Posts
Exciting News! How a Book's Title and Cover Are Chosen
12 comments Posted by Carolyn Kaufman | @CMKaufman at 9:00 AM
You'll all have to forgive me for being so very in absentia of late. I've had a lot going on with the upcoming book, but I'm excited to finally be able to unveil some information: the cover, the title, and the publication month. Since you're all writers too, I thought you might be interested in the process we went through to reach these decisions -- read on!
I turned in my completed and polished manuscript last October to the fab team at Quill Driver Books (hereafter referred to as QD). We took the holidays off and then dove into January with some fine-tuning in anticipation of the book listing going out with Quill Driver's fall catalog. (Yes, it's just now spring, but remember, publishing almost always operates months in advance.)
First, we changed the title from Nervous Breakdowns and Psychopathic Killers: The Writer's Guide to Psychology to The Writer's Guide to Psychology: How to Write Accurately About Psychological Disorders, Clinical Treatment and Human Behavior.
Why? Well, my original goal was to create a title that grabbed the browser -- NERVOUS BREAKDOWNS AND PSYCHOPATHIC KILLERS! -- and made her want to pause long enough to look at the subtitle and then the book. However, QD made a really good point: many, many people browse books online, and the subtitle often isn't visible. So we needed a title that made clear the book's purpose. We banged around some possible titles and subtitles and finally came up with one that not only clearly explained what the book was about, but was interesting, too.
Next came the book cover. QD had a design firm come up with three different cover options, all of them quite different. I asked some of the people I was closest to what they thought; meanwhile, QD discussed the options internally and also asked the book distributor folks for their input. In the end, we chose a design that best seemed to convey the concept captured by the new title. Seeing the book cover is kind of like putting on a wedding veil -- you realize in a way you hadn't before that this is really going to happen!
Most recently, I got a publication month: December 2010 -- just in time for holiday shopping! The book isn't yet available for pre-order, but it should be soon. I'll be sure to let you know.
In the meantime, I'm starting to think again about publicity. At the top of my list is the Archetype website.
I first created Archetype several years ago while I was building my initial platform. One of my goals over the next few months is to rebuild the Archetype website. There's a good chance I'll be starting from scratch and creating something that aligns even better with the book than the current site. Never fear -- I'll definitely be keeping the Q&A, though I may switch it over to a blog format -- blogs are so easy to update!
If you have thoughts or suggestions on the new site, by all means, now is the time to speak up!
More soon!
And there is something you can do to help -- buy a book.
Before you decide that you have a perfectly good library right around the corner, remember that writers who someday hope to publish need the publishing industry! And you can help insure that publishing will still be there, looking for great manuscripts, when you're ready to submit...just by buying a book.
So buy a book!
Consider asking for books from family and friends who need suggestions; also consider buying books for everyone on your shopping list!
Need some suggestions? Check out BookEnds agent Kim Lionetti's holiday shopping suggestions.
I read all the time, and I try to keep my AllConsuming list (at left) updated so you can see the kinds of great books I've found. I've also hand-picked the best psychology and writing books for writers and put them all in one place for you. Among them are books that helped me find and win over my agent, the magnificent Kate Epstein; books that give me ideas when I'm running out; books that give me hope when I'm ready to give up; and the psych resources I use when I'm writing!
New Article: Literary Agents - 9 mistakes to avoid
Summary: These days literary agents and book publishers don't have the time to critique your query letter or manuscript. They won't even tell you why you got rejected to allow you to do better next time. Let me give you the inside scoop of the top 9 reasons a query letter submission gets rejected. Use the list to check your next submission BEFORE it goes out!
New Article: Avoiding Publishing and Agent Scams
Summary: Agents and publishers will make money if an author's writing is successful. Publisher's will get their money either after sales or up front. Agents get their cut after the royalties come in on the author's sold book. If they do a good job, both deserve and earn what they make. The problem is with the publishers and/or agents who are not ethical, who take money without doing the job for the writer.