Self-branding gurus achieve bestseller success despite tepid critical reviews

Evidence

Gary is personable and charismatic and his aggressive methods have gained him many fans among aspiring entrepreneurs. He has almost 900,000 Twitter followers and was named by BusinessWeek someone “every entrepreneur should follow.” Crush It!, the book that teaches the Garyvee method of success, debuted at number two on the New York Times bestseller list; despite tepid reviews (Publishers Weekly noted that “his unappealing swagger—repeated stories of how he crushed it and dominated grate particularly—gives his story more the tone of adolescent peacocking than of worthwhile and sober business advice”), it has a four-and-a-half-star rating on Amazon with 520 reviews. — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 434

Categorization

• XREF: The gap between critical dismissal and commercial/audience success parallels contemporary debates about influencer authenticity and the credibility economy of recommendation systems. — connects to: Self-branding succeeds for few yet is promoted as a universal fix — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 525; Self-branding success remains exceptional and gated by networks of power — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 719; Self-promotion wins recognition that itself becomes a selling credential — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 447

Broader Connections

• Self-branding succeeds for few yet is promoted as a universal fix #expands (0.80) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 525
• Self-promotion wins recognition that itself becomes a selling credential #corroborates (0.80) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 447
• Self-branding success remains exceptional and gated by networks of power #complicates (0.75) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 719