| Abstract: | The judgment and ultimately the success of creative products should be determined by their properties. However, it has not been considered so far whether the same applies to books. Earlier research has found an inverted‐U relationship between originality of stimuli and their success. Linguistic originality as a text feature could influence the success of books as creative products in a natural experiment. The present historiometric study investigated whether originality predicts the popularity in a significant sample, the most best‐selling English books from 200 years. Originality was calculated based on word frequency using a commercial service. Popularity was assessed with a composite measure including indicators like number of sold copies. Regression analysis indicated originality had a direct linear effect on popularity, partially moderated by the time of first publishing. That is, while originality was generally beneficial for the success of a best‐seller, the same originality was more appreciated at a later point in time. This is the first quantitative study supporting the long‐held assumption that the evaluation of creative narratives is influenced by temporal context. The fact that some works like The Great Gatsby got more appreciation when they were rediscovered may reflect a general principle rather than mere exceptions. |
