. Ishmael Beah
82. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
83. Ralph Ellison
84. Essie Chambers
85. Ebonyjanice Moore
86. Taraji P. Henson
87. Shanora Williams
88. Jesmyn Ward
89. Tananarive Due
90. Angela Y. Davis
91. Ladarrion Williams
92. S. H. Fernando, Jr
93. Analeigh Sbrana
94. Clint Smith
95. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
96. Rachel Johnson
97. Saara El-Arifi
98. Sydney Mclaughlin
99. Derrick D. Barnes
100. Zoe Shaw

[umbrarchist]

Any Afrofuturism with realistic science?

[Troy]

On this list perhaps Tananarive Due at #93

[Delano]

How come Octavia Butler is on the list twice.

[Troy]

Thanks for catching that Del.
 

I’m surprised I didn’t catch that. Octavia Butler being on the list twice is a mistake. Publishers do not record authors names in a consistent fashion, so I need to normalize them. I corrected a few, but did not catch them all, obviously.
 

When I get a chance, I’ll total up Octavia‘s sales put her in the right ranking and add the next ranking author to the hundredth position.

[Troy]

I've moved this list to the website proper and will begin to promote it widely. 

 

One concern I do have, and it is the same concern I have for a soon to be promoted monthly National Black Authors Bestselling Books list (you heard it here first), and that is some people may see this as "ghettoization." You know, segmenting Black people and shunting off out of the way of all other people (ie. white folks whose validation we need).

 

Clearly, I don't feel that way, because the alternative is marginalization.  The publishing industry has a legacy of both de jure and de facto racism spanning centuries. Today we live in the legacy of this and as a result there are systemic problems which marginalize Black authors and books.  I hope the list I'm creating will help elevate these books.

 

There are allys of all colors who understand this and support this effort -- I need and welcome their support. However, my work is hampered if my people do not embrace these lists. I it is our validation I value most... though I appreciate not all of us will be on board with this effort.

The 100 Bestselling Black Authors for 2024