Marketing Books: Do Quirky Titles Work?

Notice how quirky book titles are becoming more commonplace? In such a crowded marketplace, capturing buyer attention is increasingly difficult--therefore, quirky titles are one way to get a book noticed. But do quirky titles sell books? The answer is: sometimes.

Recently I gave a 5-star Amazon review to Your Gut Is Still Not Smarter than Your Head by Clancy and Krieg, because it's a thoughtful antidote to "blink marketing." The title is definitely quirky but the contents are not; judging by its ranking, Amazon buyers have been adding this book to their shopping carts.

I haven't read the following books but their titles are certainly evocative and intriguing:

• The No-Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One that Isn't (office politics - I've seen this reviewed in business publications)
• Presentation Skills for Quivering Wrecks (public speaking how-to - I found it posted on Amazon's UK site)
  

I'll add to this list as I come across more books with quirky titles.