Ben Blatt, Word Nerd

Ben Blatt’s new book, “Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve: What the Numbers Reveal About the Classics, Bestsellers, and Our Own Writing,” takes a math nerd approach to popular books. He uses big data to analyze famous books statistically, and he’s discovered some surprising patterns. What words do authors use most frequently? Which authors over-rely on clichés? What is the average reading level of New York Times bestsellers? How can an author’s writing be used like a fingerprint to identify them? Check out some of his findings in the graphs below.

(Courtesy of Simon & Schuster)

(Courtesy of Simon & Schuster)

(Courtesy of Simon & Schuster)