How to Succeed in an Age of Distraction
by Derek Thompson
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American blogger, main author of the Wait But Why blog
Recommended by 4 notable people, including Adam Grant and Daniel Pink
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See customer reviews on Amazon →Hit Makers reads like a reporter's tour through the backstage of popular movies, songs, and apps, arguing that so-called overnight successes usually have traceable histories of gatekeepers, early adopters, and promotional networks. Its main strength is a steady stream of vivid case studies that make cultural momentum feel engineered rather than accidental. Annoyances include repeated chapter rhythms and a preference for storytelling over granular tactics. Practical readers may leave wishing for a tighter, more prescriptive how-to.
This summary and audience guidance are AI-generated from the book's description and its recommendation history, last updated May 2026. Recommendations, quotes and sources elsewhere on this page come from published material and are not generated.
Nothing "goes viral." If you think a popular movie, song, or app came out of nowhere to become a wordofmouth success in today's crowded media environment, you're missing the real story. Each blockbuster has a secret historyof power, influence, dark broadcasters, and passionate cults that turn some new products into cultural phenomena. Even the ...
Difficulty:easy
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View available editions on AmazonWhy recommended
Recommended by 7 sources and appears in Marketing, Most Recommended Books, and Psychology.
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
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Consider The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. Recommended by 8 sources.
“Soft-spoken, heavily illustrated fable built from short dialogues and watercolor sketches. Each spread pairs a spare line of text with a loose drawing, so the pleasure is visual and aphoristic rather than narrative; readers collect felt-true sentences more than plot. Most useful when you want quick consolations, a prompt for conversation with a child, or a pause during a rough day. Limiting if you want sustained argument, concrete advice, or tightly plotted storytelling: the repetition of gentleness can feel sentimental or thin after a while.”
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.
