# Go the F**k to Sleep

> A leaked bedtime-book parody reached No. 1 on Amazon before its print release.

- Owner: Adam Mansbach and Ricardo Cortés; Akashic Books (US publisher)
- Kind: Book
- Sector: Media & publishing
- Seed date: 2011-05-04
- Milestone date: 2011-05-13
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak.
- Spread Score: 41 (Notable, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Transgression, Maker origin, Platform jump, Press loop, Controversy

## Summary

A Facebook joke became a book. Preorders rose after a preview; the full PDF then circulated by email and Facebook. It topped Amazon before the June hardcover release. Jackson’s audiobook and publisher-led celebrity readings followed.

## Timeline

- Jun 2010 — Adam Mansbach (Facebook) — Mansbach joked on Facebook that he would write a bedtime book with the title.
- 2011-04-23 — Adam Mansbach (Retail) — Mansbach read preview verses at an arts salon in Philadelphia before a Twitter wave drove preorders.
- Week of Apr 25, 2011 — The New York Times (Press) — The New York Times covered the preorder surge and said only a few booksellers had received the PDF.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/go-the-f-to-sleep

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Go the F**k to Sleep.” Case HIS-01620. Spread Score v1.3: 41/100. Updated 2026-10-23. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01620