Creativity Central [Marty Baker]

If you tap into the zeitgeist you'll see the phrase "The Long Tail" becoming a hot discussion topic. Coined by Chris Anderson in 2003, his theory is outlined in a great book The Long Tail:Why the Future of Business is selling Less of more. Anderson's idea is best described by a case study he wrote for Wired Magazine. (October '04)

 

"In 1998, a British mountain climber named Joe Simpson wrote a book called "Touching the Void," a harrowing account of near death in the Peruvian Andes. it got good reviews but, only a modest success is was soon forgotten. Then, a decade later a strange thing happened Jon Krakauer wrote "Into Thin Air" another book about a mountain-climbing tragedy, which became a publishing sensation. Suddenly "Touching the Void" started to sell again. Random House rushed out a new edition to keep up with demand. Booksellers began to promote it next to their "Into Thin Air" displays and sales rose further. A revised paperback edition, which came out in January,. spent 14 weeks on  The New York Times bestseller list. Now "Touching the Void" outsells "Into Thin Air" more than two to one. What happened. In short, Amazon.com recommendations. The online bookseller's software noted patterns in buying behavior and recommended and suggested that readers who like "Into Thin Air" would also like "Touching The Void." People took the suggestion and wrote rhapsodic reviews. More sales, more algorithm-fueled recommendations and the positive feedback loop kicked in."