Message for math and business readers - Stephen Baker

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Message for math and business readers posted on August 27, 2008

Marketing the book

I'm a little concerned. I went to The Numerati's Barnes & Noble page and saw the kinds of books Numerati buyers are purchasing. It's a math-heavy list, with a number of books far above my math capabilities. Examples: Godel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, the Archimedes Codex, and, most daunting, Stephen Hawking's God Created the Integers: The Mathematical Breakthroughs That Changed History.

None of that in my book (photo, U. of Alberta)

I don't want to suggest that Stephen Hawking readers won't like The Numerati. But I want to alert them that while math and statistical analysis are constant themes in the book, it does not delve deeply into them. There is not one equation, not even one Greek letter in the book. It's written to be enjoyed and understood by generalists (including liberal arts majors, like me).

While we're issuing alerts, you might assume that since I'm a BusinessWeek writer (and one chapter is to be excerpted in BW), that it's a business book. Well, business is at the heart of it, since the Numerati are at the center of a data revolution that's convulsing entire industries. But the book focuses much more on how their work will affect our lives, as workers, shoppers, voters, etc. I steer clear of competitive strategy, case studies, investment potential, and the other basics of business writing. So, if you want business case studies or deep mathematical analysis... buy other books--and read The Numerati when you're ready for a break.

It's interesting to note that the Amazon page points to much different books, which I view as more compatible with The Numerati. It suggests Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely, whom I'm fortunate to have as a blurber. Another is The Back of the Napkin..., by Dan Roam, which I haven't yet read, and Planet Google, By Randall Stross. Again, haven't read it, but it would seem to fit.

This raises the question: Do Amazon and B&N have such radically different readers? Or are these recommendations driven, at least in part, by different algorithms? I'm betting on #2. In other words, the Numerati at the two book companies are at odds.

A couple days later...I dig into this a bit more on Blogspotting. What’s the difference between the two approaches? I can only guess. Let’s assume that they’re being honest, and that buyers of my book actually purchase the ones they list. But which ones best represent the readership? It would seem to me that B&N has a set of key words associated with mine (mathematics, calculus, etc) and it links mine to books with similar tags. Amazon, by contrast, appears to pick the books that sell the best. (Irrational and Napkin are both best sellers.) It’s not a sophisticated formula. But it makes more sense for me—and for Amazon.

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@MichaelPizzo My pleasure. Another book u might like is Afterthought by James Bailey. Not new, but puts data in context of sci/math history

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