Hit Men

No object or idea automatically becomes widely known. There are invisible dynamics at work behind certain products, ideas, and movements that make them successful. Books, movies, news stories, and other cultural phenomena don't make it without outside influences, both pure and impure. Even the greatest creations fail to catch on if they don't appeal to others in the right way. In his groundbreaking book "Hit Makers," Atlantic senior editor Derek Thompson explores the makeup of modern media and culture and why some ideas succeed while others fail.