Comments on: The I, Libertine Hoax http://www.neatorama.com/2008/06/26/the-i-libertine-hoax/ The Neat Side of the Web Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:21:03 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: ginbot http://www.neatorama.com/2008/06/26/the-i-libertine-hoax/comment-page-1/#comment-634394 ginbot Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:51:59 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/?p=17013#comment-634394 The Best Seller list is still (and probably always will be) broken in some respects. It just counts for that week, so that is why that one guy is pumping the books heavily on TV one week so that it will be "#1 Best Seller". But, who the hell talks about those books even a couple months later, much less years. The Best Seller list is still (and probably always will be) broken in some respects. It just counts for that week, so that is why that one guy is pumping the books heavily on TV one week so that it will be "#1 Best Seller". But, who the hell talks about those books even a couple months later, much less years.

]]> By: Eric http://www.neatorama.com/2008/06/26/the-i-libertine-hoax/comment-page-1/#comment-629694 Eric Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:29:02 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/?p=17013#comment-629694 This story reminds me of Naked Came the Stranger: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_Came_the_Stranger The book was written by 25 authors who were frustrated that the books making top seller lists really only needed to offer stories about sex, and the sales would come. So these 25 authors got together and purposely wrote the worst, saltiest piece of crap they could. Each author took one chapter, without really sharing with other authors what they were up to other than the basic premise (so there was not much consistency throughout the book). They even rewrote some sections which turned out to be too-well written. It rocketed to #1, and eventually the authors came forward out of a sense of guilt from how much money they were making off of it. This story reminds me of Naked Came the Stranger:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_Came_the_Stranger

The book was written by 25 authors who were frustrated that the books making top seller lists really only needed to offer stories about sex, and the sales would come.

So these 25 authors got together and purposely wrote the worst, saltiest piece of crap they could. Each author took one chapter, without really sharing with other authors what they were up to other than the basic premise (so there was not much consistency throughout the book). They even rewrote some sections which turned out to be too-well written.

It rocketed to #1, and eventually the authors came forward out of a sense of guilt from how much money they were making off of it.

]]> By: Alex http://www.neatorama.com/2008/06/26/the-i-libertine-hoax/comment-page-1/#comment-627936 Alex Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:41:06 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/?p=17013#comment-627936 I think Jacqueline Susann, author of Valley of the Dolls, also gamed the NY Times best seller list by going to the bookstore and buying loads and loads of her own book - thereby pushing it to the Top 10 Bestseller List. Subsequently, the NY Times changed their procedure to only count 1 book per purchase. I think Jacqueline Susann, author of Valley of the Dolls, also gamed the NY Times best seller list by going to the bookstore and buying loads and loads of her own book - thereby pushing it to the Top 10 Bestseller List.

Subsequently, the NY Times changed their procedure to only count 1 book per purchase.

]]> By: Rich http://www.neatorama.com/2008/06/26/the-i-libertine-hoax/comment-page-1/#comment-627917 Rich Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:09:06 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/?p=17013#comment-627917 EXCELSIOR! EXCELSIOR!

]]> By: prophet http://www.neatorama.com/2008/06/26/the-i-libertine-hoax/comment-page-1/#comment-627878 prophet Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:33:13 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/?p=17013#comment-627878 Haha great story. Mouth to mouth mistery marketing. Haha great story. Mouth to mouth mistery marketing.

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