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 ]
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This week’s regional nonfiction bestsellers help readers answer the big questions, from how best to live to what’s good for the dinner table. Plus Oscar’s touch proves golden for the winning adaptations, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Following actress Brie Larson’s Oscar win for her role in the film adaptation of ‘Room,' Emma Donoghue’s 2010 novel came in at #3 on the iBooks bestseller list for the week ending March 6. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pope Francis’s ‘The Name of God’s Love is Mercy’ came in at #1 on February’s Religion Nonfiction bestseller list, and the latest from Amish romance novelist Wanda Brunstetter was top in fiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Flemish novel, which has sold 30,000 copies since its January release, has been helped by strong reviews and a crowdfunding promotion. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Flemish novel, which has sold 30,000 copies since its January release, has been helped by strong reviews and a crowdfunding promotion. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The bestselling iBooks in mystery, romance, sci-fi, biography, fiction, and more for the week ended May 1, 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The bestselling iBooks in mystery, romance, sci-fi, biography, fiction, and more for the week ended February 28, 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Grab your TARDIS-blue pencil: the ‘Doctor Who Coloring Book’ is the #1 book in the country. Plus a cookbook by 'Sport Illustrated' swimsuit model Chrissy Teigen debuts at #1 in Hardcover Nonfiction, book 7 in Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet graphic novel series is #1 in Children’s Frontlist Nonfiction,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Four publishers share tips for closing deals, dealing with programmatic, handling RFPs, and more. The post Secrets of the Top Sellers appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2016-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Up one spot from last week is the debut thriller by Fiona Barton, 'The Widow;' it topped the iBooks bestseller list for the week ended February 28. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The bestselling iBooks in mystery, romance, sci-fi, biography, fiction, and more for the week ended February 21, 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'A Mother’s Reckoning' by Sue Klebold, the #10 book in the country, is one of two nonfiction titles on our lists this week to address a crime that earned national attention. Plus Kate Hudson jumps on the celebrity lifestyle publishing bandwagon, ‘The Widow’ joins the burgeoning psychological... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Released on February 16, 'The Widow' by Fiona Barton came in at #2 on the iBooks bestsellers chart for the week ended February 21. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A history of stereotypes about the prophet Muhammad has been a German bestseller for 21 weeks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jen Hatmaker’s ‘For the Love’ returns to PW’s Hardcover Nonfiction list thanks to a heartfelt promotion. Plus Pierce Brown’s Red Rising trilogy ends on a high note, Teresa Guidice of ‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey’ publishes a post-prison memoir, and much more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The bestselling iBooks in mystery, romance, sci-fi, biography, fiction, and more for the week ended February 14, 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ star and recent ex-convict, Teresa Giudice, landed at #7 on the latest iBooks bestsellers list with her new memoir, ‘Turning the Tables.’ Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Epic novel, whose length has long discouraged readers, has made it on to the Bookseller’s top 50 after the BBC’s acclaimed new adaptationBritain is racing to address the fact that only 4% of Britons have read War and Peace, with Leo Tolstoy’s doorstopping epic entering the UK’s book charts for... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The massively popular ‘Me Before You’ movie trailer boosts Jojo Moyes’s book to #13 in the country. Plus Samantha Hunt’s 'Mr. Splitfoot' lands on our fiction list a month after publication thanks in part to some book club love, ebook queen Audrey Carlan charts for the first time in print, and... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Me Before You' by Jojo Moyes, which is being adapted to the big screen this summer, took the #1 spot on the iBooks bestsellers chart for the week ended February 7. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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