Cats vs. Dogs: The Results
Last week, I posted the ultimate test of which is better: cats or dogs. I posed my cat Flit with a copy of Goblin Quest [Mysterious Galaxy | B&N | Amazon] and our new dog Casey with The Stepsister Scheme [Mysterious Galaxy | B&N | Amazon].
Well, the Bookscan results are in, and they’re a bit of a surprise. Sales of Goblin Quest were exactly the same as in the previous week. The cuteness that is Flit made absolutely no difference! I’m thinking perhaps an alternate picture might have worked better. (And no, that photo is not retouched in any way, except for the caption.)
So then I compared the numbers for Stepsister Scheme. Comparing last week (with Casey) to the week before (no animals at all), I found that Casey’s photo led to a 10.5% decrease in sales.
There you have it. Indisputable scientific proof that you people hate dogs! What’s wrong with you?
For such heartless cruelty, I can think of no more suitable fate than to let you dog-haters suffer at the hands of LEGO Cthulhu — with lasers! This was built by Flickr user ((Primus)). Click here or on the picture below for the full six-pic story.
Steve Buchheit
March 13, 2010 @ 10:27 pm
And here I always envisioned the be-tentacled one as a bit less mechany looking. Although, you know, that gives me an interesting thought. Like how they travelled through space, and how he can lie at death’s door so long that death may also die.
hmmmm.
Jenn
March 19, 2010 @ 9:40 am
You know, I think the real reason for the decrease is the prominence of the book in the photo. With Flit, the book was large, and you could see almost the entire cover. With Casey, the book was small, and you couldn’t really see the cover. If Casey had just moved the paw a little further down….but alas, the sales went down instead, as if inversely proportional to the paw’s position.
It’s a real shame, because I just read The Stepsister Scheme and loved it, which is why I’m looking through your site! Fantastic job! Now I need to go out and get the sequel.
Jim C. Hines
March 21, 2010 @ 6:18 pm
Thanks, Jenn! So glad you enjoyed it.
Hm … clearly this proves that Flit the cat is more market-savvy, and knows how to sell a product. Dogs just don’t have the same capitalist instincts.