Chris Anderson’s first book The Long Tail, propelled the Wired Magazine editor from respected tech maven to innovative business book writer. His first book, published in 2007, took an in depth look at the way the internet has disrupted the recorded entertainment market. Looking particularly at the music and book industries Anderson examined the ability of niche products to reach a large enough audience to be highly profitable. With nothing but a simple analysis of how many more books Amazon can sell than your average (if it hasn’t already been shuttered) neighbourhood book shop he expertly illustrates how the retail rules most of us grew up with no longer apply.
Chris Anderson’s latest book is no less thought provoking. The full title, “Free: The Future of a Radical Price: The Economics of Abundance and Why Zero Pricing Is Changing the Face of Business” might not roll off the tongue but it does lay out pretty clearly what the book looks to tackle. Kicking off the book with an interesting study of how free gained its place in the marketing arsenal, popularised by the likes of King Gillette with his revolutionary safety razor.
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