Answer by Researcher davidsarokin on Mon 4 Jan 2010 - 12:52 pm UTC:

jaynom,

There are a number of analyses of bestsellers.  Some of these are
academic-style studies, others are more essay-style, and represent the
author's opinions on the topic...these include a few blogs as well.  

There are also a few how-to type articles, that give advice to authors on
the qualities and factors that go into making a book a bestseller (much of
that having to do with marketing, as opposed to the qualities of the book
itself).

I've listed links to the key documents, below.  Some allow full access to
the document, while others show only excerpts, but generally enough to give
you a good feel for the material.  A few are pretty much citation-only, but
seemed worth knowing about just the same. 

If you feel you need any additional information on this topic, just let me
know by posting a Clarification, and I'll be happy to research this further
for you.  

All the best for the new year.

David


================================================


http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=isnf42j5rRUC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=what+makes+a+bestseller%3F&ots=yLRouwUtK5&sig=Kk-XrU2VY9si4QVS6sq9g8g0RpI#v=onepage&q=what%20makes%20a%20bestseller%3F&f=false
Making the list: a cultural history of the American bestseller, 1900-1999
...A pretty detailed review of the history of bestsellers and bestseller
lists, with a lot of musing about what makes for a bestseller, though no
formal study of factors.



http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/logo/2000/00000011/00000001/art00004;jsessionid=5a5meuctnc9dn.alice
The serendipitous bestseller: Five ways for authors to be lucky
Hamilton, John Maxwell
LOGOS: The Journal of the World Book Community, Volume 11, Number 1, 2000 ,
pp. 18-24(7)


http://www.ebooks.com/ebooks/book_display.asp?IID=242719
How to Be a Bestselling Novelist: Secrets from the Inside
"...What are those intangible reasons by which one author is singled out
from a million others for fame and glory? To answer this question, I set
out to interview a wide selection of bestselling authors. I posed a similar
series of questions to each of them, and their replies, taken together, go
a long way towards providing the answer.


http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=54qLAaxz19wC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=what+makes+a+bestseller%3F&ots=VLX3VucST6&sig=533AKJoDRTw5DOHNV-vQZRgRc68#v=onepage&q=&f=false
The making of a bestseller: from author to reader
...Looks like a thoughtful and insightful analysis of what goes into
various bestsellers, but again, this isn't a formal study.  


http://poq.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/48/4/720
The Best Seller as an Indicator of Societal Narcissism: Is There a Trend?
Public Opinion Quarterly 48:720-730 (1984)
"...A content analysis of the subject matter of nonfiction best sellers was
performed to assess changes in societal narcissism."
A very academic study of bestsellers, from a psycho-social standpoint.  Not
sure how much is here regarding factors, but I thought it might be of
interest anyway.  


http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-200723437.html
The bestseller recipe: a natural explanation of the global success of
anime
2009
Sorensen, Lars-Martin
This is about anime cartoons, rather than books, but still, a detailed
analysis of factors that lend to its popularity.


http://www.jstor.org/pss/2746151
The Content Characteristics of Best-Selling Novels
John Harvey
The Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Spring, 1953), pp. 91-114 
...Probably the closest you'll get to a formal study of the topic, even
though it's several decades old.  


http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=G_39LmLPzR4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA13&dq=what+makes+a+bestseller%3F&ots=ZB0LtZeM92&sig=dODO6KVIdFftT10ZonXJz6IpyKU#v=onepage&q=what%20makes%20a%20bestseller%3F&f=false
From Book to Bestseller
Penny C. Sansevieri
...A discussion and how-to of the marketing aspects of making a book a
bestseller.


http://domapp01.shu.edu/depts/uc/apps/libraryrepository.nsf/resourceid/888C67E1A5143E288525701900554740/$File/Quarles-Zenja-Master5.pdf?Open
BEHIND THE BESTSELLERS: BUILDING THE FORMULA FOR. SUCCESS IN CHILDREN'S
LITERATURE. BY. ZENJA R. QUARLES.


http://www.springerlink.com/content/52t384848151v710/
The best-seller fishpond invaded, Or, the storming of the best-seller lists
by Leviathan
Publishing Research Quarterly
...Interesting-looking article on the role of mega-outlets like Wal-Mart in
'deciding' what books will be bestsellers.


http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ugMEvHHxYBQC&oi=fnd&pg=PT7&dq=what+makes+a+bestseller%3F&ots=R-3Ckma5Pu&sig=hK2VECNnVzushibesOsDM4hiaqA#v=onepage&q=what%20makes%20a%20bestseller%3F&f=false
Why We Read What We Read: A Delightfully Opinionated Journey Through
Contemporary Bestsellers


http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=yxptZTe5W6EC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=what+makes+a+bestseller%3F&ots=8tYzqQBJ2-&sig=9rG5hiBonwmRcUY1ljO3rJJBqyI#v=onepage&q=&f=false
The secret of the secret: unlocking the mysteries of the runaway
bestseller
Karen Kelly


http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=qL8z58vr5QYC&oi=fnd&pg=PP14&dq=what+makes+a+bestseller%3F&ots=juxCk7gcia&sig=2s8ipuYFmXR4K0fqoRjJEVzJWRQ#v=onepage&q=what%20makes%20a%20bestseller%3F&f=false
Bestsellers: a very short introduction 
John Sutherland


http://jwikert.typepad.com/the_average_joe/2005/02/what_makes_a_be.html
What Makes a Bestseller?
Joe Wikert's Publishing 2020 Blog


http://www.rampant-books.com/mgt_goals.htm
Making a Bestseller


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/13/business/yourmoney/13book.html?ex=1336708800&en=fea2ca28d4e2e5f5&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
The Greatest Mystery: Making a Best Seller
2007
NY Times


http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2003/jul/13/fiction.features5
Read 'em and weep
What makes a book a bestseller 


http://midnightwriters.blogspot.com/2009/12/what-makes-bestseller.html
DECEMBER 17, 2009
What Makes a Bestseller?
...A set of how-to factors and rules.


http://www.powells.com/biblio?PID=29017&cgi=product&isbn=0793193087
The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories from Authors and the Editors,
Agents, and Booksellers Behind Them



Again, if there's anything more you need on this, just let me know.


David