Anderson, Chris 1961-

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Anderson, Chris 1961-

PERSONAL:

Born 1961, in England; married; children: four. Education: Studied physics; research at Los Alamos, NM.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Berkeley, CA.

CAREER:

Writer, editor. Economist, former technology and business editor; Science, former editor; Nature, former editor; Wired magazine, editor in chief, 2001—.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Editor of the Year, Advertising Age, 2005.

WRITINGS:

The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More, Hyperion (New York, NY), 2006.

Also author of Web log The Long Tail.

SIDELIGHTS:

Chris Anderson is the editor of Wired magazine and the author of the 2006 nonfiction work The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More. Anderson's book goes beyond the economics of scarcity—for example, the limited shelf space that exists in a store—to propose a new economic model, one built on the abundance of space provided for by the Internet and other modern digital technologies. With such marketing potential Anderson contends that consumers no longer need to rely on mass markets and the logic of the blockbuster or best seller, but rather can now create smaller niche markets. Because of new efficiencies of distribution, manufacturing, and marketing, customers can now move to what Anderson terms the "long tail," or outside the usual demand curve established by shelf space and other limiting factors. Anderson's book describes the effects of various technologies that have made it easier for consumers to find and buy such niche products and presents advice for building businesses around this new model of abundance of product availability.

The Long Tail was met with praise by critics and business observers alike. Norman Oder, writing in Library Journal, felt that Anderson's predictions of infinite choice for consumers "will certainly generate symposia and discussion." Theodore Kinni, writing in Business 2.0, wrote that for many businesses, Anderson's book "could be your guide to becoming the next big dog." Similarly, a reviewer for the Internet Bookwatch thought The Long Tail "provides a new business model," while a contributor for Publishers Weekly concluded that the author "manages to explain a murky trend in clear language, giving entrepreneurs and the rest of us plenty to think about." Speaking with Reason contributor Nick Gillespie, Anderson briefly explained what he saw as the importance of his book: "It's about life after the blockbuster. It's what happens to our culture and economy as we shift from mass markets to millions of niche markets."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Advertising Age, October 17, 2005, Scott Donaton, "Editor of the Year: Chris Anderson; This Decid- edly Un-Conde Nast Editor Has All the Right Instincts, and ‘Wired’ Readers Take Notice," p. 8.

American Scientist, January-February 2007, Brian Hayes, "A Paradise of Choice?," p. 78.

Booklist, August 1, 2006, Mary Whaley, review of The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More, p. 19.

Business 2.0, June 1, 2006, Theodore Kinni, "How to Wag the Long Tail," p. 24.

Economist, July 8, 2006, "Wag the Dog; What the Long Tail Will Do," p. 78.

Hollywood Reporter, January 17, 2007, "‘Long Tail’ Shooing off Megahits: Author-editor: More Content, Outlets Dilute Biz," p. 6.

Indianapolis Business Journal, November 27, 2006, Tom Probasco, review of The Long Tail, p. 58.

Internet Bookwatch, September 1, 2006, "The Long Tail."

Library Journal, August 1, 2006, Norman Oder, review of The Long Tail, p. 99.

Observer (London, England), May 13, 2007, Robert McCrum, review of The Long Tail.

Publishers Weekly, May 22, 2006, review of The Long Tail, p. 46.

Reason, November 2006, Nick Gillespie, "Welcome to Niche Nation: Long Tail Author and Wired Editor Chris Anderson on Infinite Markets, the Death of the Top 40, and the Birth of Personalized Politics," p. 62.

VARbusiness, February 5, 2007, review of The Long Tail, p. 20.