Hmmm…..
I read some interesting things today. The first is something called The Bestseller Code. This gives me the willies. One posts an excerpt from one’s writing, and using algorithms revolving around word complexity and sentence length, said code comes up with how well your work should do as one of several categories (literary, YA, romance, SF, or thriller). Though amusing, this greatly bothers me, because if not already used, I’m sure it will be, now (though, secretly, I thought there already was something like this used at The Big 6, et al)! Sheesh. Yet another cookie cutter method of defining one’s salability.
When will this ever end?!
Now, I know this group of enterprising individuals claims to have the writer’s best interests at heart, but I cringe at anything that tries to apply math or cold, calculating ANYTHING to emotional, visceral, and blood-sweat-and-tear efforts. To me it’s far more than the mechanics of writing that makes a piece of work “best” or “worst.”
It’s “heart.”
How’s an algorithm gonna measure that?!
I’m sure someone’s working on it right now.
I don’t care how well written or poorly written something is, the piece has to have something of value in it, and I don’t see how any earthly algorithm can determine this. I’ve read poor pieces of writing as well as divine pieces of inspiration, but whatever kept me reading had to be some kind of a HOOK…something of VALUE, something of INTEREST. I’ll give up a lot (readability, error-free text, etc.) if there’s something of value somewhere.
Incidentally, I plugged in some of my words, and my range of “bestsellerness” ranged from 1.2 to 18.4 out of the perfect 20…within the same work.
Hmmm…
The other thing I read was from The Biting Edge, regarding rethinking the book reading. I thought this insightful! I always found the traditional reading, well…rather uninspired. I mean, yes, I can read a passage as well as the next guy or gal, but what I always found most interesting, was the stuff BEHIND the words. The writing. The interesting anecdotes, comments, and trials-and-tribulations of the authors themselves. Meeting and seeing the author. Interacting with them. THAT’S what I found interesting.
But, PowerPoint presentations?
Hm.
I’ve done up a fair number of those throughout my professional existence, so, sure, I can throw up a few slides and talk to them. So, okay, PowerPoint or no, I like where this is going. Bring along a friend or blurb-provider or two. Make it interesting. Engaging. Entertain with any mode desired, but get away from the dull stand-there-and-recite mode. Yes, I do like that. Maybe I could call in my brothers to provide muscle-testing (always a crowd pleaser) and a stand-up routine to warm up the crowd.
I just hope that whatever it is I’d end up talking about would be interesting enough to whatever crowd forms…hopefully one devoid of tomatoes, expletives, and crowbars….
Re: The Bestseller Code, this might lead to a dangerous trend of cookie-cutter best sellers, if it hasn’t already…
The fact that you got such a ride range of scores from the same text makes the whole thing suspect, doesn’t it? I can’t see this tool working, and I’d hate for an author I love to change her voice in order to fit the formula.
Yeah, part of the problem, indeed! Of course, one could also say that I need to tighten up my use of complex words (the main reason why I scored “low”).
Like one of my grandfathers used to say: “Whatareyagonnado”?! :-]
I’ve heard a lot of dos and don’ts in this writing business, but never once have I been told that mainstream readers can’t handle 3 syllable words. The peice I submitted from one of my sci-fi novels had every one of them highlighted in red. So I submitted a piece from my thriller and it came back saying my words were too simple (not complex enough). So I can’t help but wonder if Frank’s experience and mine doesn’t indicate this “Code” is nothing more than just another Internet gimmick.
I think of these things as fun-filler. LIke reading the astological predictions in the paper. Like this scoring tool for your title. The two titles I’m considering for my new book score differently a lulu’s title scorer, but I don’t think I’ll use this “info” in my decision process.
Title scorer:
http://www.lulu.com/titlescorer/
Karen
I’m hard enough on my writing, I don’t need something else to tell me it’s not good enough
On the one hand–stifling; on the other…creativity at work. Perhaps it should all be left to the realm of “fun fillers,” but given their own site and “About” statement, I believe they do take themselves seriously. So…the “creative” part. Creativity weasels its way into ANYTHING by its very nature, so here it is at work with coder folk.
Sigh.
Use it as fun filler, use it as “just another data point,” but please, make your own decisions. Work with PEOPLE and FUNCTIONING MINDS on making those decisions. I just can’t cotton to no algo-rhythm making creative decisions for me, though applaud the minds behind it as being smart and interested enough to actually ATTEMPT such a thing.
But, please, PLEASE, Big Brains, just put your superpowers to GOOD use….
I believe you can get the same type of results from the Flesch-Kincaid reading level. Usually it’s in MS word, but it may be in other programs as well, not sure.
If this tool is what ANYONE is using to judge fiction, I feel sorry for us all. Too many factors bring the average down, dialogue being one of them. What if a character doesn’t speak in anything but three syllables? And since when does simplicity mean bad writing? Isn’t there beauty in simplicity too? I wouldn’t take this thing too seriously. To prove my point, I have read a novel that was so simply written, yet the despair was so real and compelling I couldn’t put it down. The simplicity made it real. So there.
Phyllis N
I don’t and can’t worry abou this kind of stuff–dismayed, amused, or whatever I can be when I hear it–because the alternative is to worry about it all, and I just don’t “worry.” I can’t live my life worrying about the next “best thing”; just have to do what I do–what we all do–and live our lives the best we can, DOING the best we can.
Thanks for stopping by, Phyllis!
Detailed technical information on the Program to Analyze Books to See if They Will Make Money*
Step 1. In depth research – go buy five James Patterson, four Stephenie Meyer, one Sarah Palin, one George W. Bush, on Snookie, and one other Big-Knockered Celebrity using a ghost writer. All in digital format.
Step 2. Scan them into a program that counts the individual words in each, and the total individual words.
Step 3. Throw out all articles and adverbs.
Step 4. Throw out everything with a Flesch-Kincade over grade 10.
Step 5. Throw out everything with a Flesch-Kincade under grade 4.
Step 6. Add, sugar, whole cream, Twinkies, and Jack Daniels, and stir well.
The test:
Compare various incoming results with yours. Realize that your algorithm is wanting and have an Excel spreadsheet calculate a random number between 0.0 and 20.0
See—simple, straightforward sales strategy.
B^)
*This program is NOT affiliated with the program mentioned in the first paragraph of Mr. Dorchak’s article.
@Terry Wright – perhaps they are capturing and saving all the samples and will put them together into the GREATEST BEST SELLER EVER!
R