The Long Tail from SmarterComics

Now in comic format, this 2006 New York Times bestseller introduced the business world to a future that’s already here. It explains why the focus of Internet commerce is not on hits but on misses—the long tail of the demand curve – and illuminates the reasons behind the success of niche operations like Amazon.com, iTunes, and Netflix. A must-read for every entrepreneur and manager!

Now in comic format, this 2006 New York Times bestseller introduced the business world to a future that’s already here. It explains why the focus of Internet commerce is not on hits but on misses—the long tail of the demand curve – and illuminates the reasons behind the success of niche operations like Amazon.com, iTunes, and Netflix. A must-read for every entrepreneur and manager! In the era of pre-Internet, businesses focused on providing lots of inventory items that were in high demand, but this left consumers searching for niche products that no one wanted to bother to provide. In the Internet era, the focus is on serving niche consumers, who collectively spend more on low-demand items than the public does on “hot” products. This entails an entirely different approach to mission and to marketing than the philosophy traditionally taught in business schools. Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, says Anderson’s ideas “influence Google’s strategic thinking in a profound way.” We only recommend it for iPad users. iPhone/iPod touch users should refer to the SmarterComics iPhone App on iTunes.

CHRIS ANDERSON is editor in chief of Wired magazine and coiner of the term, “the long tail.” His first book, THE LONG TAIL: WHY THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS IS SELLING LESS OF MORE, became a New York Times bestseller. Anderson served as U.S. business editor at The Economist, where he launched that journal’s coverage of the Internet. He’s the founder of Booktour.com, Geekdad (a blog), and 3D Robotics (an open-source robotics company). He studied science journalism and holds a BS in physics from George Washington University. His latest book is Free: The Future of a Radical Price.