Pretty frustrating.

I think the author's goal is pretty unrealistic. I'm a firm believer that art is the motivator for the writer, not writing best sellers. The fact is that most writers are not financially successful. It is my belief that if you want to write an uninteresting book, you should probably strive to make it popular, because it will be bland instead of innovative, exciting, and unexpected.

The other quibble I have with the author's examples is her use of movies instead of books for source material. How in the world can you use Gone Girl or The Martian as examples when it isn't clear that you've read them? I mean... give me a break! The ART of Gone Girl was in its use of the unreliable narrator. The Martian as a book was vastly superior to the movie.

So, I dock points for that.

Still, I appreciate the effort. As a writer who looks for insight everywhere, I am sure at some point I'll find something important here, but the idea that you can program a book to be successful is almost disheartening.

Sorry.