Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of the Twentieth Century's Biggest Bestsellers

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Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of the Twentieth Century's Biggest Bestsellers

3.43 of 5 stars 3.43 · rating details · 143 ratings · 57 reviews

DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF WHAT MAKES A MEGA-BESTSELLER IN THIS ENTERTAINING, REVELATORY GUIDE

What do Michael Corleone, Jack Ryan, and Scout Finch have in common? Creative writing professor and thriller writer James W. Hall knows. Now, in this entertaining, revelatory book, he reveals how bestsellers work, using twelve twentieth-century blockbusters as case studies—including...more

Paperback, 336 pages

Published April 10th 2012 by Random House Trade Paperbacks

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Nov 11, 2012 Michelle Cristiani rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

I will admit to being contrary by nature: I get suscpicious of people when they me what to do. That said, I don't really get this book. It is an expansion of Hall's college course where he chose twelve hit novels and analyzed what they had in common. The analysis is completely plot-based; Hall makes clear he doesn't account for advances, publicity tours, or agent efficacy. He doesn't take into account the culture at the time each book broke, and he doesn't touch on writing style, using very few...more I will admit to being contrary by nature: I get suscpicious of people when they me what to do. That said, I don't really get this book. It is an expansion of Hall's college course where he chose twelve hit novels and analyzed what they had in common. The analysis is completely plot-based; Hall makes clear he doesn't account for advances, publicity tours, or agent efficacy. He doesn't take into account the culture at the time each book broke, and he doesn't touch on writing style, using very few quotes from each book. This leaves him with only plot devices, which - surprise! - include controversy, sex, childhood trauma, God, and secrecy. Again I say, I am contrary by nature. But: did we really need a whole published volume to figure that one out?

Who is the target audience? My guess is aspiring writers, looking to "crack the code." I am a writer, and admit to hoping for a gem of literary formula for a wider audience. But I am also an academic, like Hall. His book reads like a professor in the ivory tower has translated the difficult content for the little people. It reads like, let me tell you what I know. He says it more like, "let me tell you what I've learned," but he's not fooling me.

Don't get me wrong: Hall is an excellent writer, and has written his own hit thrillers using this formula. He's genuine in his passion for the subject, and sees himself as a constant learner. In his place, I probably would have written a book too. I'd enjoy hanging out with him, probably. But I just didn't feel he had much to tell me, or anyone, about literature that we didn't already know. This book is one big metaphor for my issue with academia, actually. I'm sorry I had to take it out so hard on him.

I would add, that of his twelve hit novel picks I have read exactly two. There are a few I would love to read and a few I would probably never read (an English professor colleage mocks Jaws as one of the worst books ever written, despite the fact that it sold millions). To Hall I would say that he's opened my mind and made me think about this, and for that he deserves two stars. I didn't really think it would be mind-blowing, so I guess I got what I expected. (less)

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Sep 05, 2012 Whitney rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

A study of twelve of the best selling novels over the twentieth century, Hit Lit had potential, that quickly dropped off. The main issue I had with this book was the large amount of repetition. Not only are the general plot lines described in detail in their own section in the back of the book, but they get rehashed, in even greater detail in each individual chapter.

There were several interesting points raised in this book about common subject matter to be found amongst these 12 best sellers. Th...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Abbey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction-general, non-fiction-library-studies, unfinished

First, I think that in order to get a full appreciation of this one, readers need have read at least half, if not all, of the books Hall references and have a wide base of literature of the non-bestselling variety ready for comparison

While I think Mr. Hall is on to something in several of his analyses, I also think it's possible to find several of these elements in most all books published. My sense that some of these of these instances have been boiled so far down to their most basic roots that...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Ray Bearfield rated it 4 of 5 stars

James W. Hall wrote poetry and taught literature before he ever wrote best-selling Florida-based crime fiction. Reading Hit Lit suggests that signing up for his class in popular fiction would be as big a hoot as finding out what Thorn, his recurring protagonist, is up to.

Hit Lit sums up the analysis, rumination and brainstorming that informed that class, and he graciously credits the students whose interest and curiosity kept his passion alive. Subtitled “Cracking the Code of the Twentieth Centu...more James W. Hall wrote poetry and taught literature before he ever wrote best-selling Florida-based crime fiction. Reading Hit Lit suggests that signing up for his class in popular fiction would be as big a hoot as finding out what Thorn, his recurring protagonist, is up to.

Hit Lit sums up the analysis, rumination and brainstorming that informed that class, and he graciously credits the students whose interest and curiosity kept his passion alive. Subtitled “Cracking the Code of the Twentieth Century’s Biggest Bestsellers,” he packs a ton of information into 230 pages that breeze by much too quickly.

People who teach writing are no more able to resist deconstructing what they read than biologists are able to resist dissecting their newest discoveries. The process can be for enlightenment or enrichment. Robin Cook famously brags that his decision to subordinate the practice of medicine to the pursuit of popular fiction was calculated, and that he prepared for his new calling by reading an armload of best-sellers, then setting out to replicate the “formula” his study revealed. If that example represents the most successful known effort to hit the big time, Hall’s Hit Lit, which does the same thing in a far less mercenary fashion, stands as the most entertaining.

Betsy Willeford, who was married to a tremendous crime fiction writer herself (Charles Willeford, author of Miami Blues, 52 Pickup and other classics) told me that Hall’s first attempt at a popular novel -- 1987’s Under Cover of Daylight -- came after years of struggling in the academic trenches and crafting poetry that nobody read while watching others climb the charts. He was curious to see if he could compete in that arena. Seventeen novels later, he’s made his point.

And now he offers Hit Lit, a thoroughly enjoyable romp through the best-selling books of our time, lovingly disassembled to show their similarities and structure. Those who hope to crack the best-seller lists themselves will find the couple of hours it takes to read it time well spent.

But it’s not a “how-to” book in the conventional sense. Those looking for a recipe for best-sellerdom would probably gain more from reading Donald Maas’s Writing the Breakout Novel or Dwight V. Swain’s Techniques of the Selling Writer. The great joy Hit Lit offers is a chance to skim the waves of the most popular books of our time, rekindling the thirst to sample them again or even try them for the first time.

What are those books? How were they determined? What properties do they share? What makes them worth the time? The answers are in Hit Lit. It’s the perfect book to open the summer. It’s the perfect book to open the mind to worlds worth revisiting.

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May 07, 2012 Jenny Maloney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, informative, non-fiction, writing, bestsellers

There are a couple things you need before you jump into this book:

1. A love of reading or writing. If you're not interested in either of those things, you will not find fascinating what I found fascinating.

2. You need to have read at least half of the books Hall discusses (Gone With the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Godfather, The Exorcist, Peyton Place, Valley of the Dolls, The Dead Zone, Bridges of Madison County, Jaws, The Da Vinci Code, The Hunt for Red October, and The Firm) AND/OR be w...more There are a couple things you need before you jump into this book:

1. A love of reading or writing. If you're not interested in either of those things, you will not find fascinating what I found fascinating.

2. You need to have read at least half of the books Hall discusses (Gone With the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Godfather, The Exorcist, Peyton Place, Valley of the Dolls, The Dead Zone, Bridges of Madison County, Jaws, The Da Vinci Code, The Hunt for Red October, and The Firm) AND/OR be willing to have a few of those endings totally spoiled for you. Otherwise what he's talking about won't make sense and it'll irritate you that gave away so much.

After you have those two things, there's nothing that's not interesting in his presentation of the Twelve Features that all of these title possess.

There are a couple things that seem "duh" about a couple of the Features: of course a mega-bestseller would have characters that you can latch onto - but what I appreciated about Hall's discussion was that he attempted to define why these characters were latch-onto-able. It's a really clear, concise argument that he makes.

Another aspect I liked was the focus placed on the American mega-bestseller. All of the books explored in Hit Lit have something intrinsically American about them and were wildly successful in the USA. So there's some sociological probing going on at the same time - the way Americans view race, religion, and S-E-X are front and center because there's no denying that all three of these issues are present in the mega-bestsellers here. Really fascinating.

Because of Hall's summaries and analyses, I have a greater respect for the authors' authenticity and the level of skill that writing a mega-bestseller takes. He presents the popularity of sentimentality, overt tugs at heartstrings, and the gratuitous calls-to-action for which bestsellers are critically minimalized as a gauge for what's really important to the reading public. Hall gives the bestseller a respect that's not seen often in academic or critical circles - and I think he does a good job of expressing the impact of these books. (Plus, Hall seems to know what he's talking about in general - two of his former students: Barbara Parker and Dennis Lehane.)

Hall sums up that knowing what makes these novels tick isn't enough to create one of your own. You can know the recipe all day long, but that doesn't make you Gordon Ramsay now does it? Write with passion, write what you're interested in, and remember that if there are no tears for the writer, there are no tears for the reader. (per Robert Frost)

I've read exactly half of the books on this list, and with the exception of Jaws, I loved all of those.This book has inspired me to read the others on the list, so that can't be a bad thing, right? (less)

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Apr 26, 2012 Elizabeth B rated it 3 of 5 stars

As with most non-fiction titles, this book has specific audiences to which it will appeal. For students of literature, it provides a good foundation for a beginning survey of popular fiction writing. It compares top books (other reviews list them all so I won’t repeat that information) and the themes that bind them together. Aspiring writers will find this book interesting but, I hope, not take it for gospel and start writing every story to include the themes in the mentioned books. The analysis...more

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May 28, 2012 Cathy DuPont rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Cathy by: Love Jim Hall's writing

Loved it, just loved it. Although this book is not for everyone, it was right down my alley.

When I find a writer I enjoy, even before the end of the book, I'm looking up who he/she is, where they're from, their education and background, other books they've written and anything else I can find out about them.

Knowing this is a personal defect of mine due to my background in newspaper/radio and communications, I enjoy reading about the writer and all the sidebars and backstories I can locate. So...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Sonia Lal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hit Lit explains or attempts to explains what American bestselling books have in common. It talks about 12 books:

1. To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. 1960. 134 editions, over 140,000,000 copies sold.
2. Peyton Place by Grace Metalious. 1956. 10, 670, 302 copies sold.
3. Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann. 1966. About 30, 000, 000 copies sold worldwide.
4. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. 1936. Close to 30, 000, 000 copies sold in the 1990′s.
5. Jaws by Peter Benchley. 1974. By...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Elizabeth Quinn rated it 2 of 5 stars

I looked forward to this book -- what novelist wouldn't want to learn the secrets of building a bestseller from a lit prof who doubles as a successful commercial novelist? But I found the book disappointing on a number of levels. The first disappointment was that I found very little new in this book -- no lightbulb over the head insights that prompted me to say, "Ah, hah! That's how it's done." Many good books have covered the same ground. The second disappointment was the selection of bestselle...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Nic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

I admit, I'm initially skeptical when any person - especially a writer, and most especially a writer who also writes fiction but of whom I've never heard - claims to know how bestselling books "work." But a lot of this analysis is interesting and seems legit. And in terms of credentials, it turns out that some of Hall's crime books actually have made the bestseller lists, and students of his class on bestsellers include authors I have heard of, like Dennis Lehane.

The analyses of various factors...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Sarah Beth rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads-giveaways

I won this book as a giveaway on Goodreads.

I was intrigued by the premise of this novel - Hall analyzes 12 mega bestsellers to dissect what makes a bestseller a success. However, this novel fell flat for me. First of all, I think Hall took on too many books to discuss in too little space. Discussing the plots, characters, etc. of 12 novels is a lot to cover and puts a lot of burden on the reader to be able to remember 12 separate story lines. I've only read 5 of the 12 books discussed, and I th...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Birgit rated it 4 of 5 stars

Have you ever wondered why certain books make it onto bestseller lists, or even more so, why some books will rank high in sales for decades? In Hit Lit James W. Hall takes a closer look at twelve such novels from the last century, presenting the common features which propelled them into the realms of bestsellers.
Looking at the selection of American bestsellers of the 20th century, from "Gone with the Wind" to "The Da Vinci Code" the selected books seem to be a rather wild mix and I was curious t...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Trey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I received a copy of this book through the First Reads program.

After teaching "metafiction and postmodernist" works for 10 years, James W. Hall decided to teach a course in popular fiction (bestsellers), and he liked the results so much that he decided to share his thoughts in the form of Hit Lit. You might think this class (and this book) would be akin to fluff courses like "The Science of Superheroes" or "Simpsons and Philosophy" at one of those California universities (or better yet, a class...more I received a copy of this book through the First Reads program.

After teaching "metafiction and postmodernist" works for 10 years, James W. Hall decided to teach a course in popular fiction (bestsellers), and he liked the results so much that he decided to share his thoughts in the form of Hit Lit. You might think this class (and this book) would be akin to fluff courses like "The Science of Superheroes" or "Simpsons and Philosophy" at one of those California universities (or better yet, a class spent studying summer blockbusters instead of arthouse flicks), but Hall ably treats bestsellers as a subject worthy of academic pursuit. He rationally gives credibility to the guilty-pleasure novels, and though Hall would probably disagree with my sentiment, reading this book made me feel better about hating The Crying of Lot 49.

The 12 novels under consideration are some of the biggest American bestsellers of the past century. After a brief explanation of how he chose these particular bestsellers and some notes on their sales histories, Hall breaks down the common themes throughout them all. What makes a bestseller so popular? While not every example was perfectly apt, I was surprised that so many patterns remained the same from Gone With the Wind (1936) through The Da Vinci Code (2003), and that so many of the bestsellers so easily fit the features Hall describes.

Hall makes a great argument for studying popular literature. "Literary" works are often inaccessible to many readers, inscrutable even. Popular works are inviting and exciting, with driving plots and broad appeal. Originally, novels functioned as a kind of "instruction manual" for the masses, and one of the common threads bestselling novels continue to feature is "two or three large scoops of factual information." It seems many people enjoy (and have come to expect) learning about new topics as a side effect of their pleasure reading. In addition to teaching new information, bestsellers also help us digest common problems, like "fractured families." Dysfunctional families, including those with missing parents, appear "as frequently in bestsellers as [they do] in traditional fairy tales," so it is no wonder that "both storytelling forms serve a similar broad social purpose." Bestsellers introduce us to characters who are "unmistakably American in the vastness of their aspirations and their outsized bravery in the face of enormous tasks and dangers." Surely studying the new American fairy tales, those stories that emotionally affect millions of people, has as much or more merit than studying weird, esoteric novels (enjoyed by hundreds of readers!) that just aren't that much fun to read. Hall makes studying popular novels academic without being stuffy, intelligent without being dry.

I was surprised at how few of these books I had previously read. I was actually more familiar with the movie versions (The Godfather, The Exorcist, Jaws, The Hunt for Red October) than the novels themselves, but that didn't matter in the least. These stories have permeated American popular culture so profusely that you probably recognize certain plot points and watershed moments (the horse head in the bed, "My dear, I don't give a damn") even if you lack familiarity with the source material. And if you really think you need to know what happens in all the books before you start reading a critical analysis of them, there is a convenient appendix filled with plot summaries.(less)

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Dec 06, 2012 Rodney Farrell Sr rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book presents an interesting take on 12 of the bestselling novels of the 20th century by identifying 12 themes (hot buttons) within each novel. Robert Langdon may find that fascinating but is not the holy grail of literature. The work is an accumulation of discussion and notes from Hall’s graduate course in popular literature. I would recommend the book as it may stimulate your thinking about what and why you read what you read. There is a section of 17 questions to reflect on the themes an...more

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Sep 12, 2012 SmarterLilac rated it 3 of 5 stars

Some good insights here--I was fascinated by the observation that the infamous Urban vs. Rural conflict features prominently in many name megasellers--but I did not care for the structure. The way the book skips back and forth between titles was very distracting, and only served to make the whole thing seem pretentious and overdone. Still, James W. Hall gets points for not going anywhere near Stephenie Meyer, (or Harry Potter) and for picking my beloved The Dead Zone for analysis. Even I didn't...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Courtney rated it 3 of 5 stars

(3.5 stars) An easy little read on what blockbuster novels have in common, using 12 examples from the last 75 years. While it was very interesting, I was hoping for a bit more of a unifying theory, since loads of novels have all right ingredients but still don't have 'it'. I will be reading Peyton Place after this, as it's come up in far too many of the books about books that I've read.

One nice feature of this book is that it does present nice summaries of each novel in the appendix. Of the book...more

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Sep 26, 2012 J.M. Fisher rated it 5 of 5 stars

James W. Hall's Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of Twenthieth Century's Biggest Bestsellers makes me cheer. At last, the snobery of 'literary' fictio nis exposed in comparison to best-selling fiction. Hall has the soul of a poet and keen insight into the world of fiction. Bless him for treating popular fiction with respect instead of the standard scholarly contempt it usually gets from academia. His novels portray the skills of literary fiction AND the elements of best-selling fiction, so he knows wh...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Vicki Roberts added it

I'm only on page 59 of this 200+ page book, but it's worth a mention, and I'll do a final review when I've completed it...we'll see if I change my mind!

In Hit Lit, James Hall dissects 12 American best-selling novels to show readers and writers that while times may change, there are several common features that, when combined, have a better chance than not of pleasing the masses.

The books Hall compares are:
Gone with the Wind, Peyton Place, To Kill a Mockingbird, Valley of the Dolls, The Godfathe...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Charlotte rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: advanced-readers-copy, nook

In his new book, Hit List, Author James W. Hall takes a look at twelve novels published in the 20th century and shares his thoughts on why they were wildly successful. The books he chose are listed as follows:
Gone With the Wind
Peyton Place
Bridges of Madison County
The Firm
The Davinci Code
The Exorcist
Jaws
Dead Zone
Valley of the Dolls
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Godfather
The Hunt for Red October.
I admit to having read five of these novels and have seen several other of the movies. (lol - does that count...more

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Mar 24, 2012 Nicki Markus rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a book that I found hard to rate and review. There was nothing wrong with it as such, but it really didn't inspire me in anyway.

In this non-fiction work, James W. Hall examines twelve bestselling novels, looking at the themes that run through each to determine what makes them so popular. He considers a range of ideas such a country vs. city and ideas of the family unit and there is nothing wrong with any of his arguments - it's just that they are all pretty obvious to any avid reader an...more

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May 12, 2012 Pranada Comtois rated it 2 of 5 stars

Fiction writers may find Hall's book worth a read to identify the key elements shared by the century's bestseller. Nothing particular struck me about the book. It was an easy, fun read. I could see ideas triggering for some writers not for others. Difficult to say if there is a practical takeaway from the book.

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Oct 13, 2012 Mitchell rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, public-library, won-t-reread

Not a bad idea for a book - take a look at the bestselling books in the US of the last 100 books and figure out why they sold. Too bad that's not what this author did. Did he analyze the books, sure. And some ideas for how the books were similar were found - and when they didn't all have the same thing - he'd say they did anyway. Or the same or the opposite. So all the books were rags-to-riches, or riches-to-rags, or riches or rags. Or all the books revolved around a specific sexual incident, or...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Rebecca Schwarz rated it 3 of 5 stars

A pop lit (instead of pop science) comparative study of twelve all time best sellers. While all the points he makes are solid it did feel a little padded out in the middle. It would have been a better as a long-form essay then a whole book, still his style is breezy and it wasn't hard for even a slow reader like me to knock this one out.

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Dec 01, 2012 Vera rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

This was a fascinating look at what the best sellers of the 20th century have in common. I loved the data given about the stats for the various decades, and seeing that the books did have things in common, but not really things you could use to write your own blockbuster. Interesting book about books.

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Jul 13, 2012 Susan Oleksiw rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a fun, incisive and thoughtful guide to what makes a best seller. The author examines 12 best sellers, drawing out the common features in them, and discussing why they have such appeal to readers. It's very insightful and worth reading no matter how many books you may have read or written.

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Apr 23, 2012 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars

Full disclosure - I received this book as a Goodreads First Read. Yay for giveaways!

This is a really good book for me - I'm an aspiring writer and it's giving me lots of things to think about for my own stories. And by using well known, well written works to explain the various topics, it's giving me new ways to look at literature that I'm reading. What is it about Story XYZ that is keeping me interested? Why did I put down Story ZYX and never pick it back up again? How did author QRS do that th...more

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May 15, 2012 Laura Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Having a good time with this, especially tracking my own narrative instincts against Hall's findings. I might use this as a text in my workshop--along with The Practice of Poetry? Belabors some points, but as an educator I can't argue with the power of repetition.

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Aug 01, 2012 Mia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Enjoyable analysis of common features in the best selling books of the past century. What do To Kill a Mockingbird and Bridges of Madison County have in common? Gone With the Wind and The Exorcist? Hall explores shared elements in these mega-sellers in a conversational tone I wish some of my lit professors had been able to use.

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Oct 18, 2012 Tracy Aiello rated it 4 of 5 stars

A great 'research paper' on what makes a best seller, using 12 of the top best sellers in the modern age. Most interesting? I didn't read a quarter of them, and its basically cliff notes for those too!
I wouldn't recommend for anyone NOT writing a book, though.

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Jan 17, 2013 Thomas Pluck rated it 4 of 5 stars

An excellent look into the conflicts, characters and stories that grip the American reading public. I wished for some more discussion at the end, perhaps a longer wrap-up, but this is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in popular fiction.

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About James W. Hall

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

James Wilson Hall is an Edgar and Shamus Award-winning author whose books have been translated into a dozen languages. He has written four books of poetry, a collection of short fiction, and a collection of essays. This is his sixteenth novel. He and his wife Evelyn divide...more

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