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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"Mr. Mercedes," Stephen King's latest novel, came in at #2 on Apple's iBooks bestseller list for the week ended June 9, behind "The Fault in Our Stars." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The bestselling iBooks in mystery, romance, sci-fi, biography, fiction, children & teens, and more for the week ended June 1, 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Not even the final installment of Cassandra Clare's popular Mortal Instruments series, "City of Heavenly Fire" (out May 27), could bump John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars" from the top spot on Apple's iBooks bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Girls,' by Denise Kiernan, continues to hold steady on bestseller lists more than a year after its initial publication. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you’re looking for three of today’s top authors—Ruth Reichl, Jodi Picoult and Kathy Reichs—they can easily be found, on bestsellers lists everywhere. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Part of family legend for Lin Enger was how his paternal great-grandfather, a Norwegian immigrant who homesteaded 160 acres in the Dakota Territory, shot one of the last wild buffalo east of the James River when the animal drank from the precious stock tank behind his sod barn. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The bestselling iBooks in mystery, romance, sci-fi, biography, fiction, children & teens, and more for the week ended May 25, 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The last time Garth Stein was at Book Expo it was 2008, and he admits he was happy to get “spill” from Tom Wolfe’s (I Am Charlotte Simmons) autographing line. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Emily Giffin's latest novel, "The One & Only," released May 20, debuted at #3 on Apple's iBooks bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pushkin Press is publishing the first volume of a bestselling French historical series. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The bestselling iBooks in mystery, romance, sci-fi, biography, fiction, children & teens, and more for the week ended May 18, 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"The Fault in Our Stars" continues to lay claim to the top spot on Apple's iBooks bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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National media appearances, extensive blog tours, and live events helped land new books from trainer Bob Harper, America's Test Kitchen, and Oh She Glows blogger Angela Liddon on PW's cookbook bestsellers list for May. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The bestselling iBooks in mystery, romance, sci-fi, biography, fiction, children & teens, and more for the week ended May 11, 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James Patterson's "Unlucky 13," out May 5, hit the list at #2 for the week ended May 12. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars" pushed back to the top of Apple's iBooks bestseller list for the week ended May 5. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Baldacci's "The Target" was the new bestselling title on Apple's iBooks bestseller list, for the week ended April 28. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent's "Heaven is for Real" was the top selling title on Apple's iBooks Bestseller list for the week ended April 21. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After a brief stint at #1, Michael Lewis's "Flash Boys" fell four spots to #5 on Apple's iBooks bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James Patterson and Marshall Karp's "NYPD Red 2," and "Shadow Spell," by Nora Roberts, were new to the top ten on Apple's iBooks bestseller list for the week ended March 31. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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