Diary of a Wimpy Kid: the story of the book that has sold over 300 million copies
A young boy struggling with school, a complicated family, a somewhat naive best friend, and an impressive number of embarrassing moments.
It might sound like the recipe for a simple children's book. Instead, it has become one of the best-selling book series of all time.
We are talking about Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the series created by American writer and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, featuring Greg Heffley as the protagonist.
Today, the books in the series have surpassed 300 million copies sold worldwide, are available in 75 languages and 93 editions, and continue to capture new generations of readers.
Who is Jeff Kinney?
Jeff Kinney was born in 1971 in the United States, and before becoming one of the best-known authors for young people in the world, his main ambition was to be a cartoonist.
In 1998, he began collecting ideas, jokes, and drawings for what would become the early materials for Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
The project remained in a drawer for years.
Kinney worked on it for about six years, until 2004, when he began publishing it online, in installments, on the website Funbrain.com. The project received millions of views.
The success on the web finally caught the attention of publishers.
In 2006, Kinney signed a contract with Abrams to transform the project into a series of books.
The first volume arrived in 2007.
And from that moment, everything changed.
Who is Greg Heffley?
The protagonist is Greg Heffley, a young boy who must survive middle school, friends, bullies, parents, and above all, his own decisions.
Greg is not the classic perfect hero.
Quite the opposite.
He is often selfish, causes trouble, looks for shortcuts, and constantly tries to improve his social standing without realizing that his ideas almost always end up backfiring on him.
And it is precisely this imperfection that makes him so funny.
Greg is an anti-hero in whom millions of kids have recognized at least a little bit of themselves.
The secret of success
One of the most original features of the series is the combination of text and cartoons.
The pages are not fully illustrated like a normal children's book, but they are not a traditional comic book either.
The reader follows Greg's diary through text, drawings, panels, and jokes.
This formula makes the reading experience extremely fast and immediate.
And it is probably one of the reasons why Diary of a Wimpy Kid has managed to win over readers who normally do not like to read.
A practically immediate success
The first book, published in 2007, quickly became a bestseller.
The growth was impressive.
By 2014, the series had already surpassed 150 million copies worldwide, just seven years after the release of the first volume.
In 2018, it hit another milestone: 200 million copies sold.
Then the growth continued to surpass the 300 million mark.
To understand the scale of the phenomenon, just consider that the first book had an initial print run in the United States of just 25,000 copies.
From 25,000 copies to over 300 million.
Not bad for a project born from the ideas and drawings of an aspiring cartoonist.
More than just books
Greg Heffley's success did not stop at bookstores.
The series has also become a true cinematic phenomenon, with several films dedicated to the adventures of the "Wimpy Kid."
Over the years, live-action adaptations were released, followed by animated films distributed on Disney+.
Greg's world thus transformed into a true international franchise.
And in Italy?
In Italy, too, Diary of a Wimpy Kid has captured a huge audience.
The series is published by Il Castoro and has reached millions of Italian readers.
In 2025, Jeff Kinney was once again at the center of Italian publishing attention with the 19th volume of the series, "Cotto a puntino". The Italian publisher presented it as the new chapter in the global bestseller series.
According to data reported by RaiNews, the series has reached approximately 8 million copies sold in Italy.
A "wimpy kid" who became a global phenomenon
Perhaps the most curious thing about Jeff Kinney's story is the contrast between the protagonist and the success achieved.
Greg desperately wants to be popular.
Kinney, meanwhile, managed to turn his unlikely protagonist into one of the most recognizable characters in contemporary children's literature.
And the formula keeps on working.
In 2026, the series' official website announced the arrival of the 21st book, "Fight or Flight", while the twentieth volume, Partypooper, was published in 2025.
A final piece of trivia
Diary of a Wimpy Kid was not born as a guaranteed success.
Jeff Kinney began working on it in 1998, but for years the project remained an idea to continue working on.
Only in 2004 did the web audience arrive.
Three years later, the book arrived.
And from there, an avalanche.
Over 300 million copies later, Greg Heffley is still there: struggling with school, family, friends, and his inevitable embarrassing moments.
A great demonstration of the fact that, sometimes, you don't need to be a superhero to conquer the world.
It might be enough to be a… wimpy kid.
