Razorfist's HBO Effect

At 1:16 in the video, Razorfist describes what he calls the HBO Effect, where an artist relies more on pleasing the critics for success than the audience.  Predictably, sales slump.  Listen to the rantmaster to hear how Marvel embraced it to its detriment, but just not at work.  Then consider how TOR and other publishers have embraced it in SFF, to the same effect.