The Long Tail

April 25, 2011
An informative comic adaptation of Wired editor-in-chief Anderson's bestselling book on how technological innovation has allowed niche audiences to become more profitable for businesses to sell to. Illustrated in b&w by Clester, the book's visuals help the reader to immediately understand Anderson's arguments. Beginning with an examination of how, up until recently, media producers focused only on creating profitable "hits," Anderson explains how the Internet and digital technology have changed the dynamics of markets and consumers, with the Web making a staggering number of choices available to consumers while allowing smaller market producers of goods to reach new audiences. Although the book offers little in the way of advice or step-by-step guides, it is useful in encouraging readers to visualize Anderson's by-now gospel observations. However, it's not entirely clear how many readers are really interested in learning about Anderson's arguments by having them presented in an abridged comics version. While not as exhaustive as the prose edition, this adaptation is a clear introduction to the many topics Anderson explores.

August 15, 2006
Anderson (editor in chief, "Wired") first wrote -The Long Tail - as a feature story for his magazine in October 2004. It enormously influenced techies, content producers, and marketers in pointing out that digital content and Internet catalogs have enabled such merchants as Amazon and NetFlix to sell, cumulatively, enormous quantities from their backlists of nonhits. In this expansion of that argument, he posits that we're past the age of blockbuster hits in music and other genres and are witnessing the rise of niches. But other than observing that physical retailers should have an online counterpart, it's not clear how much of a lesson the book offers to certain bricks-and-mortar retailers. Anderson takes issue with Barry Schwartz's "The Paradox of Choice", arguing that people really do prefer variety -as long as they have information about it and about other customers' choices. He suggests that Google show the way, but he's a bit sanguine: ever tried to order a computer or a cell phone plan? Still, his conclusion that -the Long Tail is nothing more than infinite choice, - combined with the question of the implications for our increasingly fragmented culture, will certainly generate symposia and discussion. For all libraries." -Norman Oder, Library Journal"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2006
Citing statistical curves called "long-tailed distributions" because the tails are very long relative to the heads, Anderson, editor of " Wired" magazine, focuses on the tail, or the development in the new digital world of an infinite number of niche markets of any size that are economically viable due to falling distribution costs and in the aggregate represent significant sales. Although the author considers primarily media and entertainment companies, he also shows the long-tail effect at eBay, KitchenAid, Legos, Salesforce.com, and Google. His nine rules for successful long-tail strategies include lowering costs and thinking niche (one product, distribution method, or price does not fit all) and giving up control by sharing information and offering choices. In this excellent book, Anderson tells that "the story of the long tail is really about the economics of abundance--what happens when the bottlenecks that stand between supply and demand in our culture start to disappear and everything becomes available to everyone."(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)