Best entertainment industry books according to redditors
We found 30 Reddit comments discussing the best entertainment industry books. We ranked the 15 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 30 Reddit comments discussing the best entertainment industry books. We ranked the 15 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Derek Thompson from The Atlantic writes about this in his book Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction. Might be worth a read, I think its in the first quarter or so of the book.
Short version, it was once new and worked, and it worked for quite a while, however now in very recent times, audiences see it as a gimmick and low class, so its dying out fast. It was once new, good and cool, trends change.
> Do you know why Korean players are so good compared to western players? Because they tell them self all the time that they are bad and that they could do better. It's a western thing to say " ayy I'm top 49% of all league players, I'm so good!" (Exaggerated but kinda true)
No.
Roland Li's Good Luck, Have Fun is a great read to further understand what I'm about to attempt to explain here, as it provides examples thereof. Simply put, there's a level of truth to what you're attempting to say, but it's not the same as players believing that they are bad. Culturally, there's a reduced stigma to playing online games, resulting from most online games being social activities. You literally need to leave the house and go to social gathering places, internet cafe's and the like, to play online games. To them, going out to game is the same as hitting the bar here in North America. Furthermore, there's a much greater emphasis placed on practice rather than raw talent. Here in NA, we're encouraged to be talented. We expect there to be something inherently good about our natural ability to do something. Korea is not the same, and instead constantly pushes ideologies of hard work and practice. This can be mistaken as internalizing the concept that one is "bad" and working to get better, but it's not the same thing. It's an ingrained cultural belief that one can always do better, not that they are inherently bad.
Lastly, telling people they're bad isn't "just the truth" because "good" and "bad" are subjective. I'm bad when I sit down to play with my Diamond friend, but when I queue with my handful of silver and gold friends, I am viewed as one of the best members of the team. Meanwhile, my girlfriend who has been playing PC games for all of two years, and League for all of one, sees me as incredible at the game, as she struggles to play beyond a bronze level. So who's right? Am I bad, ok, or amazing? The answer will depend on which one of these people you ask, because "bad" is subjective, and convincing people that they are "bad" and they are playing against "bad" players isn't helpful to everyone. To a lot of people it's demoralizing.
A few things: I'm assuming you're in USA. I'm not a lawyer. I'm not an accountant. I'm 100% constantly terrified that I'm fucking this up every year, but still I have not met a lawyer. I have talked with an accountant, and things seem fine. I ran a 2 person Partnership LLC for two years, we just filed for S-corp this year to add 1 full-time employee. I have no experience with direct sales, so I won't talk about it much.
You don't need to do any legal/accounting now, but it's pretty wise.
The key thing is do your taxes. Self-employment income is slightly more complicated than normal employment income, but I believe there are still plenty of free filers (eg. Credit Karma Tax) that will handle 1040 Schedule C. This includes your quarterly payments if you expect to owe more than $500 to the IRS. ($6850 in earnings for a single, no children filer)
If you start making lots (let's say >$20k) of money, first, get an accountant. You can now afford it. Second, they will probably recommend you incorporate. At least an LLC, probably an S-corp. These will again complicate your taxes (the only free file I know of is doing it by hand+mail), but provide you with financial and legal security, S-Corps also give taxes breaks above "a reasonable salary" (50-65k/year ish?). These also cost money. You will need to get business licences at the federal, state, and possibly county levels. It costs me a couple hundred a year in Washington, and I file both personal and business taxes, federal and state. (No personal state tax in WA)
I have also heard that Steam requires a business name when signing up. That seems weird/wrong to me, but it might be something to look into. You might just be able to put your real name in there since Sole Proprietor Business Name == Your Name, by default.
In general, this is just the surface. The key most important parts with numbers mostly pulled from my ass. I was able to get free advice like this from an accountant, and I'd suggest you do the same.
From there, self-publishing is "really easy", just hand Valve/Gog/Whoever some money and a game. Try to make sure it's good, and try to make sure people know it exists. I assume direct sales are more complicated in that no one is going to tell you how much you made, but just make sure you have separate business accounts (banking, paypal, etc) for holding that money, and it shouldn't be too bad.
edit: I feel like I should have added more links, but really, just start searching for things. "How to start an LLC in X state", "How to run sole proprietorship", etc. The IRS website is not too bad and is the de facto source of info for this stuff. Your state's secretary of state probably also has a website with state-level guidelines for businesses.
I also bought this book and I really like it.
I don't work in the game industry, but maybe these books can help you out.
Books
Articles
Videos
Edit: Added more things to read and watch.
I just read "Good luck have fun. The rise of eSports." I'm 42 years old, male with two daughters. Thought it was great.
Here's the Amazon link https://www.amazon.com/Good-Luck-Have-Fun-eSports/dp/163450657X
I'll start. Though it's not exclusively about racing, I loved Stud by Kevin Conley. Conley's not an expert on racing, but his writing is witty and insightful, and the book is full of colorful characters he travels around interviewing.
Reminds me of a book I've been meaning to get...
the safest betting system is no betting, read this book - Betting Indstry and you find out bookmakers have always probability on their side
Point out successful women in gaming? I highly recommend Women in Gaming 101
Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business
Cowboys and Indies: The Epic History of the Record Industry
The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret
I know its past Christmas, but still good to keep some books around! Especially in the bathroom :) Here are a few of my suggestions
Masters of FX: Behind the Scenes with Geniuses of Visual and Special Effects
Inside VFX: An Insider's View Into The Visual Effects And Film Business
Cinefex ~ Not a book, magazine but lots of great articles!
John Carter shouldn't have flopped, but did so because of a variety of reasons, including poor marketing strategy. To learn more, check out [John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood] (http://www.amazon.com/John-Carter-Hollywood-Michael-Sellers-ebook/dp/B00AFCZ1S4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449727356&sr=1-1&keywords=john+carter+and+the+gods+of+hollywood)
It's an interesting read from a sincere fan of the John Carter book. But, Avatar was a successful movie by all accounts. James Cameron is a genius at building an immersive movie to a wide audience and he even created new technology to build this film. Another good book on James Cameron's approach to immersion, check out [The Art of Immersion: How the Digital Generation Is Remaking Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and the Way We Tell Stories] (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Immersion-Generation-Remaking-Hollywood-ebook/dp/B004J35KQI/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449727746&sr=1-2&keywords=immersion+book)
Avatar was, by design, a 4 quadrant, international, immersive film. Individual tastes may vary, but this film was "universally" enjoyed...pardon the pun.
John Carter was an excellent adventure film, that did not advance the genre, but was an engaging film.
Made to Stick by Dan and Chip Heath has informed my work as a content marketer more times than I care to count. There other work is also great, but this one is my manifesto.
Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction by Derek Thompson is newer and might not be on many folk's radar. In the vein of Tipping Point and Made to Stick, Thompson writes a fascinating story of how culture happens and why things become popular.
Yes! Kindle version is available at www.amazon.com/Good-Luck-Have-Fun-eSports/dp/163450657X
Not a story itself but there is a great book by Frank Rose about immersive storytelling which pointed me to some really interesting things, especially those making fiction using non-traditional media.
NewZoo does great research into the esports industry, they have a few free articles and data on their site.
I'd also recommend browsing this thread on esports research. The book "Raising the Stakes" is a bit dense and slightly dated, but thorough.
"The Exeutives" series on YouTube is really invaluable, just slighly dated as well. The series really breaks down the scene circa 2012 and provides a great model of the industry and where it is going.
"Good Luck Have Fun: The Rise of eSports" recently came out. I haven't read it, but would like to.
Hitmakers (https://www.amazon.com/Hit-Makers-Science-Popularity-Distraction/dp/110198032X) was really incredible, and was published in February of 2017 (the more current the better I think when it comes to books about social media). It's so interesting, and has great info for anyone looking to create really great content that resonates with their audiences. Seriously, can't recommend this book enough. I was hooked.
This is a big question that people have tried to answer many times before, and a gigantic question if you ask it about things other than improv.
I don't know, but my latest book to read while commuting is Hit Makers by Derek Thompson - I'll let you know what I find out.
Profitable Podcasting was really helpful for getting organized and providing a great guest experience. The book is focused on monetizing a podcast to a B2B audience (not our goal at Getaway Bus), but we found it to be a great resource. We found it at the library by searching "podcast" in the system. It's a new book and worth a read!
Your best bet might be to try out a social media analytics platform to see all the different metrics in action.
This is pretty much a textbook for digital marketing, very well regarded: https://www.amazon.ca/Digital-Marketing-Strategy-Integrated-Approach/dp/074947470X/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1482359607&sr=8-19&keywords=marketing
The Whuffie Factor is older, but it's still solid: http://www.thewhuffiefactor.com/ Tons of insight about community building, rather than link selling.
Social Media - The First 2,000 Years is great for understanding social media in-depth. It explains the appeal of different social media platforms, and looks to their origins in history.
The Art of Immersion is another good one on social media and entertainment, from New York University. https://www.amazon.ca/Art-Immersion-Generation-Remaking-Hollywood/dp/0393341259/ref=pd_sim_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JSFGKDE8WQC6FVMZ3G0K
So you’re saying that I can’t judge Riverdale based on what the trailer showed me if I haven’t actually watched it? I think you’re only partially right.
I. I'VE BEEN WRONG BEFORE...
Yes, there have been times when I misjudged a movie or TV show based on its trailer. I’ve liked movies for which I hated the trailer and vice versa. In general, these days, when I already know I'm interested in something I avoid trailers because they reveal too much.
However, I, and I assume you too, know my taste. All this to say that most of the time my hunch that I will or won't like something based on the trailer is correct. When you have an endless amount of good content to watch and very limited time you have to prioritize and make quick decisions. So I passed on Riverdale. Of course, as a critic follower, I leave room for them to change my mind about watching a show or film. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.
II. DIFFERENT PLATFORMS CATER TO DIFFERENT TASTES & AUDIENCES
I understand that Chilling Aventures of Sabrina & Riverdale certainly have similarities by virtue of being created by the same person. Nevertheless, precisely because of the nature of the different platforms they belong to, they have major differences.
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The CW which belongs to CBS is a traditional broadcasting network that makes its money from ad sales and content deals (licencing their shows to other channels & platforms).
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So traditional networks are essentially at the mercy of advertisers & ratings. If advertisers have an issue with the content they can threaten to pull out if you don’t change it. They can also demand changes if ratings are too low. Although I'm speculating, I have no doubt that one of the many reasons the CW passed on Sabrina is because it leans too much into the occult and satanism. Advertisers would have definitely objected to that.
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You also gotta understand that each TV network/channel has its own brand identity and targets specific audiences.
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III. DIFFERENT PLATFORMS HAVE DIFFERENT BUSINESS MODELS
All the platforms you're familiar with have very different business models.
A/ REGULAR NETWORKS**
B/ PREMIUM NETWORKS
Premium cable & satellite networks (HBO, ShowTime and other sports networks) make their money from subscriptions which are more expensive because they don't have advertising and offer high-quality expensive original content.
C/ OVER THE TOP PLATFORMS (OTT)
Internet subscription services (Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, etc..) make their money primarily from subscription & licensing content from TV networks & Movie studios. Most of them have no advertising.
Netflix is by far the best & most accurate platform when it comes to targeting audiences because of their advanced and unparalleled data analytics. Better than any other streaming platform. And better than traditional networks which rely on the antiquated model of Nielsen ratings which relies on a small sampling of households who are tasked with recording viewing habits in a diary.
> [Netflix] has replaced demographics with what it calls “taste clusters,” predicating programming decisions on immense amounts of data about true viewing habits, not estimated ones. It has discovered ways to bundle enough niche viewers to make good business out of fare that used to play only to tiny markets. - VULTURE
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If you’re interested in learning more about that I highly recommend Alan Wolk’s book Over The Top: How The Internet Is (Slowly But Surely) Changing The Television Industry.
IV. DIFFERENT PLATFORMS MEANS DIFFERENT KINDS OF STORIES & STORYTELLING
Imagine if Quentin Tarantino wanted to make a prequel series adaptation of Kill Bill. Do you think it would have the same look, feel and tone if it was on HBO vs The CW vs ABC vs Netflix?
Certainly not. It’s the same for Sabrina & Riverdale. And I guarantee you that these platforms expect you to know their brand & audience when you come and pitch to them. Netflix and HBO would probably give you the most creative freedom.
CONCLUSION
All this is is to say that I’m happy to give Riverdale a try but I doubt my opinion would change. I'm open to it but I suspect that at best I’d probably find it entertaining but not good which is acceptable but not the same thing. If you think Riverdale and other CW shows are great that's fine too. I'm not trying to be a hater. I respect your taste. :D
One of the worst things I've read here in awhile. It cites obscure research (because that's the only kind one can find that even approximates support of this diatribe), misstates the findings of that research, and then concludes we should pass a law that everyone knows full well wouldn't be constitutional.
Banning what just happened with Amazon would literally be illegal. The author - who I'm sure eagerly clings to the Constitution when its useful to do so - doesn't care because he has a super strong opinion on what is fair in US law & economics that he developed while studying for his undergrad in journalism and writing his book on pop culture.
You can buy that book, by the way! He'll use - wait, is that right? Yup, ok - he'll use Amazon to sell it to you for $30.