The secret DNA behind bestsellers

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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January Religion Bestsellers: ‘War Room’ Books Sweep Sales

Check out PW’s new monthly Religion Fiction and Nonfiction Bestseller charts and find out more about the books that made the lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple iBooks Category Bestsellers, January 31, 2016

The bestselling iBooks in mystery, romance, sci-fi, biography, fiction, and more for the week ended January 31, 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: Patterson, Karp Debut at #2

The fourth book in James Patterson's NYPD Red series, co-written with Marshall Karp, debuted in second place on the iBooks bestsellers list for the week ended January 31. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: February 1, 2016

‘The Power of Broke’ by FUBU founder and ‘Shark Tank’ costar debuts at #4 in Hardcover Nonfiction. Plus this year’s Newbery winner makes its picture book list debut, the movie tie-in edition of ‘The Choice’ nabs two of the overall top 10 spots, coloring books talk dirty, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple iBooks Category Bestsellers, January 24, 2016

The bestselling iBooks in mystery, romance, sci-fi, biography, fiction, and more for the week ended January 24, 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Inside 2015’s Category Bestsellers

Hollywood, perennial bestsellers, and publishing powerhouses were the engines behind the 2015 bestsellers in many categories on the adult fiction and nonfiction sides, with several of PW’s category bestseller lists looking a lot like greatest-hits compilations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lost Beatrix Potter story becomes bestseller months ahead of publication

The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots, which remained unseen for a century, is already a bestseller – eight months before it reaches shopsBeatrix Potter’s long-lost story about “a well-behaved prime black Kitty cat, who leads rather a double life” has shot to the top of Amazon’s book charts months ahead of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: Audrey Carlan's Reign Continues

Audrey Carlan continues to dominate the iBooks bestsellers list with her erotic series Calendar Girl, with book one in the series, 'January,' coming in at #1 once again on the chart for the week ended January 24. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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International Bestsellers: Nobel Laureate Alexievich Tops Swedish List

Bestseller lists from France, Italy, and Sweden, where Svetlana Alexievich was the #1 nonfiction title in December. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: January 25, 2016

‘Retire Inspired’ by Chris Hogan, a Dave Ramsey protégé, is the #1 book in the country. Plus ‘Olive Kitteridge’ author Elizabeth Strout hits #1 in Hardcover Fiction with her new novel, a picture book about the real-life origins of Winnie-the-Pooh gets a boost from its Caldecott win, and much more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple iBooks Category Bestsellers, January 17, 2016

The bestselling iBooks in mystery, romance, sci-fi, biography, fiction, and more for the week ended January 17, 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: Calendar Girls Still Rules

Titles in Audrey Carlan's Calendar Girl series took seven of the 10 top spots on the iBooks bestsellers list for the week ended January 17. 'January' stayed at #1 on the list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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French Readers Put Arab Authors on the Bestseller List

After years of writing about radicalization and terrorism in the Middle East, Arab authors are now in the spotlight in France as readers try to understand the recent Paris attacks. The post French Readers Put Arab Authors on the Bestseller List appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: January 18, 2016

’The Revenant’ took the long road from page to screen, and back again; its tie-in edition and a host of others appear on our adult and children’s lists. Plus we see how publishers are helping readers keep their 2016 resolutions, and check in on a three-year-old wedding title that got a boost... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple iBooks Category Bestsellers, January 10, 2016

The bestselling iBooks in mystery, romance, sci-fi, biography, fiction, and more for the week ended January 10, 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Earnings soar for UK's bestselling authors as wealth gap widens in books industry

New study reveals Julia Donaldson, David Walliams and JK Rowling lead the top 1% of authors, who account for nearly a third of all UK book salesThe gap between publishing’s rich and poor continues to widen, as figures from Nielsen BookScan reveal that the top 50 authors account for more than 13%... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Critical edition of Mein Kampf hits Spiegel bestseller list

The heavily annotated reissue of Adolf Hitler’s propaganda work Mein Kampf has become an instant bestseller in Germany. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New edition of Mein Kampf set to land on German bestseller lists

Annotated version of Adolf Hitler’s opus, which ‘unmasks his false allegations, whitewashing and outright lies’, will debut at 20 on non-fiction chart after publishers received 15,000 orders A new critical edition of Mein Kampf is set to make its debut on German bestseller lists this weekend,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: Audrey Carlan Still Hot

For the second week in a row, Audrey Carlan has topped the iBooks bestsellers list with 'January,' the first book in her erotic series Calendar Girl. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bestselling Author Gives the Gospels A Fresh Translation

Thomas Moore, the former monk and bestselling author, is reinterpreting Jesus’s message for a new generation of readers with original translations of the four Gospels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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