Genre Specific Review Groups discussion

Reviews are coming in for our newest scifi thriller. Some are five star and no mention of the profanity. Some reviewers are put off by it, and focus on it and give it two stars. I would love to hear the opinions/experiences from readers, and from other writers, of using profanity with such characters as: navy seals, Russian thugs, and a foul mouthed lawyer.

The question you should ask yourself as an author: "Is the profanity necessary?" By that, I mean does it serve the story by adding flair to a character? Is the profanity overused? (After all, consider it a spice...you'd never dump a whole bottle of tobasco in a bowl of chili.) While some folks may always despise profanity and never want to see it, others could care less. The final judgement is up to you, the author, but I'd recommend using the profanity if it serves a story purpose.

A lot has to do with the cultural context. I come from the UK, where profanity in everyday speech is completely taken for granted, even (to some extent) by people with strong religious beliefs. In that context, not to let your character swear when provoked would make him/her 'unreal' to readers. But different countries and communities have different norms—which is why it's sometimes hard to market a book internationally!

Steve wrote: " In that context, not to let your character swear when provoked would make him/her 'unreal' to readers. ..."

I agree. This is what I meant by the profanity being necessary for the story.

Re: Living to Tell the Tale by Gabriel García Márquez.
One of the endless chain of hilarious passages is about a group of young bright authors (including Gabriel) who spend the night in "place of entertainment" - so to speak - but most of the time indulge in heated artistic discussions instead of heated corporal engagements. Then one of the girls shouts something like that:
If you guys were as capable of making love as you are capable of making talk, we would all be millionaires.
Now, why should not young adults admire this book, just like me?