Article in The New Yorker called The Science of Success
starts with this:
Last month, the publisher Simon & Schuster announced a partnership with a Web site called MediaPredict, which would use the collective judgment of readers to evaluate book proposals. The deal drew scorn from many, who saw it as evidence that publishers, in an era of stagnant sales, had so lost confidence in their own judgment that they were reduced to the methods of American Idol. Asking readers to weigh in on a book’s commercial prospects was a recipe for mediocrity, and the experiment was doomed to fail.Yet even the idea’s critics recognized that it was a response to a real problem: most books today are not economically successful, which means that much of the time and money that publishers invest in projects is wasted.
missing link?
The Read more link doesn’t lead to a continued link. It’s ok–but I wondered if you had further comments. The article was interesting–I think more Wisdom of Crowds than American Idol. But I know next to nothing about American Idol, and I probably would read and critique manuscripts for free. Which takes me back to the “why should I print my boarding pass at home?” argument. But better reads could be worth it.
Click on the article title in the story
Click on the article title at the beginning and you will be taken to the full article. Option two: Here is the link to the full article.