Just like art, whether a book is any good or not is subjective. Unsurprisingly, authors of books which enjoy huge commerical success often find themselves in the firing line on unwanted rankings. It doesn’t take long for their obscene popularity to become a stick to beat them with. From vampire fiction to conservative political preaching, these authors below are no stranger to critics.
Here are the top 10 worst authors of all time, as voted by more than 12,000 readers.
5. Stephenie Meyer
The Queen of vampires features on many worst author/worst book lists despite her commercial success with both the books and the films of her series, The Twilight Saga. She has been criticised for her unoriginal ideas, bad writing and is often compared to author J.K. Rowling.
4. L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard was an American author of science fiction and fantasy stories, and the founder of the Church of Scientology. Hubbard’s books include Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health and established a series of organizations to promote Dianetics. He oversaw the growth of the Church of Scientology into a worldwide organization.
3. E. L. James
Erika Mitchell, better known by her pen name E. L. James, is a British author best known for writing the erotic romance trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker,and Fifty Shades Freed. The combined novels have sold over 70 million copies worldwide but she is widely criticised for her writing style despite her commercial success.
2. David Benioff
David Benioff was a novelist and screenwriter, with his first venture into television as creator of Game of Thrones. Benioff published his first novel, called The 25th Hour, in 2001. He then went on to adapt it for a 2002 film directed by Spike Lee. Though he published a second novel in 2008, Benioff became succcessful as a screenwriter.
1. D. B. Weiss
Daniel Brett Weiss is an American television producer, writer and director. Alongside David Benioff, he is best known as co-creator and showrunner of Game of Thrones. He wrote novels such as Halo and Lucky Wander Boy. Both Weiss and Benioff face criticism for their writing, particularly in Game of Thrones.