The ultimate guide to best Kindle books of all time

It’s over ten years since the first-generation Kindle was introduced, together with 90 thousand books in the Kindle Store.

We thought it would be great to see which of the Kindle ebooks available on Amazon since November 2007 were the ones book lovers appreciated the most.

That’s why we decided to process data widely available for users of the Kindle Store and put the results into rankings that show the most popular books and authors.

This post includes extensive charts and comparisons, together with information how we collected and processed the data. Be assured to see detailed lists soon, accompanied by infographics and visualizations. Stay tuned!

You can jump directly to each chart from here:

• Top 100 Kindle books of all time
• Top 10 Kindle books of all time – detailed info
• Top Kindle Unlimited books of all time
• Best Kindle authors of all time
• Best Kindle books of all time by category

Best Kindle books of all time – highlights

This overview is extensive and includes several facts, figures, and comparisons. Below, we highlight the most interesting ones:

• The best Kindle book of all time is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson’s first book from the Millennium series.
• Top 10 includes all three parts of the bestselling YA dystopian series by Suzanne Collins, the Hunger Games.
• The best nonfiction book on the list is Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, which takes the second place.
• 15 titles in the Top 100 are available via Kindle Unlimited ebook subscription.
• Two authors – David Baldacci and Lee Child – managed to place their books on all annual Kindle bestseller lists since 2007.
• The best Kindle author of all time is James Patterson, with 10 books in the Top 100.

Best Kindle books – how the lists were made

Background

So far, Amazon has not revealed a ranking of best or best selling Kindle books of all time. However, the company provides valuable tools for comparison. Besides bestseller lists (both current and annual), weekly charts or Amazon Best Sellers Rank, there are also such factors as customer reviews and ratings.

We are a group of ebook enthusiasts and don’t have access to Amazon’s sales figures and advanced algorithms. Our lists are based on information available for anyone visiting Amazon website.

What we did is simple. We have thoroughly analyzed an archive of annual lists of Top 100 Kindle bestsellers available in the U.S. Amazon Store.

Obviously, the easiest way to create a ranking of best Kindle books of all time would be to pick up #1 title for each year between 2007 and 2017 and publish a list of ten winning books.

We believe, however, that being a one-time bestseller doesn’t represent the real value of the book. A book becomes a classic when it has the power to lure new readers constantly, and its popularity doesn’t fade out with time.

That’s why we’ve decided to go with a more advanced methodology.

Methodology

The idea to rank best Kindle books of all time is quite simple: every book on the annual list of top 100 bestsellers earns points. The higher the book is ranked, the more points it gets.

So, the #1 book on the annual list gets 100 points, and the last title gets 1 point.

Here are a few other rules:

• if a book is present on more than one annual list, its points are added,
• if two or more books receive the same number of points, they are ranked at the same place in the Top 100. We decided to keep things clear and give a chance for more books to appear on the ultimate list rather than apply the second-level rule,

As you, see, the counting method we chose is favoring books that managed to stay on annual Kindle bestseller lists for as long as possible and as high as possible.

Data for annual Top 100 lists for 2007-2016 was gathered between July 25 and August 28, 2017. Data for the 2017 list was collected on November 19, 2017.

Please keep in mind that reviews of the single title are collected from several formats (paperback, hardcover, Kindle, audiobook, etc.) as well as several editions, also the ones that are not available in the Kindle Store any longer.

We’ve collected the data from annual Kindle bestseller lists in this spreadsheet document.

Top 100 best Kindle books of all time

We are excited to present the major ranking of the best Kindle books of all time. It includes the greatest titles released in Kindle edition between 2007 and 2017.

It’s worth noting that the total number of annual bestseller lists that we analyzed is not ten but eleven, as we also included the 2007 list.

The Top 100 chart includes the best books (it’s more than 100, due to the counting method we used), out of 901 titles that ever entered an annual Kindle bestseller list since November 2007.

Details you can compare in the ranking are:

• # – a position of the book in Top 100,
• Points – a total number of points collected,
• Title (series) – a title of the book and a name of the series it belongs to,
• Author – an author or authors of the book,
• Rats – rating,
• Revs – number of reviews,
• Cat – a primary category the book is ranked in.

There is one thing we’d like to point out. It refers to a total number of reviews for books that belong to a series.

In case of some series, for instance, the Millennium saga by Stieg Larsson, reviews are split into parts. It’s the natural way to do it. Some books in a series are better; some are worse. It would inevitably be reflected in the number of reviews as well as the total rating.

For other series, however, the reviews are combined – all books come with the total number of reviews left for any part of the trilogy. The Hunger Games is the most noticeable example of such review count policy.

Top 10 Kindle books of all time – details

Take a look at more details about the best of the best.

Each Kindle book from the all-time Top 10 comes with information about how long it stayed on annual charts, and the highest place it reached, among others.

All data was gathered between July 25 and November 19, 2017.

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Author: Stieg Larsson
Part of the series: Yes, book 1 of the Millennium series
Main Category: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Publication Date: September 16, 2008
Kindle Unlimited: No

Total number of points: 439
First year in Top 100: 2008
Last year in Top 100: 2012
Highest place: 1 (2010)
Lowest place: 23 (2008)
Number of years in Top 100: 5
Number of years in Top 10: 2

Murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue combine into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel, the first in Stieg Larsson’s thrilling Millennium series featuring Lisbeth Salander. ⇢ Read more.

2. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Author: Laura Hillenbrand
Part of the series: No
Main Category: Biographies & Memoirs
Publication Date: November 16, 2010
Kindle Unlimited: No

Total number of points: 429
First year in Top 100: 2010
Last year in Top 100: 2015
Highest place: 6 (2011)
Lowest place: 26 (2012)
Number of years in Top 100: 5
Number of years in Top 10: 2

A story of an Army Air Forces bombardier Louis Zamperini, who, after his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 1943, was fighting to survive on a foundering life raft. ⇢ Read more.

3. Mockingjay

Author: Suzanne Collins

Part of the series: Yes, book 3 of the Hunger Games series
Main Category: Teen & Young Adult
Publication Date: August 24, 2010
Kindle Unlimited: Yes

Total number of points: 383
First year in Top 100: 2010
Last year in Top 100: 2014
Highest place: 4 (2011)
Lowest place: 78 (2014)
Number of years in Top 100: 5
Number of years in Top 10: 2

The final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins will have hearts racing, pages turning, and everyone talking about one of the biggest and most talked-about books and authors in recent publishing history. ⇢ Read more.

4. Gone Girl

Author: Gillian Flynn
Part of the series: No
Main Category: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
Kindle Unlimited: No

Total number of points: 379
First year in Top 100: 2012
Last year in Top 100: 2015
Highest place: 2 (2014)
Lowest place: 15 (2015)
Number of years in Top 100: 4
Number of years in Top 10: 3

One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. ⇢ Read more.

5. The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett
Part of the series: No
Main Category: Literature & Fiction
Publication Date: February 10, 2009
Kindle Unlimited: No

Total number of points: 376
First year in Top 100: 2009
Last year in Top 100: 2012
Highest place: 1 (2011)
Lowest place: 18 (2012)
Number of years in Top 100: 4
Number of years in Top 10: 3

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women – mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends – view one another. ⇢ Read more.

6. The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins
Part of the series: Yes, book 1 of the Hunger Games series
Main Category: Teen & Young Adult
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
Kindle Unlimited: Yes

Total number of points: 354
First year in Top 100: 2010
Last year in Top 100: 2017
Highest place: 2 (2011, 2012)
Lowest place: 93 (2017)
Number of years in Top 100: 5
Number of years in Top 10: 3

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by forcing them to send teenagers to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. ⇢ Read more.

7. Catching Fire

Author: Suzanne Collins
Part of the series: Yes, book 2 of the Hunger Games series
Main Category: Teen & Young Adult
Publication Date: June 1, 2010
Kindle Unlimited: Yes

Total number of points: 353
First year in Top 100: 2010
Last year in Top 100: 2013
Highest place: 3 (2011, 2012)
Lowest place: 26
Number of years in Top 100: 4
Number of years in Top 10: 2

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. The Capitol wants revenge. ⇢ Read more.

8. The Girl Who Played with Fire

Author: Stieg Larsson
Part of the series: Yes, book 2 of the Millennium series
Main Category: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Publication Date: July 28, 2009
Kindle Unlimited: No

Total number of points: 328
First year in Top 100: 2009
Last year in Top 100: 2012
Highest place: 3 (2010)
Lowest place: 31 (2012)
Number of years in Top 100: 4
Number of years in Top 10: 1

Part blistering espionage thriller, part riveting police procedural, and part piercing exposé on social injustice, this second book in the Millennium series is a masterful, endlessly satisfying novel. ⇢ Read more.

9. Water for Elephants

Author: Sara Gruen
Part of the series: No
Main Category: Literature & Fiction
Publication Date: May 1, 2007
Kindle Unlimited: No

Total number of points: 323
First year in Top 100: 2007
Last year in Top 100: 2012
Highest place: 11 (2011)
Lowest place: 65 (2012)
Number of years in Top 100: 5
Number of years in Top 10: 0

Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski’s ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. ⇢ Read more.

10. Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth
Part of the series: Yes, book 1 of the Divergent series
Main Category: Teen & Young Adult
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
Kindle Unlimited: No

Total number of points: 285
First year in Top 100: 2012
Last year in Top 100: 2015
Highest place: 2 (2013)
Lowest place: 77 (2015)
Number of years in Top 100: 4
Number of years in Top 10: 2

The first book in Veronica Roth’s bestselling Divergent trilogy is the gripping story of a dystopian world transformed by courage, self-sacrifice, and love. ⇢ Read more.

Best Kindle Unlimited books of all time

Many Kindle users consider getting Kindle Unlimited subscription, and most of them try to find out how many bestsellers are available via Amazon’s popular ebook subscription service.

Kindle Unlimited is growing fast – and it starts to affect Kindle bestseller lists. Most subscribers are only reading what’s available in the service, and don’t get interested in Kindle books that have to be bought separately.

In 2017 alone, as much as 82 books from the Top 100 were available via Kindle Unlimited. In 2014, when the service was launched, it was only 7.

So, how many all-time Kindle bestsellers are available via ebook subscription? The Top 100 includes 15 Kindle Unlimited books. We list them in the table below.

The columns are the same as in the main chart, with one exception. A column with a header #/100 shows a place of the book in the main Top 100 ranking.

Best Kindle authors of all time

Let’s now take a look at the chart putting together most popular Kindle authors. It is an excellent material for analysis.

Five authors (James Patterson, Lee Child, David Baldacci, Nicholas Sparks and Michael Connelly) were present on annual Kindle bestseller lists for at least ten years.

Other big names in publishing, naming only J.K. Rowling, would easily join the club if they had decided to release their books in Kindle edition soon enough.

The chart also shows authors’ working style and attitude. James Patterson wins thanks to being a prolific writer. As much as 46 of books he had written or co-written landed on annual bestseller lists. 10 of them made it to the all-time Top 100.

Suzanne Collins is on the opposite side of the landscape. She published three books from the Hunger Games series, plus a bundle collecting them in a single edition. All four publications were ranked very high on annual lists. And 100% of them landed in the main ranking of Top 100 Kindle books of all time.

Details you can compare in the ranking are:

• # – a position of the author, based on the number of points collected,
• Points – a total number of points collected,
• Books in Top 100 – a total number of author’s books in the Top 100 ranking of Kindle books,
• Books on annual lists – a total number of author’s books on annual lists of Kindle bestsellers for years 2007-2017,
• Years on annual lists – how many years author’s books were present on annual lists of Kindle bestsellers for years 2007-2017.

Here are the rules for the ranking of the best Kindle authors of all time:

• if two or more authors get the same number of points, they are ranked at the same position in the Top 100. It means the list includes more than 100 authors,
• books co-written by authors are added to their total score,
• co-authors (naming only writers who work with James Patterson) are listed separately.

Best Kindle books of all time by category

After putting together the books and authors, it’s time for a more general comparison.

Let’s take a look at the table comparing categories.

How we attached categories to single titles? As you know, most books on Amazon appear in more than one category.

To pick up the most representative genre, we used Amazon Best Sellers Rank. It shows how well the book is selling compared to other titles in the same category.

Amazon Best Sellers Rank is shown on a book page, in “Product details” section. With only few exceptions, we were picking up the first child category in the directory: “Kindle Store » Kindle eBooks » …”

The last thing we would like to share is two lists of top Kindle books released between 2007 and 2017 that filter books by type. First one shows top 10 fiction books, the other one puts together nonfiction titles.

The list of fiction books is very similar to what you see in the overall ranking. It’s worth taking a look at the list of nonfiction books, as they are spread across the main ranking.

A column #/100 shows a position on the main list of top 100 Kindle books of all time.

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