- Category:
- Richest Celebrities › Authors
- Net Worth:
- $50 Million
- Birthdate:
- Jun 5, 1949 (75 years old)
- Birthplace:
- Cardiff
- Gender:
- Male
- Profession:
- Novelist, Author, Writer, Film Producer, Actor
- Nationality:
- United Kingdom
What is Ken Follett's net worth?
Ken Follett is a Welsh author who has a net worth of $50 million. Ken Follett is known for his thrillers and suspense novels including "The Eye of the Needle", "Whiteout", "The Key to Rebecca", and "World Without End". To date, he has sold nearly 160 million copies of his books worldwide.
Early Life
Kenneth Martin Follett was born in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom in June 1949. He developed an early interest in reading after not being allowed to watch TV or movies. Follett graduated from University College London. He took a post-graduate course in journalism and worked as a trainee reporter. He then became a general assignment reporter for the Evening News. He later became deputy managing director of Everest Books.
Writing Career
As a hobby Follett wrote fiction om the site. The publication of his book "Eye of the Needle" in 1989 was a huge success, earning him fame and fortune. To date Ken Follett has written more than 30 books.
Ken started out with spy thrillers and his first five were best-sellers. He has authored the Apples Carstairs series, Piers Roper series, Kingsbridge series, The Century Trilogy, and many standalone novels. Follett has sold over 160 million copies of his works and has had multiple books reach #1 on the New York Times best-seller list including The Key to Rebecca, Fall of Giants, Lie Down with Lions, Winter of the World, Triple, and World Without End.
He has been made an Honorary Doctor of Literature by three universities. He married Barbara Broer in 1984. His most recent works were part of The Century Trilogy and included Fall of Giants in 2010, Winter of the World in 2012, and Edge of Eternity in 2014.
DANIEL ROLAND/AFP/Getty Images
Advances
Ken's very first book advance was 200 Pounds, earned for what eventually became "The Big Needle."
In 1977 he earned a 1,500 Pound advance for what became "Eye of the Needle." As excitement around this book grew in the literary world, Ken decided to offer the US hardcover rights for sale. The rights went for $20,000. He then offered the US paperback rights. Hoping to earn $40 – $50,000, the paperback rights ended up selling for $800,000. He received 2/3rds of that windfall, roughly $540,000, which in today's dollars is the same as around $2.6 million.
In a 2001 interview with the New York Times, Ken revealed that at that time he was receiving $6 million as an advance for each book he produced. That put him in the same league as author powerhouses like James Patterson, Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy. Furthermore, Ken revealed that he negotiated advances to be paid in monthly installments AS HE WROTE, as opposed to traditional deals that paid small amounts up front and the vast majority upon delivery.
In the same interview, which reminder took place in 2001, Ken was asked if his net worth was as high as $36 million as had been estimated by British journalists. In response he said:
"My net worth is actually about £12 million. Journalists in this country simply make stuff up."
In 2001, £12 million was worth the same as roughly $17 million USD, which is the same as around $30 million in today's dollars after adjusting for inflation.
Film Deals
It has been estimated that Ken has earned $30-60 million selling the film rights to his various properties.
