Do Controversies Help Sell Books?

[Orlion]

The DaVinci Code, His Dark Materials, maybe Harry Potter... these are examples that could be given that a work shrouded in controversy provides the best advertisement ever. But is that always so? Or are these examples simple flukes? Weigh in here, if you dare!

[aliantha]

I voted "of course", but not because the controversy lets the great unwashed know what the book is about. Regardless of the product, controversy generates publicity, and any publicity, negative or positive, promotes name recognition, which then in turn promotes sales.

I hate marketing. <sigh>

[Usivius]

controversy, or "publicity" as a publisher might say is ALWAYS good for sales....

[wayfriend]

Has anyone ever heard of anyone saying, 'gee, I was going to read that book, but then I didn't when I heard it was controversial'?

[danlo]

I was at CostCo today and had to control myself from barfing on a huge pile of Sara Palin's books.

[matrixman]

Has anyone ever heard of anyone saying, 'gee, I was going to read that book, but then I didn't when I heard it was controversial'?

Right on the money.

[Phantasm]

I voted "of course", but not because the controversy lets the great unwashed know what the book is about. Regardless of the product, controversy generates publicity, and any publicity, negative or positive, promotes name recognition, which then in turn promotes sales.

I hate marketing. <sigh>

Nice description


I voted "of course".

[I'm Murrin]

"There's no such thing as bad publicity."

[Cagliostro]

"There's no such thing as bad publicity."

I don't know about that. I suspect Paul Reubens ("Pee Wee Herman") has a different view.

[sindatur]

Has anyone ever heard of anyone saying, 'gee, I was going to read that book, but then I didn't when I heard it was controversial'?

Probably a very low percentage, but, actually yea, I've seen posts a few times by people who were considering reading something, but, their "preacher" spoke ill of the book and that turned them away from wanting to read it, and to ensuring they let others know they shouldn't read it either

I definitely believe controversy/advice not to read something will draw in more customers/readers than are driven away from it. Sometimes the fastest way to ensure everyone reads something is to attempt to ban it.

[wayfriend]

actually yea, I've seen posts a few times by people who were considering reading something, but, their "preacher" spoke ill of the book and that turned them away from wanting to read it, and to ensuring they let others know they shouldn't read it either

I'll grant you that. People can be turned away if they consider a book to be counter to their religious beliefs in some way.

But ... is that "controversy"? Or


But seriously: while I have seen that claiming a book contains heretical notions can create controversy, I don't think controversy implies heretical notions, or that the two are the same. It would be one that causes people to avoid a book, but not necessarilly the other. Wouldn't it?

[sindatur]

LOL, to Church Lady.

Religion was just one example, perhaps I should have said "their cause".

OJ Simpson's book "If I had done it" probably drove people away because they didn't want to reward him for getting away with murder (though he didn't get the profits from the book, it still rewarded him in a sense). I imagine a greater number were drawn to the purchase/read the book because they wanted to see what "really happened".

A more recent example might be Sarah Palin's book. I'm sure there's a number of Anti-Palin folks who think she's just an idiot and wouldn't dream of buying it, but, there's probably a great deal of Anti-Palin folks who would want to read it, in order to use it against her and her political allies, and those probably outnumbers the folks who wouldn't read it because they're Democrats or liberals, without any consideration of thinking she's an idiot.