Why swearing in books doesn't work

We need to talk about stupid self-help books.

I was walking through a bookshop the other day. Something got my attention: the self-help section is filled with books with swear words in their titles. Like this:

That’s from some french guy. Then there were these marvels from Sarah Knight. Her books ALL use this:

Ignoring the fact that it looks ridiculous and forced to do this… I get it. People pay attention. You’re in the bookshop, going through titles, and then you spot this. “A swear word?!”. That’s a pattern interrupt. They got your attention.

The thing is, the guy who started this - Mark Manson, with “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” - was the one who won big. He did it before anyone else, people paid attention, and consequently he made a lot of money.

Now everyone is trying to copy it. With mediocre success. Perhaps soon enough all books will be like this. “The Little F*cking Prince” will become a children’s favorite!

The Law of Shitty Clickthroughs isn’t just for online ads. It’s for everything. If everyone uses nice packaging, then people stop paying attention. If everyone uses the same design style, then people stop paying attention. And so on. You need to stay creative.