The Bestseller Code by Matthew Jockers
What if an algorithm could predict which manuscripts would become mega-bestsellers? Girl on the Train. Fifty Shades. The Goldfinch. Why do some books capture the whole world's attention? What secret DNA do they share? In The Bestseller Code, Archer and Jockers boldly claim that not only can mega-hits be explained and identified - but they've built the algorithm to prove it. Using cutting-edge text mining techniques, they have developed a model that analyses theme, plot, style and character to explain why some books resonate more than others with readers. Provocative, entertaining, and ground-breaking, The Bestseller Code explores the hidden patterns at work in the biggest hits and, more importantly, the real reasons we love to read.
If you're someone who dreams of penning a bestseller, read this book * The Week *
Non-formulaic, eye-opening, deeply-researched - and really worth your time * GQ *
[Archer's and Jockers'] enthusiasm and passion for literature shines through.. Thought-provoking and interesting -- David Bond * Financial Times *
Archer is not some Silicon Valley whizz-kid looking to reduce the novel to 0s and 1s, nor is she a pretentious academic coming over the hills to sling around jargon about middlebrow novels. . . [She] is smart, savvy and full of ideas * The Times *
[The] claims are eye-grabbing . . . [and] also highly plausible * Spectator *
Fascinating -- David Aaronovitch * The Times *
Reveals the diverse directions in which popular fiction may be taken . . . The bestseller-ometer may find its most noble application as a democratizing force * Atlantic *
When a story captures the imagination of millions, that's magic. Can you qualify magic? Archer and Jockers just may have done so -- Sylvia Day, Sunday Times #1 bestselling author
The Bestseller Code is an intriguing read and its analysis of what makes a plot tick and how readers are grabbed is compelling * Literary Review *
Interesting ... This book is full of fascinating facts -- Mark O'Connell * Observer *
This interesting little tome shares some of the Bookputer's insights with us, just in case we want to become author-millionaires too. And who doesn't? . . . Fascinating * The Times Review *
Archer and Jockers are 'literature-friendly' and want good books to succeed * Wired *
A delightful book to read. I would recommend it as both an entertaining and educational read for anybody interested in the business of books * Digital Book World Daily *
Aspiring novelists who thumb through this volume will find plenty to think about . . . [T]his book actually represents an opportunity for literary scholars * Public Books *
A laboratory is a more compelling setting than a church -- One of the most-anticipated books of Fall 2016 * Wall Street Journal *
The Bestseller Code excited me, scared me, and generally blew my mind. Archer and Jockers have built a reading robot that can teach readers, writers, and publishers a great deal about how popular fiction works. This is a pioneering work in a new science of storytelling -- Jonathan Gottschall, author of 'The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human'
Jodie Archer and Matthew Jockers take an astonishing insight into the DNA of bestsellers and turn it into a gripping page-turner about how we read. Truly remarkable! -- Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, co-author of 'Big Data' and Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at Oxford University
Non-formulaic, eye-opening, deeply-researched - and really worth your time * GQ *
[Archer's and Jockers'] enthusiasm and passion for literature shines through.. Thought-provoking and interesting -- David Bond * Financial Times *
Archer is not some Silicon Valley whizz-kid looking to reduce the novel to 0s and 1s, nor is she a pretentious academic coming over the hills to sling around jargon about middlebrow novels. . . [She] is smart, savvy and full of ideas * The Times *
[The] claims are eye-grabbing . . . [and] also highly plausible * Spectator *
Fascinating -- David Aaronovitch * The Times *
Reveals the diverse directions in which popular fiction may be taken . . . The bestseller-ometer may find its most noble application as a democratizing force * Atlantic *
When a story captures the imagination of millions, that's magic. Can you qualify magic? Archer and Jockers just may have done so -- Sylvia Day, Sunday Times #1 bestselling author
The Bestseller Code is an intriguing read and its analysis of what makes a plot tick and how readers are grabbed is compelling * Literary Review *
Interesting ... This book is full of fascinating facts -- Mark O'Connell * Observer *
This interesting little tome shares some of the Bookputer's insights with us, just in case we want to become author-millionaires too. And who doesn't? . . . Fascinating * The Times Review *
Archer and Jockers are 'literature-friendly' and want good books to succeed * Wired *
A delightful book to read. I would recommend it as both an entertaining and educational read for anybody interested in the business of books * Digital Book World Daily *
Aspiring novelists who thumb through this volume will find plenty to think about . . . [T]his book actually represents an opportunity for literary scholars * Public Books *
A laboratory is a more compelling setting than a church -- One of the most-anticipated books of Fall 2016 * Wall Street Journal *
The Bestseller Code excited me, scared me, and generally blew my mind. Archer and Jockers have built a reading robot that can teach readers, writers, and publishers a great deal about how popular fiction works. This is a pioneering work in a new science of storytelling -- Jonathan Gottschall, author of 'The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human'
Jodie Archer and Matthew Jockers take an astonishing insight into the DNA of bestsellers and turn it into a gripping page-turner about how we read. Truly remarkable! -- Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, co-author of 'Big Data' and Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at Oxford University
Matthew L. Jockers was the co-founder of Stanford University's Literary Lab in Silicon Valley. His digital humanities work has been profiled in The New York Times, the LA Review of Books and more. He is Associate Professor of English at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Jodie Archer bought and edited books for Penguin UK before she decamped for the doctoral program in English at Stanford University. After her PhD, she worked at Apple as their research lead on literature. She is now a full-time writer.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780241243701 |
| ISBN 10 | 024124370X |
| Title | The Bestseller Code |
| Author | Matthew Jockers |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2016-09-13 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |