Judging a Book By its Cover Info: Does a Title Sell the Book?

by Augusta Scattergood

This go-around’s topic is Advice to New Authors About How to Market a Book.

I’ll be reading these posts very carefully. That new author looking for advice would be me.

When my book comes out in one year, I’ll have memorized fellow middle-grade novelist Kerry Madden’s helpful post on the topic. (Thanks, Kerry, and I already have my bag of props ready!) And I’ll scour the internet, pick my writer friends’ brains, listen to my publisher’s publicity people—anything that helps my book get into the hand of young readers.

In the meantime, I’m working hard to make it the best written book I could possibly imagine. Many edits. Much research. But there’s one more thing I think I can do, very early on, to make my book stand out among the hundreds of debut novels hitting the shelves next year.

Although I suspect I’ll have minimal control over my book’s cover, I do have some say about the title. Right now. Since my editor didn’t love my working title—and true confessions, neither did I— we’re working on something new.

Sadly, I Stink at Titles.

I know a lot of tricks for choosing them, but I need much inspiration and lots of help from my friends. 

In fact, I’ve compiled a list of Ways to Choose Titles. The problem is, especially with kids or Young Adult books, these suggestions can become dated very fast.

But here are a few timeless, or perhaps timely, ideas for mulling over your book’s moniker. My abbreviated list:

1.     Ask a question

2.     Create a mood

3.     Combine opposites

4.     Pay attention to the sounds

5.     Tease your audience

6.     Put Google to work for you (Google movie quotes, top ten book lists, Best sellers, etc. Then play around with combinations.)

As I mull over my upcoming middle-grade novel's title, I’m thinking:

Does a preposition in the title help? Moon Over Manifest just won the Newbery Award. Can’t argue with that. 

How about using a character’s name? A dog’s name? As tricky as this title is, nobody ever forgets Because of Winn-Dixie.

I spent most of my library career at schools filled with excited readers. They traded favorite titles like the coolest silly bandz. Sometimes the exact words of a title eluded them, but if a student loved a book, she talked about it to her friends, spreading the word. And if the title was a zinger, they never forgot it, or the book. Nobody ever stumbled over Nothing’s Fair in Fifth Grade or Judy Blume’s Blubber. Kids loved asking for The Candymakers and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. And why not? Great, appealing, kid-like titles.

Then again, one of my favorite recent books was When You Reach Me. And I cannot for the life of me be sure that’s the exact title. It just does not stick in my brain the way How to Steal a Dog does. And I’ve read When You Reach Me at least three times.

Consider poor Stieg Larsson. Ha. Not poor in the least. But also not so great at title-picking. As reported in a just-translated memoir by Kurdo Baksi, Stieg Larsson, My Friend, his working titles were the feeble The Witch Who Dreamt of a Can of Petrol and Matches and The Exploding Castle in the Air...

Ugh. Give me Girl With The Dragon Tattoo over those dogs of titles anytime.

And speaking of Dog Titles- Here’s a website that offers a different take on choosing titles.

I suspect book jacket art has more sway with purchasers, as do personal recommendations, love of the author, general chatter about a book-- not to mention glowing reviews. At least that’s my feeling about how kids (their parents and their librarians) choose books.

And, still,  I’m wondering, how much does a title influence a book’s sales? Do you gravitate toward a book because of the cover and particularly the title? What are your worst titles ever?  Your best?

Because I sure would like to nail this title thing. And I sure do stink at finding a great one.

 

Augusta Scattergood’s first middle grade novel, 
historical fiction set in 1964 Mississippi, 
will be published by Scholastic in Spring, 2012. 
It is, as yet, untitled.

shhh, pass it on...private thoughts on publicity

By Nicole Seitz

God bless her heart, there's a cute little entertainment reporter who started talking after the Grammy awards last night and right in the middle started speaking gibberish, as if she was having a stroke or speaking in tongues, or one of those pig-latiny languages we used to make up as children.

You can Google it if you need to, but I feel for this woman. She's young. She's got a lot on her mind. She's got a big job, a very public job, and she's trying her hardest to get her words out there just right, and then all of a sudden there's a misfire. My prayers are with her tonight. Part of me knows how she feels. Part of me thinks we're all just one brain misfire from getting our words to come tumbling down around us in a jumbled mess....much like the main character in my latest book, The Inheritance of Beauty. Except Magnolia is almost 90 years old and wheelchair bound and trapped somewhere behind her eyes with thoughts of the past as clear as day and "I love you" on her lips but never making it to her sweet husband's ear.

I love being a writer and getting to be a voice for those who have no voice. It's rewarding--yes, rewarding is a good word--when you care about someone, even a character, and want to help them communicate their messages. Communication is important. It's part of being human. If you have something important to say, you must say it yourself as often and as loudly as you can. If you can.

This is the truth of being an author in this decade.

So speaking of getting the word out... What can I say? There is good publicity and then there is...well, you remember that game you used to play as a kid where you would say into the ear of the person to your right a sentence, and then that person would relay it to the next and then the next until the whole circle of folks had been whispered to, and the last one beside you on the left would stand up proudly and declare what it was you said...only it's NOTHING like what you said in the first place, and everyone just dies laughing?

"I have a new book out called The Inheritance of Beauty."
"I have a new lookout, call the caravans of beauty."
"Why haven't you put out all the caravans of booty?"
"Wipe your shoe poo out, all the bear ants are puny."
"Wipe your shampoo out, all the parents are moody."

Huh? Wipe your shampoo out? The parents are moody? Is that what I said?

YES, the parents ARE moody! Why? They're writing and trying to sell books!

Listen, if you're an author, sometimes you have reason to be moody. Getting the right people to read and talk about your book is not easy! Face it, you've worked so hard not only to write and sell the book but then then to work for a year with your publisher trying to get it out the door and into stores. And then when it's time, you want to take a deep breath and let other people take the reins and relay the message: "There is a NEW book out by an AMAZING author, and it's a GREAT book, and you should read it and tell EVERYONE you know!"

But sometimes, that doesn't happen, does it? Sometimes, you have to pick those reins back up. Sometimes you feel like that initial whisper into the wind got distorted or watered down along the way and if you don't get back out there and tell everyone again, "Hey, I worked really hard to write a great new book! Tell a friend!"-- that your words are lost out there like gibberish falling down around feet, like whispers morphing and changing shape in the wind.

As authors, we depend on our publishers and publicists and marketing people to get the word out, but being an author means you have a message...YOUR words. And sometimes, when all the hoo-hah has died down and the big events are over and publicists (God bless them!) have moved on to a newer book, there's still little old you, holding your microphone, trying to get your story out to another person who might need to or like to hear your message. And you just pray the words come out clearly...one. last. time.

I have a new book out called The Inheritance of Beauty.
I have a new book out called The Inheritance of Beauty.
I have a new book out called The Inheritance of Beauty.
Won't you read it?

shhh. Pass it on...

----------------------------------------------------------------

Nicole Seitz with Shellie Rushing Tomlinson at the Pulpwood
Queens Girlfriend weekend in Texas last month.

Nicole Seitz is a South Carolina Lowcountry native, mother, wife, art teacher, illustrator and novelist. She is pleased to have just released her fifth novel, The Inheritance of Beauty, if you haven't heard. The book is getting very nice reviews from readers, and Nicole is happy about that. She also feels blessed to have amazing publicists, publishers, readers and a biased but lovely mother who tells people all about her books. Just yesterday she was on the radio show of one of A Good Blog is Hard to Find's best and brightest talents, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson. They had a very nice chat on her porch, and you can listen to it here. You can also visit Nicole's website at http://www.nicoleseitz.com/ and find her on Facebook and Twitter @nicoleseitz, if you're so inclined. Happy reading, friends. Spread the word.

THE ART and AGONY of the Author Photo

The ART and AGONY of the Author Photo
(I usually blog about southern writing here but beggin’ your pardon, can I go off topic just a teeny weeny bit? Thank you.)
Who’s idea was this? This book jacket photo thing? This Press Kit thing? Do you know the agony that I’ve experienced from this? Okay – some of you do and some of you don’t. Let me make this clear. I don’t like having my picture taken as evidence by the fact that my hand is usually covering part of my face - even as a child. As a matter of fact, my mother in all her grown up glory decided when I was about five years old and still an only child prior to sister being born that the thing she needed to do was get dressed up, dress me up, and then both of us sit our dressed up selves down for our professional mother and daughter photograph in a real studio. I remember this moment clear as can be. The big empty room, the big lights, the shadowy man behind the camera that I SWEAR was saying something like, “Look at the birdie!” He squeaked horns, flapped his arms, stood on his head, told funny jokes – all to the no avail to my stone freezy five year old face that was not amused. Which of course caused my mother’s face not to be amused as this event was definitely not turning out as she had planned. And she had to pay for it plenty. She bought the pictures anyway. Maybe she had to. I must say our dresses looked very pretty. And so did we. In a stone freezy kind of face way.
Back to the Author Publicity Photo. First, we are supposed to look what???? WHAT I ASK YOU? Intelligent? Warm? Fuzzy? I look drunk and cock-eyed in most my pictures. Smarts doesn’t play much into it. We are supposed to look aloof like we don’t care - yet approachable. Loveable, and laughable and like we have a great sense of humor and would be somebody’s bestest great friend ever. We are supposed to be skinny, well endowed, muscular, healthy, snappy, snazzy, with it - and yet - above it all and removed from it. Like being on a pedestal with an apron on while baking cakes with the perfect hairdo. Oh wait – that was the 50’s.
I was once sitting behind two women at a book festival while we were all waiting for an author to come on stage and speak. When she did they opened her book to the author picture, gave one another catty looks and one of them said, “Not in a million years.” The other one lifted an eyebrow and nodded her agreement. I swear they did. I wanted to bonk their heads together like something from the stooges. (Sorry – just telling the truth.) Not on my account mind you but for dear women everywhere who are trying their best to take a photo that doesn’t make them look like Ronald McDonald on hormones.
This picture you see of me? Well, a dear, dear lady took it with me complaining, fussing, squinting, and shutting up just long enough for her to snap it. I had the most precious friend with me for moral support who was just behind the camera making smiley faces at me. It was taken three years ago. I kept promising the publisher to get a new picture taken and kept promising and promising and promising until they said – TOO LATE! And Snatched this one up as it was time to go to print. Okay, the the real life part is, I still own that jacket and wear it, and I do stand with my arms crossed a lot but I like to think I am much more approachable in a drunk –looking cockeyed kind of way than the picture suggests. Matter of fact, just me personally, it looks just a tad stand=offish of which I am not. I am shy and introverted believe it or not and on occasion will pull into my shell and slide along the walls of any public gathering trying to practice my invisibility skills.
Now plenty of my author friends have great author photos and great hair and great highlights. Denise Hildreth takes a glorious picture which is why she is in commercials in real life (really) and J.T. Ellison has killer hair just like her writing and Tasha Alexander just makes us all sick cause she’d look good on the 10th day of a 12 day flu if you took her picture wearing sweat pants that had been slept in for six months without seeing the inside of a washer. And Kathy Patrick just glows no matter what she’s wearing. But some of us cry, gag, and drag if we have to get in front of a camera. (I have literally called my mother crying because I had an interview with a reporter that day and they were going to take MY PICTURE AND PUBLISH IT IN THE PAPER.) Some of us really struggle to look relaxed or to look normal of which we are neither. This isn’t just a woman thing either. I have men friends who are authors and always struggling with their author photos, too.
They are supposed to look intelligent but not insane, virile but not viral. One particular man kept fussing over his picture in every book. You could tell it was driving him crazy. He kept saying, “You know you have to give the publisher a great photo but they don’t pay for a photographer or the studio!” Then he’d turn through his author photos and point saying, “Serial Killer. Serial Killer. Serial Killer. Ax Murderer. Serial Killer.” Don’t worry, I tell him. We all look a little dangerous when caught in an unforgiving flash.
So I ask you, dear readers please be gentle with us when you see those photo’s - even if they are backlit and we’ve had our dark circles and bloodshot eyes touched up a bit from all these deadlines and drafts. While you’re in a forgiving spirit, help us to forgive ourselves for being less than ageless, model perfect. And to remember that it’s not the size of the waist, or the bulge of the biceps, that lead a reader to drink in a story but the words we carve out one page at a time.
So, with a deep breath and a sigh of relief, let’s raise a glass, and offer a toast - and a smile!

River Jordan is a a storyteller of the southern variety. Jordan’s novel The Messenger of Magnolia Street, (Harper Collins, Harper One) was published in January 2006. Kirkus Reviews describes the novel as “a beautifully written atmospheric tale.” The Messenger of Magnolia Street was applauded as “a tale of wonder” by Southern Living Magazine who chose the novel as their Selects feature for March 2006 and by other reviewers as “a riveting, magical mystery” and “a remarkable book.” Her first novel, The Gin Girl, (Livingston Press, 2003) has garnered such high praise as, "This author writes with a hard bitten confidence comparable to Ernest Hemingway. And yet, in the Southern tradition of William Faulkner, she can knit together sentences that can take your breath." Florida Today Ms. Jordan teaches and speaks on ‘The Power of Story,’ around the country and produces and hosts the radio program, River Jordan Radio on 98.9fm Nashville. She has just finished a new work of fiction, Saints In Limbo, on sale May 19th, and lives with her husband in Nashville, TN. You may visit the author at www.riverjordan.us