I wonder if all authors struggle with figuring out the title of their book. A self published author has total control over the end product, but this can be a double-edged sword. I went back and forth for months about what to name my book.
In its first draft (which many of you who have been following my blog for years well know 🙂 ) the title was Why Buy the Cow. Then a helpful friend asked, ‘Where’s the question mark?’ What? Oh. Right. It is a question. I hadn’t thought of that. Shoot. I dutifully updated the title to Why Buy the Cow? I was immediately unhappy with this, because it made me think this: Why Buy the Book? This wasn’t good for selling my book in general. I figured that if it made me have that thought, it might make others think that too!
That would be bad.
The next title was One True Love. I liked this title. I even did a little mock-up of a cover for it using free clip art. Then the questioning set in again. Was free clip art really free? Would someone object that it was their original design and I didn’t ask first if I could use it?
(Aside: Who would I ask? Mr Outlook?)
Self doubt: the killer of creativity.
So I went back to square one. What should I call my book?
And then I realized that the phrase ‘one brave thing‘ had been repeating in my head off and on for weeks, and I didn’t know why. And then, suddenly, I did.
My book was trying to tell me its name.
I finally listened.
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