Hit makers - Derek Thompson

What makes a hit a hit? In Hit Makers, Atlantic Senior Editor Derek Thompson puts pop
culture under the lens of science to answer the question that every
business, every producer, every person looking to promote themselves and
their work has asked.

Drawing on ancient history and modern
headlines - from vampire lore and Brahms's Lullaby to Instagram -
Thompson explores the economics and psychology of why certain things
become extraordinarily popular. With incisive analysis and captivating
storytelling, he reveals that, though blockbuster films, Internet memes
and number-one songs seem to have come out of nowhere, hits actually
have a story and operate by certain rules. People gravitate towards
familiar surprises: products that are bold and innovative, yet instantly
comprehensible.

Whether he is uncovering the secrets of JFK
and Barack Obama's speechwriters or analysing the unexpected reasons for
the success of Fifty Shades of Grey, Thompson goes beyond the
cultural phenomena that make the news by revealing the desires that make
us all human. While technology might change, he shows, our innate
preferences do not, and throughout history hits have held up a mirror to
ourselves.

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.