The Bestseller Code summary

For a while, the best guarantee of success was having your book added to Oprah Winfrey’s influential book-club reading list.

But, in 2010, the authors began to uncover a fascinating scientific method for predicting bestsellers.

So what is this algorithm taking into consideration? Well, at the top of the list is the book’s topic, which shouldn’t be confused with the genre it fits into.

While bookstores separate everything into categories – such as science fiction, mystery and young adult – it’s a novel’s topic, not its genre, that determines its success.

If you were to ask a group of people why they choose the books they do, most of them would make no mention of the quality of the prose; rather, what people seem to desire is an exciting emotional roller coaster.

This is why, despite the horrible reviews, Fifty Shades of Grey was a huge success – it delivered the big emotions that readers were looking for.

Having a strong writing style is important for any writer, since this is the mechanism that is used to deliver the story’s plot, themes and characters. When this delivery is executed well, the author could very well have a bestseller on her hands.

Good authors often have such a strong style that their words are not unlike a linguistic fingerprint that can be analyzed and recognized.

When we take an even closer look at the kinds of style that determine a popular book, another interesting trend emerges: when programmed only to consider a book’s style, the algorithm ranked female authors far above their male peers.

This is particularly interesting in light of that fact that no such gender advantage emerged when other factors like plot and theme were isolated.

Here’s a trend that you might have picked up on: What do these best-selling titles all have in common? Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It would seem that the inclusion of the word “girl” in your book’s title increases its chances of success. But why?

Well, it actually has less to do with the word “girl,” and more to do with referring to the book’s main character, which one-fifth of all best-selling titles do.

Have you ever had a tough time convincing a friend to read a book you absolutely love?

Well, this is just one of the many ways the algorithm can make our lives easier.