Modern Bestsellerism; Themes, Genres, and Artifacts
Each Bestseller list follows a different algorithm and promises to determine what a bestselling book is. For example, the Indie list only looks at sales from independently-owned bookstores and sellers, unlike the New York Times that looks at wholesale and chain-sellers. Cult News reported in 2015 that the author Zhi Gang Sha was able to figure out the Amazon bestseller algorithm and he purchased his book at the exact time and number of books necessary to make it a bestseller. Although this story has neither been proven nor disproven, it does open up the possibility of being able to “hack” the bestseller list. There are plenty of articles and videos online that attempt to give the writer steps to ensure that their book is a bestseller. The video below is an example.
Archer and Jockers, writers of The Bestseller Code, claim to have written a code that they trained by feeding it 20,000 novels published in the last 30 years. It analyzes plot, theme, and character, as well as writing style. The algorithm is said to predict if a manuscript has a chance of becoming a New York Times bestseller and with what percentage of certainty. Although the code is not completely accurate, the fact that it was possible to create it is reflective of how all bestsellers follow a certain trend.
If we look at the recent trend in Young Adult (YA) literature, we see dystopian trilogies with love triangles being published consistently. On the top of my head I can think of The Hunger Games, Divergent, Shatter Me, Delirium, among many more. These novels all share similar structure and themes: strong lead female characters that start off weak and then find themselves and empower themselves through fighting against the regime. So yes, I believe that Archer and Jockers are onto something; there is an algorithm to writing a bestseller. But it may not be as simple as they suggest. Though some bestsellers follow a set pattern and share similar genre characteristics, in the case of Kindred and Gone Girl, both novels bend genres (Kindred between sci-fi, historical, and contemporary while Gone Girl between thriller, mystery, and memoir). Thus, genre-bending may also be a prominent feature of bestsellers.
The marker of a bestseller, other than the sticker on the cover, is often the production of merchandise relating to it. Gone Girl has a Hollywood movie and Kindred has a graphic novel. Bigger bestsellers like Harry Potter have an entire world created after them. Looking at the consumption of these artifacts further allows us to understand why these books became bestsellers in the first place.
Many people, like Giraldi, have a disdain for bestsellers claiming that they are “puerile prose.” However, just because a text is a bestseller does not make it empty and meaningless. For example, Kindred addresses very important issues on race and identity, while Gone Girl addresses psychological issues and strained relationships. It is very possible for what seems like a light and popular read to address very controversial and debatable issues. That is not to say that meaningless bestsellers do not exist, but rather, that not all bestsellers should be dismissed. They have important things to say about society and individuals.
References
Giraldi, W. “What’s the Purpose of the Bestseller?” The New Republic, 28 Sep. 2016, https://newrepublic.com/article/137280/whats-purpose-bestseller. Accessed 12 May 2018.
Ross, R. “Who’s is Dr. & Master Zhi Gang Sha.” Cult News, 07 Apr. 2015, https://cultnews.com/2015/04/who-is-dr-master-zhi-gang-sha/. Accessed 12 May 2015.
