A review of The Long Tail by Chris Anderson

After reading The Long Tail blog for some time now, it was only logical to read and review the book having seen it unfold in real time. The Long Tail is written in an easy to follow style, and advances quickly while still providing the necessary depth needed to fully explain the Long Tail concept. That concept is well-illustrated by a collection of research and observations that the author, and others, have made about the impact of the reduction of distribution costs for nearly all media, but also the democratization of nearly all aspects of bringing a product to market. These two factors are the driving forces behing eBay, Netflix, iTunes and many other digital media distributors and online retail channels - the Long Tail is also responsible for allowing almost anyone to design/manufacture/craft something and sell it to anyone on earth with an internet connection. A multitude of examples, including some that go back well before the digital age, reinforce and explain the theory that niche products will continue to prosper and gain profitability in the future. The unfortunate bit is that the book is being published through decidedly non-Long Tail means - it would have been brilliant had Chris self-published the book to demonstrate the Long Tail first hand - but none the less, The Long Tail appears to be headed towards the realm of the 'hits' where it undoubtedly deserves to be.

The Long Tail @ Amazon

[Full disclosure: I received a pre-release copy of The Long Tail from Chris, but that does not change my feelings on the book].