Bookstore Uses Clever Clickbait to Encourage People to Read Classic Novels

litbaits wild detectives bookstore campaign clever clickbait picture of dorian gray

With its sensationalized subject matter, vague-yet-intriguing titles, and eye-catching thumbnails, it's hard not to give in to clickbait. Though pursuing such stories will likely lead you to a questionable page full of pop-up ads and even more beguiling links, The Wild Detectives bookstore in Texas has found a way to improve upon the controversial phenomenon. Cleverly called Litbaits, the bookstore's campaign ingeniously uses stirring headlines to coax people into reading books.

Last year, The Wild Detectives began sharing suspiciously scandalous posts on Facebook. With enticing titles like “British guy dies after selfie gone wrong” and “‘Teenage girl tricked boyfriend into killing himself,” they simply appeared to be classic clickbait. When clicked, however, the links did not culminate in a shocking story. Instead, they directed users to blog posts, where they'd find the full-text of copyright-free classic reads, like The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Other books in on the joke include The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and more. “You fell for the bait,” each post begins, “now fall for the book.”

The Wild Detectives outlines the concept and execution of the Litbaits experiment in a quirky video, which you can find below. You can also find The Wild Detectives' full list of free novels on Medium. Happy reading!

Scroll down to see some exceptional excerpts from The Wild Detectives' Litbaits campaign.

litbaits wild detectives bookstore campaign clever clickbait romeo and juliet

litbaits wild detectives bookstore campaign clever clickbait scarlett letter

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum:

litbaits wild detectives bookstore campaign clever clickbait wizard of oz

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley:

litbaits wild detectives bookstore campaign clever clickbait frankenstein

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson:

litbaits wild detectives bookstore campaign clever clickbait the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift:

litbaits wild detectives bookstore campaign clever clickbait gullivers travels

 

Dracula by Bram Stoker:

litbaits wild detectives bookstore campaign clever clickbait dracula

 

The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli:

litbaits wild detectives bookstore campaign clever clickbait the prince


The Wild Detectives: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
h/t: [Design Taxi]

All images via The Wild Detectives.

Kelly Richman-Abdou

Kelly Richman-Abdou is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. An art historian living in Paris, Kelly was born and raised in San Francisco and holds a BA in Art History from the University of San Francisco and an MA in Art and Museum Studies from Georgetown University. When she’s not writing, you can find Kelly wandering around Paris, whether she’s leading a tour (as a guide, she has been interviewed by BBC World News America and France 24) or simply taking a stroll with her husband and two tiny daughters.
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