"暢銷書背後的秘密"

曾經想過為什麼一些書會暢銷而其他的卻不賣呢？科學家現在有了答案。

據信暢銷小說成功的關鍵是避免陳腔濫調和過度使用動詞。分析了800本各種類別的書之後，美國電腦科學家找到了數個常常在暢銷書中出現的趨勢，包括廣泛使用連接詞，還有大量的名詞和形容詞。另外，較不暢銷的書通常有比較多動詞和副詞，並且仰賴了明確形容動作和情感的字詞而不是形容思考過程的詞。

那些科學家指出，他們使用自己開發的演算法來分析那些書籍。那個演算法據說能夠預測書籍將會有多熱門，將各種因素納入考量，像是「有不有趣」、新不新穎、寫作方式以及劇情有多吸引人。將演算法的預測跟過去書籍成功與否的資訊比較過後，發現準確率達84%。

其中一名科學家對此研究評論，他說能夠預測文學作品成不成功一事對出版商和有抱負的作家來說都是極大的困境。

(Culture) The Secret Behind Successful Books

Ever wonder why some books sell and others dont? Scientists now have the answer.

It is believed that the key to the success of best-selling novels is to avoid cliches and overuse of verbs. After analyzing 800 books over multiple genres, US computer scientists discovered several trends that are often found in successful books, including extensive use of conjunctions, as well as a great deal of nouns and adjectives. On the other hand, less successful books tend to have more verbs and adverbs, and rely on words that explicitly describe actions and emotions rather than thought processes.

According to the scientists, the books were analyzed using an algorithm they had developed. The algorithm is said to be able to predict how popular a book will be, taking into consideration a range of factors, including interestingness, novelty, style of writing, and how engaging the plot is. Having compared the algorithms predictions with historical information on the success of the work, it was found to be 84 percent accurate.

Commenting on the study, one of the scientists says that the ability to predict the success of literary works poses a massive dilemma for both publishers and aspiring writers.

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