RE: Signaling
In an era of paper-covered hardbacks and paperback books, there is also the competitive question: What else if not a blurb? Art? White/colored paper? A note from the Author (eg. This paperback edition, and no other, has been authorized ... JRR Tolkien)? In Slovakia (like the Czech Republic), we have some books that include company advertisements of sponsors, for instance Slovnaft, a huge oil refinery--I like blurbs better, but getting money from the sponsor to put out a (classical) liberal book is better than NOT publishing it at all. For novels, having some summary of the book or an exciting scene in lieu of more blurbs seems more the practice. For non fiction today, being WITHOUT a blurb would be exceptional, and may well be negatively disorienting to a prospective buyer who expects one. Signalling is evolving nicely at Amazon.com, with multiple reviewers. Ciao is even better, with reviewers who are rated -- and even get PAID to write reviews (very small amount), based on their ratings. (www.ciao.com to choose Euro country) Tom Grey Technical note -- I failed to get the original Signalling posting (did get many copies). Don't know what else I've missed. [Very unimportant-] All time most memorable (not a) blurb to Bored of the Rings: Note: This paperback, and no other, was written with the sole intention of making a few quick bucks. Those who believe in courtesy to a certain other living author won't touch this gobbler with a ten-foot battle lance. (As I remember from 20 years ago -- so naturally I bought it. ) -Original Message- From: jsamples [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Monday, October 15, 2001 10:46 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: Signaling A marketing professional in book publishing adds: Maybe having friends, especially famous (in their fields) ones, sells books. A 1999 study of consumer behavior in buying books listed blurbs as the 7th most important factor in deciding to buy a book. (Number 4 was recommended by someone I know.) John
SV: Signaling/blurbage
Hello list, Erik Burns wrote how many negative blurbs have you seen? To which I can only say: Some, and they are often more telling - and certainly more amusing - than the positive ones. Right now I must admit that I cannot remember any books, but the blurbs of two LP covers spring into mind: Depeche Mode's The singles 81-85 had one positive and one negative blurb (in opposite order, I might add) for each single featured on the album - including these: I've often wondered why God bothered with Depeche Mode, I've heard more melody coming out of Kenny Wheeler's arsehole, and Another big hit, and nothing short of driving a rusty meathook through David Gahan's [the lead singer] malformed cranium will prevent it AND Tom Lehrer's An evening wasted with Tom Lehrer had ONLY negative ones, including: More desperate than amusing, He seldom has any point to make except obvious ones, and Mr. Lehrer's muse (is) not fettered by such inhibiting factors as taste. Needless to say, I bought both LP's not heeding the advise given in the blurbs Jacob Wimpffen Bræstrup Esthersvej 22, 2tv. DK-2900 Hellerup DENMARK Tel: (+45) 39 400 600 / 2020 3232 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Power threatens; wealth rewards: one eludes power by deceiving it; to obtain the favours of wealth one must serve it: the latter is therefore bound to win - Constant's speech given at the Athénée Royal, 1819
behavioral economics
could anyone signpost me to what the main different sub-sections of this area involve: For example, Shiller seems to be about how groupthink -and the emotional fashion that builds up over time - can overtrump rational individual decision-making in marketplaces but for example: are there sections of behavioral economics which look at how a company develops a business model of what its intangible assets are and and how to grow them? are there areas which look at how digital networks do provide a totally different work dynamic even if in many cases this hasnt yet been turned into argaubly few great economic success stories? (if these areas are not some other branch of economics, what? I got rather stuck when I tried searching behavioral economics over the weekend in terms of lots of references to irrational market decision-making, and not a lot else)
Reich op-ed
FYI, Robert Reich has an excellent op-ed in today's WSJ. The title gives it away: Subsidies Aren't A Wartime Necessity. Check it out. Carl
