Hit Makers: How Things Become Popular

(Paperback)

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Description

A book that explores the question repeatedly posed by every business, artist, producer and publisher- what makes a hit a hit With incisive analysis and captivating storytelling, Atlantic Senior Editor Derek Thompson puts culture in the spotlight and asks why certain products and ideas achieve extraordinary popularity. Drawing on ancient history and modern headlines - from vampire lore and Brahms's Wiegenlied to Instagram and Fifty Shades of Grey - Thompson explores the psychology of hits and reveals how we can all become more intelligent consumers of culture. Though dozens of blockbuster films, Internet memes and number-one songs seem to have come out of nowhere, hits have a story and operate by certain rules. From the dawn of Impressionist art to the future of Snapchat, from small-scale Etsy entrepreneurs to the origin of Star Wars, Derek Thompson tells the fascinating story of how culture happens - and where genius lives.

Author Bio

Atlantic Senior Editor Derek Thompson is one of the most-read authors at the magazine. He is also a weekly business correspondent on NPR's Here and Now, which reaches an audience of nearly 4 million listeners. He has been named one of Reuter's 'Blogs to Follow', Time's top 140 Twitter feeds, and Huffington Post's 100 best economic reporters, and Forbes' '30 under 30'.