Just What Makes A Bestseller - Does Quality Content Always Rise To The Top?
Aubrey Fox ( @aubreyfox ) just shared some thoughts about the link between the quality of content and sales - in the book world specifically. This got me thinking about it, too. Of course it hurts when something I write doesn't get widely read, voted on, and shared. And I can only imagine the anxiety that comes with putting an entire book out there and then watching the tumbleweeds roll by.
In the end we just have to learn not to take it personally, try again, and hope to do a little better the next time. As @cheah has pointed out, no one is obliged to read you.
There's also a strong streak of snobbishness in the book world. We look at bestselling authors like James Patterson and EL James and think, "Why them? My writing is so much better than that. So much more literary."
Well, that may be the case, but I think we miss something when we take this approach to judging the quality of content. At the very least, by dismissing "popular" works out of hand, we miss the opportunity of really understanding what makes them popular
Last year I read a book called The Bestseller Code. The authors of this book used a computer to analyze thousands of top selling books and look for the patterns that generated sales, and the algorithm was surprisingly good at guessing how well a sold without any information about the author or background. We may cringe at books like 50 Shades but it turns out the structure of its plot is pretty consistent with other best-selling books - including old bestselling books, which today we call classics.
What sells? A plot with a steady pulse of rises and falls in fortune. Relatable characters we can root for. And simple language. It turns out people are a lot more comfortable reading a casual-sounding style. Also, readers love contractions. Don't write "you are." Use "you're."
But really the plot is at the heart of it. Stories can came in all sorts of shapes, and some sell better than others. But if there's nothing at stake and nothing happens, all the pretty writin' in the world won't do you no good.
Vonnegut on the shapes of stories.
The folks at the Self Publishing Podcast had an episode where they spoke with Kindle bestseller Michael Anderle about a new program that analyzes books for authors and makes suggestions about how they can change their language to increase sales potential. One anecdote that stuck with me: It analyzed a book where alternating chapters were written from the point of view of the hero and the villain. The hero was very intelligent, and as a result his chapters were written in longer, more elaborate sentences. The villain's language was simple and crude. The software told him that he was making his villain too likable and the hero too remote, and predicted better sales if he switched around the voices.
I have mixed feelings about this. It's spooky how well software can predict our buying decisions. And I'll admit that the example from the Self Publishing Podcast raises my hackles a little bit. Are we so predisposed to dislike intelligent sounding people that we assume they have to be the bad guys?
On the other hand, it shows that regardless of marketing and prestige and reputation, bestselling books are likely to find their way to the top of the marketplace whatever we do. And maybe we shouldn't worry so much about it if we enjoy a book that seems "popular" or "trashy." These books are obviously serving a deep-seated psychological need for story that's hardwired into our brains.
I'd be curious to see if there's a similar analytical service for blog posts. Certainly the Steemit blockchain is full of valuable information that could be mined to show which subjects, lengths, and styles generate the most votes. The question is, if I had that information in my hands, would it really affect the way I wrote?
Here are some of my other book-related posts:
Untimely Book Reviews: Coot Club by Arthur Ransome (1934) - A Window Into UK Childhood Past
Shrinking Horizons in Hard Science Fiction - Review of The Three Body Problem and Aurora
Review of Crooked God Machine by Steemit's Autumn Christian
10 Unfinished Works by Terry Pratchett - Crushed!?!
from a purely writing standpoint, "50 Shades" and Patterson are garbage, linguistically. they're flat out terrible writing; that's NOT subjective, that's fact.
but i've always told other writer friends that get freaked out about whether they'll be read or not that you can't predict what the market is gonna like. you can make a pretty good guess, but beyond that, just write what you want and do it your way. if you're happy with the finished product, that's all that matters. if people read you anyway and like it, then that's a bonus.
i translated that to my time in an MFA program where some people got catty about other people's writing, comparing and contrasting it. i told them the only thing you could do was help other writers get better at what they do and give them a little extra help promoting their work because, again, just because your writing might be better doesn't mean people are going to want to read it.
good post, brother!
Thanks!
What are your thoughts on AI analysis for marketability? Would you change your work if a computer told you it would sell better in a different style or with a different plot?
AI may be able to predict marketability, but fuck no...i'd never let it tell me what kind of story i should write. if i did that, i wouldn't be the one writing the story any more...the AI would be. the writing would no longer be mine, it would be a slave to the market.
i'd rather die broke writing in my true voice than live rich by a fake one.
That's a good point. I wonder how long before Patterson fires his stable of writers and just buys an AI.
honestly, i think he genuinely believes he's helping them become better writers. and admittedly, i've not read anything of his when paired with another writer, so i have no idea about their quality, but having read one or two of his books, i can't imagine that he's doing much in the way of progressing their knowledge of the capital L "Literature" during their work together.
and THAT is a real travesty. he's got such pull and such a hold over people that he could actually influence a whole generation of new writers into thinking that hack writing is the best writing because it gets you paid and whole shelves at bookstores will have your books with your names on them.
bah. fuck that. i'll be happy if i put out just two good novels and three solid story collections before i die.
He's definitely a tradesman more than an artist. And I get what you mean.
Would I rather build a thousand ticky-tacky houses, all the same, or one awe-inspiring cathedral?
Of course at my current rate I'll be happy with one solid cabin that doesn't fall down. Or a couple of novels that can make someone smile.
EXACTLY.
I know an writer who has co-written books with Patterson. He was already a prolific, well-liked mystery author who sometimes branched out into other genres, like sf and alternate history. Anyway, point being, I think sometimes JP chooses his stable writers based on their expertise in a market, not always because they are hungry and he thinks he will help them be better writers.
Another interesting fact is that JP doesn't write; he dictates. While hiking.
whatever his reasoning, i'm not a fan of JP himself. i think in many ways he does a disservice to literature. but that's my personal opinion.
especially if the majority of what he does is dictation. i hope to one day think so highly of myself that i can put my name on books with other writers while only dictating 10% of the material.
but like i said...i've got no beef with the writers he brings on. i don't know shit about any of them, so i've got no leg to stand on from a discussion point of view in that regards.
I'm not a fan, either.
It's quite simple actually - bestsellers are read by the general public and thus need to be simple in language and not require hundreds of annexes in order to be understood. The general IQ is lower than what most writers are used to from their universities.
The plot should also rely on well-known archetypes, which we find in most movies as well (e.g. the scoundrel and the damsel in distress).
Hey well done...great post and I love your thoughts on book sales. I believe that we should be passionate, write to the best of our ability and do the best we can. Bots telling us how to write scares me...its taking away the magic! oh and resteemed by the way will be following you to see what else you have to share. Have put your other blogs on my reading list.
Thanks, Aubrey! I was glad to discover your feed under the "books" tag as well!
I can relate to this, tho I am not a writer. Drawing is the same. I guess the main question here would be....ar you a writer or a seller?
I prefer originality....if the concept is something new to me....I will prolly worship it. I am a huge Ilona Andrews fan cuz of this....and a few more gems out there, when the concept is so new to me I am instantly hooked.....so generic shit working by some guidlines wont work on me....but the masses will be the masses.
I will admit to feeling bored - and often manipulated - by most popular book and movie plots. "Another super-hero story? I'll pass, thanks." A new concept will usually get my attention right away, or even just a new take on a standard pattern. But it can take a lot more mental effort to truly understand it, and I get why your ordinary hard-working bloke might want to just relax with something comfortable.
While bestsellers often feature crappy language and elementary writing, they are nearly always tight on plot. They are full of breathless build and hard to put down; that's what makes them so popular with the masses.
You can do both, though--have beautiful language and a great plot that keeps people turning the page. And sometimes a book like that will become hugely successful. But very often, even though it doesn't top any charts, a book like that can achieve enough success to make the author a good living, especially if she publishes subsequent books of the same quality. (Incidentally, this is one of my main reasons for my love of speculative fiction. More attention is paid to plot than in literary fiction--it's often said that in science fiction and fantasy, you absolutely can't fall short with your plotting, since you are already asking the readers to suspend their disbelief. But at the same time, sff writers tend to not skimp on language like mega-bestselling authors often do.)
I think that may be why I'm so attracted to SF as well. It's introducing me to concepts I otherwise wouldn't have considered, it's keeping my attention with a plot that keeps me turning pages, and it's written with language that's up to the task of describing settings and creatures that have never been imagined before. Not an easy task.
Iain Banks is one of my favorites (RIP, alas). He gets the majestic sense of wonder and the pacing both just right.
Hi @winstonalden, I just stopped back to let you know your post was one of my favourite reads and I included it in my Steemit Ramble. You can read what I wrote about your post here.
If you’d like to nominate someone’s post just visit the Steemit Ramble Discord
Cool - thanks so much for the write-up!
No, I dont think it would affect the way you wrote, or me either. But at least our curiosity would be satisfied! As for the intelligent criminal, maybe its just human nature to root for the underdog? A thought provoking post.... Appreciated and upvoted
Thank you!
Ai is penetrating every aspect of our lives...boor writing is no different.
Thank you for the post. I agree it is de-motivating when something you write doesnt get widely accepted. At some point, if we arent getting the results, we need to change something.
It is like Blog posts on here...I see some that write garbage and get $50 while others post things that are wonderful and get nothing. I know part of it is the following and how many game the system. Nevertheless, the only thing to do is to keep plugging along.
Gave you an upvote.
Thanks for the read and the vote!
Yeah, on here I think it's a matter of writing well, and persistently. Most of the folks I see doing the best are also the ones who've been doing it the longest.
Yes I see the same thing.
My question is are they getting the rewards since they wrote the longest or simply because they amassed a powerful following that upvotes them (while they return the favor). I honestly saw one whale get $30 for a post announcing he was going to bed.
Well, there's some of each, I think. And Steemit may be the best way we've found to curate and reward content on the web (at least it pays better than Facebook or Twitter), but it's not perfect. A whale will rise to the top because minnows circle around hoping for a generous return vote. But that's probably inevitable with a system where some people invest with cash and others work to generate content. It's not so different from the recent scandal about the Handbook for Mortals book getting gamed to the New York Times bestseller list because the author's pals ordered a ton of copies from key stores.
Is it unfair that those whales get to rake in lots of votes for minimal content? Maybe. But on the other hand their investment in the system is part of what creates a perception of value around the STEEM tokens, and I don't begrudge anyone a return on their investment.
Is there a conflict of interest? Maybe. A motivation to produce lots of poor articles quickly? Sure. Will we still be drawn to the writers to engage, inform, and entertain us? Definitely.
Very valid points. It is astute to point out there is gamemanship everywhere. When money is involved, people will do things that are to their advantage.
I guess the way to combat this is to work to become a whale and pass it rewards on to those minnows who are trying.
I'll join you in this mission!
You are on my follow list....I check my feed a few times each day and go through stuff to comment on, resteem, and upvote.
I will do my best to help you along as much as I can.
Does Quality Content Always Rise To The Top?
No.
putting an entire book out there and then watching the tumbleweeds roll by.
Been there...done that...doing it now.
bestselling books are likely to find their way to the top of the marketplace
Tautology.
When I read your last chapter, I thought wow, that's exactly what I was thinking then I thought to myself not sure if it would really change my thinking or writing, also it's sooo true don't judge a book by it's cover, I've read books that had nothing to do with what was on the cover...also some of the best reads were un known writers, ...nice to see someone still picks up a book these days ...great post, following & upvoted. :)
Thanks for the read and support!