If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- Did you know that a computer algorithm can predict with over 80% accuracy whether a manuscript will become a bestseller before a single copy is sold?
- Have you ever wondered what hidden patterns in plot, character development, and even punctuation separate a global hit from a book that never finds an audience?
- What if you could unlock the 'DNA' of a blockbuster novel to discover exactly which themes and writing styles consistently capture the hearts of millions of readers?
Listen to The Bestseller Code — Free Audiobook
Loading player...
Key Takeaways from The Bestseller Code
- Understand why literary quality is not the defining factor of a best-selling novel, and why predicting a hit has historically been as difficult as winning the lottery.
- Discover the groundbreaking 'bestseller-ometer' algorithm, which can analyze anonymous manuscripts and predict New York Times bestsellers with an astonishing 80 to 90 percent accuracy.
- Learn why a novel's specific topics are far more crucial to its overall success than the bookstore genre it happens to be categorized in.
- Find out the surprising truth about what really sells, realizing that crime is the most successful topic while sex is virtually nonexistent in top-selling novels.
- Master the art of plotting by focusing on emotion, as data proves that readers crave an exciting emotional roller coaster over high-quality prose.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from The Bestseller Code
Mind Map
The Bestseller Code
The Algorithm
Predicts NYT bestsellers with 80 to 90 percent accuracy
Evaluates manuscripts blindly without considering author reputation
Could prevent publishers from rejecting hits like Harry Potter
Analyzes linguistic fingerprints to identify anonymous authors
Topics Over Genre
Specific topics drive success much more than genre categories
Crime is the most successful and prevalent topic
Sex rarely sells, appearing in only 0.0009% of bestsellers
Algorithm determines word context through topic modeling
Emotional Arcs
Readers crave an emotional rollercoaster over literary prose
Frequent emotional highs and lows increase success probability
Fifty Shades succeeded due to relationship intimacy, not sex
Top books have rhythmic emotional charts resembling techno music
Writing Style
Bestsellers favor simple, clean, and straightforward sentences
Use fewer adjectives and adverbs for a smoother read
Successful books use 'do' twice as often
Bestsellers use the word 'very' half as often
Gender and Background
Algorithm heavily favors female writing styles for bestsellers
Nine out of ten top predicted debuts were by women
Journalism and advertising backgrounds foster winning blunt styles
Male authors often use overly sophisticated, less commercial styles
Titles and Characters
Titles referencing the main character boost success chances
Use the empowering 'The' instead of 'A' in titles
Strong characters are defined and identified by active verbs
'Need' is the most popular verb because it propels action
Industry Impact
Popularity and massive sales rarely align with critical acclaim
Provides objective data to back up book recommendations
Serves as a revision and teaching tool for new authors
Dave Eggers's The Circle scored a perfect 100 percent
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 8
According to the book, what is the historical relationship between a novel's literary quality and its likelihood of becoming a bestseller?
The Bestseller Code — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: Publishers struggle to predict bestsellers, since literary quality often isn’t, in practice, the ultimately decisive factor for success.
Chapter 3: An algorithm predicting a novel’s success could shape the publishing industry’s future for the better.
Chapter 4: Topics are critically important to a novel’s ultimate success.
Chapter 5: The effective use of emotion in plot is crucial to a book’s success.
Chapter 6: Most bestselling authors avoid ornate phrasing and favor a straightforward style.
Chapter 7: Female authors, or those the algorithm deems female, rate higher when it comes to style overall.
Chapter 8: A title that highlights a strongly drawn character can make all the difference.
Chapter 9: The bestseller-ometer can recommend novels and offers new authors a chance to succeed.
The Bestseller Code Summary & Overview
The Bestseller Code (2016) reveals the remarkable story behind a newly developed computer algorithm with the power to unlock the secrets behind the most popular best-selling books. By analyzing over a thousand bestsellers, patterns have emerged that show us which themes, plots, styles and characters contribute to earning a book a spot at the top of the charts.
Who Should Listen to The Bestseller Code?
- Readers wondering what makes a book popular
- Writers and authors looking for widespread success
- Computer geeks who love a good algorithm
Books Similar to The Bestseller Code
Readers who enjoyed this also liked these titles.
Super Crunchers
★ 3.6 / 5 • 26 ratingsWhy Thinking-by-Numbers Is the New Way to be Smart
The Master Algorithm
★ 4.4 / 5 • 148 ratingsHow The Quest For The Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World
Hit Makers
★ 3.8 / 5 • 31 ratingsThe Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction
The Motivation Code
★ 4.4 / 5 • 176 ratingsDiscover the Hidden Forces That Drive Your Best Work