To be honest, I was thinking only of "sales to people who don't normally read books/only occasionally reads" and not about quality at all.

In that case.  Yeah, it's still a lot harder to be a Dan Brown.  The only way to get said Hype is to be best at writing what the masses want.

This is a lot harder for a group of loyal fans... who you've known for years and gotten the chance to know.

Once you find your "inner" Dan Brown... you're there.  Just how any author is "there" once they find their fan base. 

It's a lot harder to find that pop success then it is to find success with a group who reads a lot more often... since you can get more samples of their writing.

I bet there are a lot more failed writers who were targeting "the masses" and wanted to be #1 on the times best seller list then there are people who wanted to write for a few specific niches... yet the niche "hardcore" writers are much more prevelant.

In fact most of them likely were aiming to be more popular but failed and now are regulated to being niche.

I don't know if you know people who read alot... I know a bunch. but they'll read ANYTHING. 

Literally... if they have nothing to read on they're reading lists they'll often pick up any book that's familiar... just because they NEED a book to read.  Much how most hardcore gamers... NEED games to play.  

Has that never happened to you?  There just isn't any good releases out... yet you've played through your stash... so you go with a game that previously you wouldn't of considered or were on the fence about.... but you've got nothing to play so you go with it?

The Casual doesn't have this by in large.  They are rarely going to buy a videogame just because they want to play one.  To get them to buy a game... it needs to be a game they want to play, because they have various other hobbies. 

Really? There are plenty of books doing exactly the same as Dan Brown, or movies doing the same as Titanic. How these get the hype they do certainly isn't just about writing what the masses want, but also to some extent (at least!) about luck in both timing and publicity. I simply think that part of the Wii's success owes to some of those elements.

(I also think that Dan Brown is pretty awful and the idea that good art is always popular upon release is simply wrong, but that's a different subject)

(Too late for me to figure out how to edit properly, so I'll just make a second post)

First, I don't think it's harder to find pop success than hardcore success - the kind of "success" you get will certainly be different, but probably not more easily obtained.

Buying games because I "needed" them hasn't happend to me since I graduated jr. high.

"The Casual" isn't necessarily looking for something they want to read/watch/listen to/play, but rather something they think they want to "be part of". Groups are pretty strong - people we know are one of our strongest influences in doing anything. The reasons why something gets to that point can differ greatly, but quality doesn't have to be one of them. Which isn't the same as saying that quality is never part of the equation.

When a friend of mine reads Dan Brown books, it is largely because Dan Brown is the only thriller author he can think of - not because there is something special about the books themselves.

I hope they both fail so we can go back to focusing on regular controllers instead of BS motion controls.

your wii predictions fail hard. 80 million by end of 2009? That would take a miracle. 

I already posted my on topic comment

No.  The problem is those other people aren't doing it as well.

They aren't as good at it.

I have just learned that companies do publicity because it's fun and they like throwing money out of the window.

Publicity is given to those worthy of publicity. 

Putting a bunch of publicity behind a bad product, inferior product or a product the people don't want only hurts your credibility.

Sure, but publicity is given dependant on ability to sell and who it can be sold to. Not quality in itself. Sometimes that publicity is aided by mainstream media smelling a story - again not dependant on "quality".