YHL is NYT bestseller

[pinkeggs]

They just found out they are #6 on the New York Times best selling "Advice, How-to, and Misc." category.

Cool for them!

[natablue]

i know they get a lot of hate around these parts, but I'm really happy for them.

[hesitantbride]

It is an accomplishment to be sure to make the NYT best seller list. I am sure they and their publisher are very happy.

But I view this accomplishment a bit differently. This accolade has to do with their great marketing abilities, their willingness to display their life like a reality TV show, and their hard work.

Yet that hard work doesn't really have to do with design in any way. As has been discussed here many a time, the quality of their design is not superior. They are getting rewarded for their advertising know-how rather than superior DIY skills.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately in the sense that the flashiest thing gets the prize. We tend to judge things by how they are presented rather than the substance. I think this is even more true in the blog world.

So good for them for maximizing their advertizing skills. But I don't look to YHL for great design, which ostensibly is the point of the book. It is a paradox to me, and ultimately the flash wins out.

[mrs.jacinthe]

That's pretty awesome and I'm happy for them, even though I give them a lot of grief about some of their choices, they seem like genuinely nice people.

[SusanBAnthony]

Lol.

[lemondrop]

Nov 16, 2012 13:09:16 GMT -5 hesitantbride said:

It is an accomplishment to be sure to make the NYT best seller list. I am sure they and their publisher are very happy.

But I view this accomplishment a bit differently. This accolade has to do with their great marketing abilities, their willingness to display their life like a reality TV show, and their hard work.

Yet that hard work doesn't really have to do with design in any way. As has been discussed here many a time, the quality of their design is not superior. They are getting rewarded for their advertising know-how rather than superior DIY skills.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately in the sense that the flashiest thing gets the prize. We tend to judge things by how they are presented rather than the substance. I think this is even more true in the blog world.

So good for them for maximizing their advertizing skills. But I don't look to YHL for great design, which ostensibly is the point of the book. It is a paradox to me, and ultimately the flash wins out.

This is very well written!

[housegeek]

Nov 16, 2012 13:55:05 GMT -5 @crackhabit said:

hey, who deleted my reply?

it said:
lol.

Susan stole it
Lol

[TBM]

Nov 16, 2012 16:56:49 GMT -5 lemondrop said:

Nov 16, 2012 13:09:16 GMT -5 hesitantbride said:

It is an accomplishment to be sure to make the NYT best seller list. I am sure they and their publisher are very happy.

But I view this accomplishment a bit differently. This accolade has to do with their great marketing abilities, their willingness to display their life like a reality TV show, and their hard work.

Yet that hard work doesn't really have to do with design in any way. As has been discussed here many a time, the quality of their design is not superior. They are getting rewarded for their advertising know-how rather than superior DIY skills.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately in the sense that the flashiest thing gets the prize. We tend to judge things by how they are presented rather than the substance. I think this is even more true in the blog world.

So good for them for maximizing their advertizing skills. But I don't look to YHL for great design, which ostensibly is the point of the book. It is a paradox to me, and ultimately the flash wins out.

This is very well written!

My thoughts exactly....on both counts.

[Deleted]

Nov 16, 2012 13:09:16 GMT -5 hesitantbride said:

It is an accomplishment to be sure to make the NYT best seller list. I am sure they and their publisher are very happy.

But I view this accomplishment a bit differently. This accolade has to do with their great marketing abilities, their willingness to display their life like a reality TV show, and their hard work.

Yet that hard work doesn't really have to do with design in any way. As has been discussed here many a time, the quality of their design is not superior. They are getting rewarded for their advertising know-how rather than superior DIY skills.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately in the sense that the flashiest thing gets the prize. We tend to judge things by how they are presented rather than the substance. I think this is even more true in the blog world.

So good for them for maximizing their advertizing skills. But I don't look to YHL for great design, which ostensibly is the point of the book. It is a paradox to me, and ultimately the flash wins out.

Meh. This is true of half of the best seller list. Harry Potter, 50 shades, etc. were all on the list at one point too. None of those books are great writing. But the story was different, the marketing was amazing and a whole culture of people have been sucked in. Win win all around IMO.
What sucks for the few of us hanging out on a message maybe great to G. Public.
You're right, advertising and flashy sells but does it really matter where you have the skills as long as you have them?