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." Full Story »
Posted by Julian Friedland
This is a nice story, albeit it I cannot figure out where there's any "science" here, as science demands use of the scientific method, including establishment of a control group. This definitely doesn't fit the bill. It presents an interesting concept and gives evidence of how it works. However, in book publishing, the publics' tastes are not usually what sells books. Advertising, word of mouth, TV appearances by the author, well-placed radio interviews of the author, and anything else that creates buzz sells books. Those of us who have dealt with the publishing industry are well aware that publishers do not invest money into pushing most of their books. They accept that there will be blockbusters--that they will push--that will make up for all their duds. Now, if they could compare the success of books that publishers pushed versus books on the same topic that publishers did not push, THAT would be scientific.
