Friday, December 30, 2005

Bestseller or Bargain Bin?

Wondering if your novel is going to be a huge success? Well, now you can assess your chances with the Lulu Titlescorer. Just type in your title, answer a few questions, and find out what the odds are that your novel will hit number one.

"When Speaking with the Dead," the title of my novel from NaNoWriMo, has a 35.9% chance of being a bestseller. How about yours?

13 comments:

Myfanwy Collins said...

Oh! I can't even try this because I don't really want to know. I like the title of your novel, though, Sharon. I'd buy it on that alone.

Anne Bauer said...

Cool, I'm going to pass this around! Happy New Year!

Sharon Hurlbut said...

Thanks for stopping by, Myf and Anne! Did you try typing in some classics or bestsellers?

SarahJane said...

I'm going to try that too... with a poem title. thanks!

Ginger said...

I put in "Moby Dick" a few days ago and have forgotten what the result was, but it was lower than the titles I'm working with for either of my novels (which means nothing).

I wish the author of the program would reveal what "magic formula" seems to score highest.

Happy New Year, my friend!

Sharon Hurlbut said...

Sarah - Oh, see that's a cool idea I hadn't even thought of. Now I'll have to try some poetry titles too.

Sharon Hurlbut said...

Ginger - based on the questions they ask, I guess it has to do with the types of words (verbs, nouns, etc.) and phrases (complete vs. incomplete) more than anything. It's fun to play around with, that's for sure. Happy New Year to you, too!

Patry Francis said...

Lulu gave THE LIAR'S DIARY a 35.9 too. (Her favorite number maybe?) The odds here in fantasy land, however, feel much higher.

Love your title by the way. Are you still working on it or is it done?

Sharon Hurlbut said...

Interesting, Patry, that we came up exactly the same. The very rough NaNo draft is done, but I haven't gone back to edit yet. I'm putting that off for another month or two while I spend January writing a flash a day as well as a poem a day. Yep, I'm in a serious writing mode.

Ecks Ridgehead said...

Hoo baby, I'm rockin' with a 69% chance of success! If only agents and publishers used this system...

SarahJane said...

oh, the poem I used came out with a 41.4%. Pretty good, for a poem. We know how they sell!

Sharon Hurlbut said...

All right, Ecks - are you going to share your bestselling title with us?

Sharon Hurlbut said...

Hey Sarah, that is good, especially for a poem. I put in a couple of mine, and they came out in the 30s.