London (Reuters)-a guide to sharpen pencils and a manual craft about as tea cozies changed the world are among a shortlist of books published on Friday that are competing for the Oddest book title of the Year award.
The shortlist at the 35th annual award diagram also includes a study of the health of Adolf Hitler by Henrik Eberle and Hans-Joachim Neumann entitled "was sick of Hitler?" and "Lofts in North America: Pigeon Loft" Jerry Gagne.
These are against "How to sharpen pencils" by David Rees, "Doodle of God: the life and times of the penis" by Tom Hickman, Goblinproofing "Chicken Coop" by Reginald Bakeley and tea Cosies "changed the world" by Loani Prior.
Philip Stone, Coordinator of the prize administered by the industry publication the bookseller, said the award might seem flippant, but publishers and booksellers are well aware that a title can make all the difference to sales of a book.
Stone "Publishers realize that if a book has an unusual title, especially in a novel, can help make them more attractive to the public," he told Reuters.
«People that looks interesting and it will pick up and read the synopsis and that makes them more likely to buy it. "
As an example he cited "a short history of tractors in Ukrainian" which has sold nearly 1 million copies, and "The curious incident of the dog in the Night-Time" which has sold more than 2 million copies and was adapted for the stage.
"There's a cliché that you can't judge a book by its cover but I think people do, the cover and the title," said Stone.
The winner, chosen by a public online vote, will be announced on March 22.
The diagram prize was founded at the Frankfurt book fair in 1978 and won for the first time in the "Proceedings of the second International Workshop on Nude Mice".
Last year's winner was "cooking with poop," a Thai Cookbook from Bangkok resident Saiyuud Diwong whose nickname is poop.
(This story was refiled to correct a typo in the title)
(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith, editing by Paul Casciato)
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