As part of what NYTimes.com general manager Vivian Schiller calls “a larger strategy to expand our content offerings through smart alliances and acquisition,” the co-authors of Freakonomics are celebrating the second anniversary of their arrival on the NYT bestseller list by moving their blog to the Times opinion section, where it will share blogspace with noted public intellectuals like Stanley Fish and Dick Cavett. Unlike those blogs, however, this acquisition is not being hidden behind the TimesSelect curtain (which is probably coming down soon anyway), but will be accessible to all readers—a tribute to its already sizable audience. In a way, the move’s a bit of a homecoming, since the Freakonomics phenomenon began with a Times magazine profile of Steven D. Levitt written by Stephen J. Dubner.
Or you could view the move as a blatant triumph for the “platform” concept, as Dubner and Levitt have managed to keep the momentum going for two years in hardcover now, with no paperback edition in sight for the near future. “I think it’s crucial for the future of publishing that the industry find a way to maximize the Internet as a means of publicizing and enhancing books,” says Melissa Lafsky, who will continue as the blog’s editor. “Freakonomics has done a great job of branding so far, and this deal will only enhance the brand’s capacity for engaging a wide audience. I’m extremely excited to be a part of it, and to have a chance to write about the discussions raised in the book.”