New York Times Best Seller Business Book
dubeyaayush07.github.io
dubeyaayush07.github.io
A better alternative is to read review articles in journals. They are shorter than books and will also give a more reasonable estimate of the certainty experts have in a certain field of results. For example, in psychology there is the Annual Review of Psychology, which generally publishes ~50pg readable summaries of literature by experts in the field. For the love of social science, please stop reading popular books on the brain/mind.
"The list is based on a proprietary method that uses sales figures, other data and internal guidelines that are unpublished—how the Times compiles the list is a trade secret.[3] In 1983 (as part of a legal argument) the Times stated that the list is not mathematically objective but rather editorial content. In 2017, a Times representative said that the goal is that the lists reflect authentic best sellers.[4] The list has been the source of controversy over the years."
>if and when they are included, are at the discretion of The New York Times Best-Seller List Desk editors based on standards for inclusion that encompass proprietary vetting and audit protocols, corroborative reporting
This seems to fit with another quote that a commenter here found for us:
>In 1983 (as part of a legal argument) the Times stated that the list is not mathematically objective but rather editorial content.
On top of this, there's likely to be biases in the information they receive: It's obvious that every large book store in the country (including all digital platforms) doesn't report directly to the NYT, and it would be very unlikely for there to be no bias in which stores decide to work with the NYT or not.
I realize I could read a summary online, but that takes the interpreted benefit without directly rewarding the actual author. I am paying for the ideas, not the length, and would love to reward the most efficient way to deliver that.
[0] Obviously I realize there are many great exceptions to this tongue-in-cheek take on the market.
I would also suggest mind maps channels on youtube. I was attempting to read more, but the condensed versions firstly allow me to understand if I want to read the book, secondly prep my brain with a basic understanding of the book ( I am a horrible reader with little retention ). Thirdly, it gives me a lot of the core concepts of the books.
It also free up my time which also allows me to spend time on things I actually need to read rather than just reading the current hype.
I listen to a lot of "How I Built This" and have noted that the vast, vast majority of the founders on that program will answer the "what percent is luck vs skill" question with 90 (or above) for luck.
This rarely seems addressed, specifically in the entrepreneurship segment of these books. Which is understandable as "get lucky" is not a pitch that is going to sell a lot of books. But it's unfortunate when some of these folks use blanket advice like quit school or quit your stable day job because it worked for me.
My rub isn't the lack of research, it's the lack of a balanced argument. For instance, Gladwell. Study after referenced study to support his theory, but rarely if ever a counter point.
Confirmation bias gone wild. Which in this day and age is understandable. It's the norm. What's disheartening is how this approach gets passed off - and generally accepted - as expertise.
Most / all of the good ones I have read tell one view of what led to success. I take what I learn and attempt to apply it to my own schools of thought and with any luck come out of the exercise with a more well rounded opinion than I went in with.
Your post seems to advocate for peer reviews in business books as well, don’t you think that unbiased reviews from readers fill that need?
There are services that trim them back.
The author of this joke piece is pretty spot on in terms of the non-scientific mistakes these books almost always make. E.g. correlation != causation, anecdotes != data and so on.