THE forces that propel a book onto the bestsellers list have been analysed mathematically for the first time. The findings could help publishers use initial sales data to decide which books to back further with advertising campaigns, and which books are not worth the bother.
“There are two types of mechanisms to sell books – word-of-mouth and advertising campaigns,” says Didier Sornette from the University of California in Los Angeles. Word-of-mouth is known to produce a slow growth in sales, which eventually peak and then decline slowly, whereas advertising or a good review gives sales an instant but short-lived boost.
Using…
