Episode · Freakonomics Radio · 2023-01-12
Books mentioned on 530. What's Wrong with Being a One-Hit Wonder?
We tend to look down on artists who can't match their breakthrough success. Should we be celebrating them instead?
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
Why people recommend it: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat is an essential culinary guide that breaks down the four fundamental elements of good cooking.
Discussed“There is a good chance you're already familiar with Samina Nasrat's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, published in 2017, sold more than a million copies in the U.S. alone, and it was turned into a popular Netflix series starring Nasrat.”
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Own book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
“I wrote a book called Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat that took me a very long time to write. That is Sameen Nasrat.”
“If I wrote Chicken Soup for the Soul and it sells five million copies, now I want to write Chicken Soup for the Automobile, Chicken Soup for the Fountain Pen, Chicken Soup for the Computer Console; doesn't that make a certain amount of sense as opposed to the theory of shirking from the newfound creative identity?”