Derek Thompson unravels the mystery of Fifty Shades’ mega-salesThere are no doubt plenty of people - but probably not as many as read the book - who simply can’t fathom how EL James can have sold more than 125m copies of Fifty Shades of Grey. Derek Thompson is here to help. The reason, it transpires, is pretty straightforward: a winning combination of social connection, five-star ebook reviews, the fan-fiction community and, finally, marketing. That might sound banal, but in Hit Makers, Thompson does a really fascinating job of explaining how things become popular, drawing on a wide range of cultural phenomena, from Star Wars to the iPhone, Taylor Swift to Game of Thrones. Reading its countless interesting references, it quickly becomes clear that Hit Makers is less a how-to guide – Thomson believes success is often “semichaotic” – and more a how-come? conversation with an engaging popular culture expert. The conclusion? Mere imitation rarely begets a hit, but the elusive combination of familiarity, innovation and marketing stands a better chance.• Hit Makers: How Things Become Popular by Derek Thompson is published by Allen Lane (£20). To order a copy for £15 go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99 Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2017-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with:
#wide range
#star wars
#taylor swift
#online orders
“The Upstairs Delicatessen,” a memoir by Dwight Garner of The New York Times, traces his life’s twin passions. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-10-24 09:00:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book review
#memoir
From her Louisiana roots to the quasi-imprisonment of her conservatorship, Britney Spears' 'The Woman in Me' paints the pop star's life as a Victorian nightmare. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-20 20:46:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#britney spears
#pop star
#memoir
Siri and Alexa were only the beginning. As voice recognition and speech synthesis technologies continue to mature, the days of typing on keyboards to interact with the digital world around us could be coming to an end — and sooner than many of us anticipated. Where... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-10-15 14:30:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#short supply
United Kingdom regulators were effectively the last hurdle stopping Microsoft from purchasing Activision Blizzard, in the biggest merger the video game industry has ever seen. That hurdle was cleared this morning as the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority relented to adjusted terms.... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2023-10-13 14:10:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#foreseeable future
#video games
#publishing giant
In this week’s Dispatches from The Secret Library, Dr Oliver Tearle reviews John Plotz’s personal reading of a fantasy classic by Ursula K. Le Guin The American author Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) is widely regarded as one of the finest authors of what is broadly termed ‘speculative fiction’.... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2023-10-13 14:00:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book review
#secret library
#le guin
#american author
Bryan Washington’s Family Meal, Mary Gabriel’s Madonna: A Rebel Life, Jhumpa Lahiri’s Roman Stories, andWerner Herzog’s Every Man for Himself and God Against All all feature among the Best Reviewed Books of the Week. Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s book review aggregator. * Fiction 1.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-13 11:00:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#reviewed books
#bryan washington
#family meal
#rebel life
#jhumpa lahiri
#book marks
#lit hub
#book review
Ever wonder how a dictionary, a NASA telescope, or a handcrafted wooden globe gets made? These new books will tell you. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
A new collection of her novels and stories is a showcase for a science fiction pioneer. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-10-08 09:00:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book review
#science fiction
Tips for feeling motivated, embracing bad ideas, getting over creative blocks, and more. Some conference room tables boast bowls of candy or a gaggle of diminutive bottles of water. Others, painfully benign centerpieces, like a vase filled with colored glass beads. But when the Chronicle Books... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2023-10-07 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#books publishing
Penguin Random House UK has acquired Australia-based publisher Hardie Grant Publishing’s U.K. publishing business, which is comprised of Hardie Grant UK and Quadrille. The sale will have no direct impact on Hardie Grant North America's business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#publishing business
#prh uk
#direct impact
#penguin random house
In his fond memoir “Making It So,” the actor traces the path from the working class to the Shakespearean stage to “Star Trek” superstardom. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-10-03 09:00:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book review
#patrick stewart
#working class
#memoir
In his memoir “The Controversialist,” Martin Peretz reflects on his long tenure as publisher and editor of The New Republic. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-10-02 14:15:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book review
#long tenure
#memoir
No one emerges with much credit in Wolff’s second study of Rupert Murdoch and his family – a gossipy story of power and greed peppered with endless layers of psychological insightFifteen years ago, Michael Wolff wrote a study of Rupert Murdoch entitled The Man Who Owns the News. It benefited... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-10-02 06:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#fox news
#murdoch empire
#rupert murdoch
#media mogul
#large chunk
#recently announced
#news corp
The Fire and Fury author returns with a typically readable account of the declining years of a rightwing media behemothIn September, Rupert Murdoch ceded direct control of Fox and News Corp to Lachlan Murdoch, his oldest son. At 92, Rupert became chairman emeritus. He is off the stage but... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-10-01 06:00:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#fox news
#lachlan murdoch
#oldest son
#news corp
“Collision of Power,” Martin Baron’s memoir of his tenure as the paper’s executive editor, is a gripping chronicle of politics and journalism in a period of instability for both. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-09-30 09:00:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book review
#memoir
Equal parts Terminator, The Golden Child and The Matrix prequel, The Creator is yet another sci-fi epic about a war between humans and AI, one told by someone who just can't shut up about their time backpacking across Asia. Director Gareth Edwards clearly understands the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-09-29 17:30:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#missed opportunity
#big screen
#comic book
“Coming and Going” is the photographer Jim Goldberg’s visual memoir of three generations in his family, from 1980 to today. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-09-29 09:02:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book review
#memoir
The company is also selling and spinning off some of its divisions as the video game industry faces cutbacks. Epic Games, maker of the smash hit Fortnite, isn’t immune to the troubles of the video game industry. The publisher announced Thursday it was laying off 16% of its staff, which works... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2023-09-28 14:15:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#epic games
#publisher announced
A statement cited increased costs and removal of UK state funding as the magazine, which featured writers including Paul Murray, Caleb Azumah Nelson and Sally Rooney, is to consider its future Literary magazine the White Review will not be published “for an indefinite period” according to a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-09-26 09:06:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#sally rooney
#white review
#indefinite period
#consecutive years
#substantial portion
#literary magazine
The actor’s audio-only memoir delivers songs, stories and scenes with humor and vulnerability. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-09-22 09:01:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#audiobook review
#jeff daniels
#memoir