The Bestseller Code

'If you're someone who dreams of penning a bestseller, read this book' The Week 'What if the success of E.L.James and Dan Brown was not so random? What if there were an algorithm that could pick out the bestseller DNA concealed within these books before they're published? This is the audacious claim made by Jodie Archer and Matthew Jockers ... Smart, savvy and full of ideas' Fiona Wilson, The Times Girl on the Train. Fifty Shades. The Goldfinch. Why do some books capture the whole world's attention? 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.
'Non-formulaic, eye-opening, deeply-researched - and really worth your time' GQ '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, no.1 bestselling author
'The claims are eye-grabbing . . . and also highly plausible' Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Spectator 'Thought-provoking and interesting ... Here is a book worth reading' David Bond, Financial Times

Literature & Fiction

Archer, Jodie

Jockers, Matthew

History & Criticism

Penguin

“Non-formulaic, eye-opening, deeply-researched ― and really worth your time.”― GQ 
Jodie Archer and Matthew L. Jockers' The Bestseller Code: Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel is a big idea book that explains their text-mining research through a groundbreaking look at the New York Times bestseller list. It explores the relationship between creativity and analytics, picking bestsellers via algorithm with a high degree of accuracy. We know that technology has transformed the worlds of finance, medicine, and sports; now it's making its mark on books.
Ask most people about massive success in the world of fiction, and you’ll typically hear that it’s a game of hazy crystal balls. The sales figures of E. L. James or Dan Brown seem to be freakish―random occurrences in an unknowable market. But what if there were an algorithm that could reveal a secret DNA of bestsellers, regardless of their genre? What if it knew, just from analyzing the words alone, not just why genre writers like John Grisham and Danielle Steel belong on the lists, but also that authors such as Junot Diaz, Jodi Picoult, and Donna Tartt had telltale signs of success all over their pages? 
The algorithm exists; the code has been cracked; and the results bring fresh new insights into how fiction works and why we read. The Bestseller Code offers a new theory for why Fifty Shades of Grey sold so well. It sheds light on the current craze for dark heroines. It reveals which themes tend to sell best. And all with fascinating supporting data taken from a five-year study of twenty thousand novels. Then there is the hunt for "the one"―the paradigmatic example of bestselling writing according to a computer's analysis of thousands of points of data. The result is surprising, a bit ironic, and delightfully unorthodox.
At heart, The Bestseller Code is a celebration of books for readers and writers―a compelling investigation into how successful writing works, and a fresh take on our intellectual and emotional response to stories.

The Bestseller Code: Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel

Business & Money

Jockers, Matthew L.

Industries

St.Martin's Press

"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, New York Times bestselling author
Ask most people about massive success in the world of fiction, and you’ll typically hear that it’s a game of hazy crystal balls. The sales figures of E. L. James or Dan Brown seem to be freakish―random occurrences in an unknowable market. But what if there were an algorithm that could reveal a secret DNA of bestsellers, regardless of their genre? What if it knew, just from analyzing the words alone, not just why genre writers like John Grisham and Danielle Steel belong on the lists, but also that authors such as Junot Diaz, Jodi Picoult, and Donna Tartt had telltale signs of success all over their pages? 
Thanks to Jodie Archer and Matthew Jockers, the algorithm exists, the code has been cracked, and the results bring fresh new insights into how fiction works and why we read. The Bestseller Code offers a new theory for why Fifty Shades of Grey sold so well. It sheds light on the current craze for dark heroines. It reveals which themes tend to sell best. And all with fascinating supporting data taken from a five-year study of twenty thousand novels. Then there is the hunt for "the one"―the paradigmatic example of bestselling writing according to a computer's analysis of thousands of points of data. The result is surprising, a bit ironic, and delightfully unorthodox.
This book explains groundbreaking text-mining research in accessible terms and offers a new perspective on the New York Times bestseller list. It's a big-idea book about the relationship between creativity and technology that will be provocative to anyone interested in how analytics have already transformed the worlds of finance, medicine, and sports. But at heart it is a celebration of books for readers and writers―a compelling investigation into how successful writing works, and a fresh take on our intellectual and emotional response to stories.

SMP Trade

Updated for 2018. This book raises money for two cancer charities. Can we all learn mediumship? Can each of us potentially prove the afterlife? She was a scholarship academic, an expat in America. He was a dead world famous movie star. They were unknown to each other. In the small college town of Ithaca, New York, over five weeks in 2010, Jodie Archer met the late actor Patrick Swayze. He had died in September 2009. His mission was to make her a medium and convince her to tell the world. This is the story. Told with emotional honesty and a commitment to sharing the all details of learning mediumship, I Say Tomato is a fascinating account of the afterlife. It offers a compelling case that we can all develop the skills to touch the other side. I went from non-believer to ardent supporter and advocate for life after death in one breath-taking week with her in California.” Sue Parker, Author of Chasing Shadows: A Mother’s Attempt to Process her Grief “She operates from an unparalleled core of authenticity. Jodie does not shirk the responsibility of her gift and the world is immeasurably blessed because of it.” Alix Lindblom, In Bloom Wellness

I Say Tomato: Patrick Swayze Makes A Medium

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

Independently published

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Archer, Jodie. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Archer, Jodie