15/07/09

Books that I've purchased, never meaning to read

Which book do you reckon boasts the lowest ratio of copies read to copies bought?

My pick has got to be Chris Anderson’s ‘The Long Tail’.

I’ve never met anyone in marketing who doesn’t claim to have a copy kicking about somewhere.
Nor have I met anyone who’s credibly demonstrated that they actually read the thing.

Maybe that’s because its magazine-article-padded-out-to-be-sellable-as-a-book nature makes the art of Long Tail blagging so easy. (”Well it’s about the internet making it possible to sell lots more different things to smaller numbers of people, isn’t it?”)

But maybe it’s time at the top is now over - thanks to the release of Mr. Anderson’s follow-up, ‘Free’.

The premise of this one appears even easier to busk - “the internet is going to make free the dominant economic model“. Done and done.

‘Free’ can also be listened to on Spotify.
But I can’t see it being a big money-spinner for the fledgling service.

Odds on most drop out well before the first ad break…

Back to top | Permalink | 5 comments
 

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Phil  16/07/09  1:14pm
Um...won't be 'adding it to basket'. I was going to say John Fowles' The Magus. I defy anyone to reach the end.
Comment from: Ben K  17/07/09  11:25am · http://ifthisisablogthenwhatschristmas.blogspot.com/
I tried the Magus in April. Gave up after a couple of hundred pages. Crap. Tried Madame Bovary instead. Got to the end but she was a whingy, high maintenance tart. Really annoying. But I never buy books intending not to read them. I always have the best intentions and they often fly out of the window (I'm looking at you, Midnight's Children).
Comment from: Richard  10/08/09  10:55pm
I loved The Magus until the very end when I can only assume John Fowles' decided he really needed the loo, or was late for a train, and bashed out any old load of toss ruining the whole thing.
Comment from: kedar  01/09/09  5:57pm · http://kedarnathgupta.blogspot.com
true, i have an unread copy too. i bought the book after i heard of the it's-not-dozens-of-markets-of-millions-but-millions-of-markets-of-dozens theory. and i must admit it's tempting stuff, but the book isn't exactly a page-turner.
Comment from: neil christie  17/09/09  11:16pm · http://wklondon.typepad.com/welcome_to_optimism/
We know what you're up to, Jorian! http://bit.ly/4lNHsn

Leave a comment:


Your email address will not be displayed on this site.

Your URL will be displayed.