Book hits bestseller lists due to blogs
Book hits bestseller lists due to blogs: "A new book has made the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Amazon.com bestseller lists without advertising, national bookstore distribution, a major publishing house, radio interviews, television interviews, or print interviews but through the power of blogs."
The Media need only two things to survive: an audience and advertising. The importance of the audience should be self-explanatory, but advertising is like a two-edged sword. Many of the problems associated with the media is their connection, even reliance upon outside businesses and corporations. Many feel this relationship is too close, sometimes blurring the lines between what's news, what's a press release, and what's a promotion. But with the success of "Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results" the role of traditional advertising and even the influence of media news outlets are suddenly on shaky ground.
A book makes the coveted Bestseller lists these days by who promotes them. Be it Oprah, Entertainment Weekly, or the New York Times Book Review, these media "get the word out" on new releases to inform the public. If these outlets become only secondary to blogs, then there will soon come a time when the bestseller lists might become what they were once intended: a list of the best-selling books. The lists, now, can be merely seen as strength of promotion - how much national advertising the publishing house spends on the book, the author tours, and the get-lucky appearances on NPR, the Today Show, or Oprah (rarely do these titles have the strength on their own which is why You: the Owner's Manual, recently promoted on Oprah, was sold out in almost every bookstore nationwide within hours of the show's airing; and why the publisher had to run an immediate re-print of the book because the sales exceeded all predicted expectations).
If "Call to Action" follows in the same trend, then the marketing advertiser's dream of being spotlighted on Oprah, may be seeing it's end. Blogs are here to stay, if for no other reason than regular people get to speak - type - to the entire world from the comfort of their homes or offices, a practice that was once reserved only for journalists, celebrities, and politicians. Americans - people - love the sound of their own voices even if they are scared of public speaking. It's because of this, blogs will only get more popular in the coming years. If these blogs, these communities, start to talk amongths themselves regarding good, new releases, then eventually, the bestseller lists will reflect society rather than marketing strategies.
Will they reflect/rank the "best" new releases...no. That's still completely in the hands of marketing. John Grisham will always out-sell Chuck Palahniuk and Harry Potter books will always out-sell John Grisham; it's all about audience, intended or otherwise, - the book that can attract the largest audience will sell better than a book targeted for a small, niche audience. In these times - when the media influence book consumers by spotlighting specific books toward specific audiences and where people follow these lights like deer on a dark, country highway - a bestseller list that reflects society is an admirable dream, but one that might soon come true.
The Media need only two things to survive: an audience and advertising. The importance of the audience should be self-explanatory, but advertising is like a two-edged sword. Many of the problems associated with the media is their connection, even reliance upon outside businesses and corporations. Many feel this relationship is too close, sometimes blurring the lines between what's news, what's a press release, and what's a promotion. But with the success of "Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results" the role of traditional advertising and even the influence of media news outlets are suddenly on shaky ground.
A book makes the coveted Bestseller lists these days by who promotes them. Be it Oprah, Entertainment Weekly, or the New York Times Book Review, these media "get the word out" on new releases to inform the public. If these outlets become only secondary to blogs, then there will soon come a time when the bestseller lists might become what they were once intended: a list of the best-selling books. The lists, now, can be merely seen as strength of promotion - how much national advertising the publishing house spends on the book, the author tours, and the get-lucky appearances on NPR, the Today Show, or Oprah (rarely do these titles have the strength on their own which is why You: the Owner's Manual, recently promoted on Oprah, was sold out in almost every bookstore nationwide within hours of the show's airing; and why the publisher had to run an immediate re-print of the book because the sales exceeded all predicted expectations).
If "Call to Action" follows in the same trend, then the marketing advertiser's dream of being spotlighted on Oprah, may be seeing it's end. Blogs are here to stay, if for no other reason than regular people get to speak - type - to the entire world from the comfort of their homes or offices, a practice that was once reserved only for journalists, celebrities, and politicians. Americans - people - love the sound of their own voices even if they are scared of public speaking. It's because of this, blogs will only get more popular in the coming years. If these blogs, these communities, start to talk amongths themselves regarding good, new releases, then eventually, the bestseller lists will reflect society rather than marketing strategies.
Will they reflect/rank the "best" new releases...no. That's still completely in the hands of marketing. John Grisham will always out-sell Chuck Palahniuk and Harry Potter books will always out-sell John Grisham; it's all about audience, intended or otherwise, - the book that can attract the largest audience will sell better than a book targeted for a small, niche audience. In these times - when the media influence book consumers by spotlighting specific books toward specific audiences and where people follow these lights like deer on a dark, country highway - a bestseller list that reflects society is an admirable dream, but one that might soon come true.