Is it possible to predict whether a book will sell well? Former publisher Jodie Archer and Matthew L Jockers, of Stanford University’s Literary Lab, built an algorithm to find outYour program can identify, from scanning 20,000 books, ones which made the New York Times bestseller lists with 80% accuracy, and one of your key discoveries was that the topics covered in a novel – marriage, work, technology – are more important than its genre in terms of predicting its success. Why?JA: If you look at a bestseller list, you might think it was very diverse in genre – a Stephen King alongside a Jojo Moyes. But certain topics were strong indicators of a bestseller, regardless of genre. “Human closeness” came out on top. This doesn’t mean romance – it could be talking with someone you are intimate with or shopping with a parent. It may be to do with pacing – when Dan Brown knows he has to slow his pace down a little bit and let the characters reflect before a big chase scene in the Vatican, his characters talk it out. John Grisham does it perfectly because in all the legal machinations and suspense and back stabbing, there are always scenes where a lawyer gets a bottle of red wine and a Chinese takeaway and sits on the couch with his female counterpart and they chew the cud for a bit. It is almost the opposite of a formulaic how-to; make a boy meet a girl, make them fall out. Related: Bestselling books 2015: Fifty Shades still on top Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
Publisher of Financial Times operating profits grow to £55m in 2013 as owner Pearson announces overall slump of 21%Pearson has reported a 21% slump in its overall operating profit for 2013, as its core US education business continues to be hit by the "worst trading conditions" seen in decades.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
New data suggests that the borrowing of erotic fiction from UK public libraries has leapt by 500%, in what is being called the 'Fifty Shades' effect. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2014-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Rita Ora confirms that she will play the role of Mia in the film adaptation of EL James' book series. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Novelist John Grisham talks about his return to Ford County in 'Sycamore Row' and an unpleasant stint as a politician.John Grisham is the world's most successful author of legal thrillers (and one baseball novel, last year's "Calico Joe") with sales of more than 275 million copies to his credit.... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
IFC's upcoming The Spoils of Bablyon, a comedy miniseries that spoofs serious miniseries, is based on a book that seems to be sold out in Hudson News stores around the country. The problem with keeping the book in stock, though, is that there were never any printed copies. Eric Jonrosh (and the... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Dakota Johnson is to star as Anastasia Steele, heroine of the Fifty Shades trilogy, with Charlie... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
John Grisham's The Racketeer (Hodder) was comfortably the bestselling book in the UK last... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Campaigns for titles ranging from Fifty Shades of Grey to the BFI Film Classics series have been... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Barnes and Noble has not had an easy go of it. The brick-and-mortar stalwart has seen its revenues and profits steeply decline as we've entered the age of the ebook. In fact, profits haven't just shrunk; they've disappeared. During the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2013, the company suffered a... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Despite the lack of a publisher and censorship issues, pirated copies of "Fifty Shades of Grey" are proving popular at Chinese online bookstores. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
'Fifty Shades of Grey,' having conquered the British and American book markets, has now arrived in China. But readers are discovering the book through pirated copies. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Higher ebook sales, expansion into new markets, and leveraging the wild popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey were some of the ways the publishers that made this year’s list of PW’s fast-growing independent publishers prospered in 2012. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy debuted at #3 on the fiction chart in Spain in December, good enough to place it right behind Fifty Shades of Grey, which held steady at #2. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The 'Fifty Shades of Grey' trilogy has bucked the usual publishing trend by being released in paperback first and is only now being converted into a hardcover format. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit continues as the #1 book on social media, according to CoverCake, a company that uses analytical tools to track what’s trending on social media, its popularity obviously being driven by the movie. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The printed book market fell by almost £74m in 2012, down 4.6% year on year, but the rate of decline was slowed by Fifty Shades Of Grey. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2013-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
If you bought a copy of "Fifty Shades of Grey" for your e-reader, you are not alone -- not by a long shot. If you bought a copy of "Fifty Shades of Grey" for your e-reader, you are not alone -- not by a long shot. E.L. James' sexy novel about innocent college student Anastasia Steele and her... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
It comes as no surprise that Nielsen BookScan's top-selling print book lists for 2012 are dominated by Fifty Shades and the Hunger Games. See what else is on the lists. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Random House publishers are to reward employees with a $5,000 (£3,103) bonus partly owing to the success of EL James's erotic trilogy, Fifty Shades of Grey. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2012-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Publishers Weekly faces controversy after naming 'Fifty Shades of Grey' author E L James 'Publishing Person of the Year' for 2012. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this