Last weekend, I visited London with my daughter.

We had tickets for Matilda the Musical, showing in a theatre in Covent Garden. While waiting for the theatre to open its doors, we popped into a nearby cafe called "Kiss the Hippo".

Kiss the WHAT???

My book is "Kill the HiPPO". The cafe is "Kiss the Hippo". A little bit too similar for my liking.

Did I encounter this cafe before (it's part of a chain of stores)? Do I have a vestige memory from a previous trip to London? Was I subtly and subconsciously influenced when coming up with the name of my book?

I don't think so. I believe not. And I hope not.

How I came up with the name "Kill the HiPPO"

In early 2024, I was at a Product Tank meetup here in Barcelona where I live. I was chatting to one of the organisers about the research I was doing for the book, as well as the basic concept.

"Got any ideas for a title?" I asked

Without hesitation, he offered, "Killing the HiPPO".

It was so good. It used an inside joke from product management, "HiPPO" being an almost-acronym for "Highest Paid Person's Opinion". It was short. I immediately decided that this would be the name of the book. Even when I changed the theme of the book somewhat, I kept the name.

I asked if he was happy for me to use the name, and he said I could freely have it.

I reshaped it a little though, from "Killing the HiPPO" to "Kill the HiPPO".

Had the person offering me the name just come back from a trip to London? Was he subconsciously influenced by the cafe? I don't think so. I think is just a coincidence.

Avoiding influence

While writing the book, I've avoided reading too many books on a similar theme to my book. I don't want to be inadvertently influenced by what I read. (This approach isn't applicable to all non-fiction books. My book is mostly based on original research, rather than surveying the existing literature.)

Likewise, I don't want to be subtly influenced by the logo or typography of Kiss the Hippo. Unfortunately I've already seen it - and it is good. It's clearly the work of a good designer. When I commission a designer to create my book's cover, I'll take great pains to brief them to create something rather different.

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