Amélie Nothomb Highest-Paid Author in the World

By Carol Kearney
Brussels
Last updated on May 23, 2025

Amélie Nothomb led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid authors” released on Thursday.

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It's been a rough year for the author, but at least she has her millions of dollars to ease the pain. 57-year-old Amélie Nothomb has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid authors for 2025 with an estimated $58 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 23/05/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Amélie Nothomb tops annual list of highest-paid authors

In 2022 it looked like the author’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, she was back on top. People With Money reports on Thursday (May 22) that Nothomb is the highest-paid author in the world, pulling in an astonishing $58 million between April 2024 and April 2025, a nearly $30 million lead over her closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The Belgian author has an estimated net worth of $185 million. She owes her fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. She also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Nothomb Burger” chain) in Brussels, a Football Team (the “Kobe Angels”), has launched her own brand of Vodka (Pure Wondernothomb - Belgium), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Amélie) and a fashion line called “Amélie Nothomb Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Amélie fans, who have been waiting for her triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.