Daniel Pennac Highest-Paid Author in the World

By Carol Kearney
Paris
Last updated on June 13, 2025

Daniel Pennac 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 he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 80-year-old Daniel Pennac 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 13/06/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Daniel Pennac tops annual list of highest-paid authors

In 2022 it looked like the author’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Thursday (June 12) that Pennac is the highest-paid author in the world, pulling in an astonishing $58 million between May 2024 and May 2025, a nearly $30 million lead over his 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 French author has an estimated net worth of $185 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Pennac Burger” chain) in Paris, a Football Team (the “Casablanca Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderpennac - France), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Daniel) and a fashion line called “Daniel Pennac Seduction”.

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