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Formula for bestsellers

Titles sure work for me. If it's an author that I've never read and they have a novel with a catchy title or great artwork then I'm 90% more likely to read it. Reviews, word-of-mouth, and subject matter also have an effect, of course.
 
It seems to me that the best indicator--by FAR--of whether a book will be a bestseller is whether the author of the book has sold well in the past. Kind of a no-brainer.
 
novella said:
It seems to me that the best indicator--by FAR--of whether a book will be a bestseller is whether the author of the book has sold well in the past. Kind of a no-brainer.
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stephen king is an example. walmart has a lot of his books. :p
 
I think that word-of-mouth and cover art have more to do with the success of a book than the title does. I don't usually pay attention to titles when I'm skimming through books that the book store - it's the cover that draws my eye.
 
I'd say the first thing that draws me to a book is the author, if I've read books by them before I'll probably know better beforehand if I'm likely to enjoy the book, but saying that, I know from experience that sometimes authors can write very, very good books and then write very dire ones. Cover art also has an impact on my choices, but I always read some of it before I decide if it's for me. Content and people's taste, rather than looks or titles, will always dictate how well a novel sells.
 
The point is not what draws you to a book, but what makes any book a bestseller. The 'study' maintains that there are certain types of titles that are more likely to be bestsellers. I maintain that the author's previous work is a much better predictor of bestsellers.

I don't get how everyone reading this thread immediately assumes it's about what makes them pick up a book. Definitely two different issues. Just look at all the threads here about Dan Brown, Harry Potter, Stephen King, etc. Their popularity has nothing to do with cover design or titles, and nothing to do with whether you would be drawn to those titles on a shelf in a bookstore. Whether the titles are metaphorical or literal is wholly irrelevant, IMO.
 
I agree with it to an extent. I've never been one of those people to judge a book by it's cover. Although, I do judge it by it's title. Meaning, not necessarily that I'll buy it if it has a good title, but more than likely I'll read the summary, check out reviews, etc.
 
The point is not what draws you to a book, but what makes any book a bestseller. The 'study' maintains that there are certain types of titles that are more likely to be bestsellers. I maintain that the author's previous work is a much better predictor of bestsellers.
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I could see that being the case, especially with Dan Brown. Angels & Demons probably didn't move off the shelves as briskly as they did until after DVC became a hit. Then again, the researchers looked at that consideration:

Comparing these with a control group of less successful novels by the same authors, they found that the winning books had three common features;
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Admittedly, they can't explain how the DVC proved their entire theory wrong.:D

Whether the titles are metaphorical or literal is wholly irrelevant, IMO.
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True, and the DVC is exhibit evidence "A" in this case.

According to their formula, certain books by the same author weren't as successful-to them, it was due to the title. There are of course other variables of consideration. Perhaps even the most die-hard fans want a different book for a change of pace and that kind of thing.
 
I'm not so sure about the title thing... I don't think Small Island is a particularly oh-I-must-read-this title, or any of popular authors such as James Patterson, for example, like Mary, Mary or John Grisham's The Broker.

Of the Top Ten hardbacks here, I don't think any of them have very interesting titles...

On the other hand, there's only the covers of Christ The Lord and The Da Vinci Code that would put me off.

Saying that, initially, I have bought some books based on the title... e.g. Five People You Meet in Heaven, Catch-22, Diary of a Nobody, Life of Pi, Songs of a Humpback Whale, The Catcher in the Rye, Pickwick Papers, Flowers in the Attic... and have been put off by some titles... Anne of Green Gables, Emma, Lord of the Rings, A Kestrel for a Knave, A Woman is Only a Woman...
 
Pfffft! Sounds like a wacky theory. I don't see how the title of a book can determine it's success -- statistics or no statistics. A catchy metaphorical title might make someone pick it up, but for a book to become a bestseller, there must be something else going for it - great writing (gee, how novel), plot, hot topic or just plain old media and publisher's hype.

I agree with those who say the name recognition of the author is a better indicator of success.
 
It may have a slight influence on whether people pick up a particular book, but probably not as much as author reputation, media hype, or even an interesting cover. And let's face it, even if the title is fascinating, if the blurb on the back of the book sounds shite, no-one's going to read it. ;)
 
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