Agatha Christie Sold Two Billion Books—and Still Cringed at Some of Them

We’ve all had that sudden, cold-sweat moment where our brain decides to replay a cringe-worthy memory at two in the morning. Maybe it was an awkward text message, a questionable hair choice from a decade ago, or an email you definitely shouldn't have hit "reply all" on.

Well, here is some comforting news: even the most successful creators on planet Earth suffer from the exact same retroactive mortification. Case in point? Agatha Christie.

The undisputed Queen of Crime authored 66 detective novels, 14 short story compilations, and the longest-running stage play in history. Her works have sold well over two billion copies worldwide. But despite being one of the best-selling fiction writers to ever walk the earth, Christie still had moments where she looked at her own published books, shuddered, and lost sleep wishing she could drag them straight to a digital trash bin.

The Fan Letter That Forced the Confession

For decades, fans endlessly debated which of Christie’s mysteries reigned supreme. The secret was finally revealed in 1972, all thanks to a fan in Japan who wrote to Christie asking a very direct question: What are your top ten favorite books of your own writing?

Christie actually took the time to answer, laying out her personal top ten list. Coming in at the absolute top spot was her 1939 classic, And Then There Were None.

Her reasoning wasn't just about fame or sales numbers—it came down to pure, unadulterated craft flex. Christie chose it because of the sheer technical nightmare involved in plotting it out. The story required a closed-island setting where ten people die sequentially, all while keeping the puzzle believable and airtight. In true modest fashion, Christie later noted that she felt she had dealt with the wildly difficult plot "satisfactorily." Considering it went on to become one of the best-selling books of all time, "satisfactorily" might be the understatement of the century.

The Novels That Kept Her Awake at Night

On the flip side of that literary pride was a lingering cloud of authorial regret. Christie publicly admitted to losing sleep worrying over her least favorite published novels—the stories she felt fell short of her standards but were already out in the world, beyond her control.

Chief among those deep regrets was her 1928 novel, The Mystery of the Blue Train. While readers still gobble up Hercule Poirot tackling murder on a luxury French train, Christie herself considered it one of her absolute least favorite works. In fact, she openly wished she had never published it at all.

The Otterly Interesting Part

There’s something delightfully humanizing about knowing that an author with two billion book sales under her belt spent night after night tossing and turning over a published plot line. It’s proof that imposter syndrome and creator’s remorse don't magically disappear once you achieve world dominance. If Christie could look back on a successful Poirot mystery with complete regret, maybe we’re all a little too hard on our own past work.

So the next time you cringe at an old project, remember: even the ultimate mastermind of plot twists had a few chapters she desperately wished she could write out of history.

Which of your own past creations—a bad drawing, an old essay, or an embarrassing outfit—do you wish you could un-publish?

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