Help me write a subtitle

Last night I had a nightmare that actually woke me up. I dreamed I was standing in line at a store with my parents, who are now in their 70s. They're telling a stranger that their son is writing a book, and he says "How interesting. What's it about?" My father goes blank for a second and then turns to me and says "I'm sorry, Chris, I've forgotten. What's the Long Tail about again?" So I get furious and chastise him for not caring enough to remember.  But in truth I'm just stalling because I can't figure out how to explain it to this stranger either.

What I need is a subtitle that can do double duty as a one-sentence summary. I started with this:

1) The Long Tail: How the mass market is turning into a mass of niches

That touches on some of the high points--the decline of the mainstream and the rise of niches--and it benefits from a little lyricism in the form of the repeated "mass". But I'm not sure that really is the best collective noun for niches. So I considered another approach at lyricism, our old friend Mr Alliteration:

2) The Long Tail: How the mass market is turning into a million niches

I quite like that one (I can justify the random precision of a million as poetic license and numbers, especially big ones, are always good), but I'm slightly concerned that it needs better context. Which mass market? Perhaps a "future of..." construction would help. Like this:

3) The Long Tail: How the future of business is turning from mass markets to millions of niches

The main problem with that is the sweeping nature of "the future of business". I could focus it on one thing--"the future of entertainment", "the future of shopping", etc--but each of those only represents a portion of  the scope of the book.  Another problem is that "business" is a supply-side word, telling readers that the book is mostly of interest to businesspeople. But I'm writing the book to be of equal interest to consumers--indeed, I see the Long Tail future as being something of a consumer paradise. Perhaps the way to do that is to make the point of view that of a shopper:

4) The Long Tail: How the rise of infinite aisles is turning mass markets into millions of niches

But does anyone know what I mean by "infinite aisles"? Of course I'm referring to unlimited shelf space and other ends of distribution scarcity, but there's always a risk of confusion when you're coining one neologism to explain another.

So all four of these have their plusses and minues. I'd love your thoughts on them (and suggestions of better alternatives), either by comment or email. Who knows: you might just see your words on the cover of a book someday.

Comments

[Snowy]

Fascinating discussion -- I've never liked the basic postulate that economics is based on scarcity.

Perhaps the dream is saying "the long tail" itself could be a more apt and memorable metaphor? Barring that, I think the subtitle should not only explain but also figuratively connect with the "long tail" metaphor.

The "long tail" image seems a bit vague. What's the "long" mean? How long? Infinitely long? What does "length" have to to with "millions? (Two different sets of measure.) What about the "tail"? (Several quick definitions of "tail" below); which sense of "tail" are you trying to conjure in your metaphor?

Again, I think the sub-title should clearly communicate in what sense you are using the words "long" and "tail" while at the same time connecting your ideas of economics, niches, markets, abundance, to your metaphor.

noun: the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body

noun: the rear part of an aircraft

noun: (usually plural) the reverse side of a coin that does not bear the representation of a person's head

noun: a spy employed to follow someone and report their movements

noun: any projection that resembles the tail of an animal

noun: the time of the last part of something (Example: "The tail of the storm")

noun: the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on

[Edwin Hayward]

A few ideas...

The dividend is in the details

Profiting from the hyper-proliferation of niches

Finding the individuals in the mass market

Infinite thin slices add up to a whole lot of pie

When every consumer is their own niche market

With enough grains of sand, you'll have a beach

[Kelly Bower]

How about "Mining the Mass Market for Niches". If you'd like to use, I'll trade for
a pre-publication review of your manuscript and an autographed copy of the book.

[Albert Markovski]

Snowy, you are quite right. I am trying to envisage for myself what a "long fleshy part of the human body that you sit on" might look like, and I'm certain I wouldn't want to buy a book that went on for hundreds of pages about it.

Clarity is of the essence here.

There is also the question of relativity. Whenever I read the phrase "Long Tail" I have to ask myself, "Longer than what?" One man's long fleshy part might be disappointingly short in relation to another's.

I am reminded of the great philospher, who said:

"If there is not sufficient depth, water will not float large ships. Upset a cupful into a hole in the yard, and a mustard-seed will be your boat. Try to float the cup, and it will be grounded, due to the disproportion between water and vessel."

[David St Lawrence]

The Long Tail: infinite riches in an infinity of niches

Works for me... :)

[Larry Irons]

The Long Tail: A Story of One to Many Niches

[Tim]

After skimming all of these, my suggestion is:

The Long Tail: The Big Impact of Small Markets

[chris anderson]

Many thanks to all of you for an extraordinary collection of great ideas. I won't pick favorites (yet) but I think it's fair to say that more than one of the ideas above will make it into the book in one form or another. And Roger, I think my subconscious was telling me that I'm going to miss my book deadline if I don't start cranking. No wonder it woke me up.

-c

[Vivek Lakhan-pal]

Hope it helps.

The Long Tail: How power to the few is fueling business growth and consumer choice

[baz]

The Long Tail: Mining micro-markets to monetize mainstream misses

The Long Tail: In markets, a miss is as good as a pile

The Long Tail: Wag the Market

[Roger Weizenbaum]

Eliza: Do you wish that you dont start cranking?

[Susan Getgood]

The Long Tail: How the mass market has fractured into a million niches.

Shattered also works.

[Anonymous]

The Long Tail: a study of non-Gaussian distributions applied to internet retail enterprises.

Pretty catchy. I like it.

[Oki]

I guess your target audience would know, but I'm not sure that the wider audience would know what a "niche" is... Just a thought. Anyhow - what about just: "the long tail" - anything more just sounds like corporate bs. ;-)

[Chris Campbell]

How about "from hits to niches" or "why the top ten doesn't matter" or "how the personal overcomes the popular" or "how less becomes more" or "how popularity is overrated"
I suppose if it could easily be summarized in a sentence there wouldn't be a need for a book...

[Michael Orecchio]

I really like #2.

[UserDriven]

The Long Tail - How small markets are becoming big business

The Long Tail - The world of infinite shelf space

[pheloxi]

some suggestions:
the long tail: made* for many to made* for one.

* you can replace made with created

the long tail: from conveyor belt to micro made (niche).

the long tail: modern times to mozilla firefox

* modern times is a movie with Charlie Chaplin about industrial revolution and mozilla creates browser some one can make their own version with extensions. it can be other more niche product with M, but is should be a M, because we live in the age powered by M.

I hope I helped a bit....

e-greetings
pheloxi

[colene]

The Long Tail: Consumers' New Role in Marketing

[Tim Oren]

Just to be an outlier, should this be stated from the market POV or from the individual's? The upshot from the reader/consumer/customer's view is that they will get what they want, to an unprecedented degree. The Internet and markets turn out to be an individuation machine.

This one s**ks a bit, but maybe it'll start some other riffs:

TLT: How Internet'ed markets will bring you what you want.

[Russell]

I don't have a subtitle to contribute -- a lot of the suggestions on this page are pretty good. What I do have is a piece of advice: in this era of hyperbole, don't date your text by claiming the "Death" of anything or using modifiers like millions and billions or infinite. The truth is, all of these "Panic! The paradigm is totally, completely different now!" books miss the point that no idea really ever dies. There are still railroads. There are still Ataris. People use them. Let's face facts: things are changing, yes. The existence of infinite shelf space has a great potential for many markets. But Wal-mart isn't going anywhere. Neither are malls or strip malls or Mom and Pop shops. They're all still around competing with each other. There is greater variety in the marketplace but very few things actually get completely removed from the marketplace, ever.

So in short, don't engage in hyperbole. It makes so many of these new economy books sound like tripe and marketing schlock. I think the idea of the Long Tail deserves much greater respect and so does its readers.

On that note, I vote for praktike:
"The Long Tail: The Rise of Niche Markets and the Economics of Abundance"

[JasonP]

The Long Tail: From the Mass Market to the Me Market

[Oli]

With all respect to those who made such suggestions, please don't change the main title at all: TLT is short and sweet, a new concept, yours, easily remembered and everything else I want in a title.

Of the ones I've thought of coming down the list, I like
TLT: How the infinite aisles of the Internet are transforming business
(possible modifications: changing, revolutionising etc for transforming; insert "shopping" in front of aisles (lest it be mistaken for a book about church weddings online...); change tense to "will transform")

Tense is an interesting part of the problem: present gives you actuality, the chance to be a part of it, nowness; future gives you promise, possibility, being ahead of the game.

In general, winnowing these many suggestions might be easier with a firm grasp of who the subtitle is speaking to: consumers, businesses or producers. For consumers,
TLT: Turning the Internet into a personalised superstore, or TLT: How the Internet lets individuals buy what they really want
For businesses,
TLT: What comes after the mass market, and how to make money from it
For producers,
TLT: How the Internet lets everything find its audience.

As a schematic point, I wouldn't necessarily rule out two stages: TLT: How [proposition one], and how that [proposition two]. This two-bite strategy might allow you to target two of the above groups -- say consumers and producers. It might also, and maybe at the same time, allow two tenses -- how [trend in present continuous], and how that will [desirable outcome]. But it might be better if the two parts could be kept parallel. And this way lies cumbersomeness (a word which embodies the attribute it decribes...)

Another possibility would be to get double use out of the "tail" concept. eg
TLT: how millions of small purchases can wag the big business dog.
This is probably too cute. So, as it happens, am I...

Moving further afield, you could always try reflexivity:
TLT: Why this book doesn't need to be a bestseller
(big advantage; on subsequent printings you can change it thus:
TLT: Why this book didn't need to be a bestseller but became one anyway)

Or we could mix reflexive and "tail"-playing:
TLT: What the world-snake must eat to make itself infinite!

[nellie lide]

how about
1. the long tail: riches from niches
2. the long tail: why the parts are greater than the sum (1+1+1>3)
3. the long tail: the infinte supply of demand

[karen]

I'm trying to get a book published at the moment and publishers just want titles that make the book jump off the shelves. So why would anyone want to buy your book and find out about the long tail? Presumably because they want to make money. So why not go for something very primordial

'How to make money out of niche markets'

[Pylot]

For a sub title how about "Mass Marketing to the Individual"

[Sunny]

Maybe a bit too gimicky but I couldn't resist..

"The Riches in the Niches."

[Sunny]

Now, I realize that I should read the other comments first! Apologies to Nellie.

[Jason Looney]

I'm probably too late, but here are my suggestions:

Dealing With Tail Envy

[Jon Husband]

Less IS More