You Do Judge a Book by Its Cover

In my post on Is Good Writing Really Enough, many of you were wonderfully honest about what leads you to buy a new book by an unknown author. I have to admit, I was surprised by how many said that the title of a book and/or its cover were two of the leading reasons why you bought a book. I don’t know why I should be, maybe it’s because I’m so frequently criticized for looking at things too narrowly that I assumed you would have bigger answers. I guess I assumed that because you harp on agents for judging from a simple query letter that you would judge from more. But there it is. I think you proved to all that whether we want to or not we do in fact judge a book by its cover.

This discussion reminded me of when I heard a Borders Romance Buyer speak at last year’s RWA. One of her key points was that when it comes to erotic romance, a naked or semi-naked man on the cover works every single time. And personally I think titles that are short and snappy usually work the best because, let’s face it, they are easier to remember.

From our own list I’ve always loved the titles Knit One, Kill Two and Red Hot Reunion. And of course I’ve already told you the story of The Accidental Demon Slayer, a title that had me from the subject line. As for covers, I remember very specifically the moment I saw the cover for Mystic River. I bought the book without even reading the back-cover copy.

And of course I spend hours, sometimes days, slaving away with authors over title ideas. I know that for some we’ve gone round after round after round trying to find that one perfect title that will grab a reader, while for other books the titles come naturally, fluidly. For some reason we hardly need to think about it because the perfect title is just there.

But what about you? What titles and which covers have spoken to you over the years? And let’s be honest here. Which titles and/or covers have you seen that turned you off, no matter how much the book was recommended?

Jessica

Kimberly Dean Talks about Flexibility

Kimberly Dean
High School Reunion
Publisher: Cheek
Pub date: May 2007
Agent: Jessica Faust



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Author Web site: www.kimberlydean.com

High School Reunion: Roma's high school reunion is approaching fast—and she's not ready. She has a good job, but she needs the whole package if she's going to make that killer entrance. A toned body, great outfit, and hunky escort are crucial. Fortunately, personal trainer Jake might be the eye candy she needs.



A Case Study in Being Flexible

In a recent post, Kim discussed the importance of remaining flexible when it comes to your work—particularly in regards to the story title. I thought I’d give you a behind-the-scenes look at what happened during the evolution of my story, High School Reunion, because you may be asked to compromise on more than just the title. As an author, the trick is knowing just how much you can bend, yet still feel comfortable.

• Be flexible on timing (aka having patience). This is the hardest one for me. I submitted the manuscript for High School Reunion under an option clause I’d committed to with Black Lace Publishing, but I waited a year to hear back from them. When I finally decided to pull my submission, my editor latched on to the story and wouldn’t let go. They’d just started a new line of erotic romance called Cheek, and they thought this story would be perfect for it. Would I be interested in changing lines? Um, let me think about it. . . . Yeah.

• Be flexible on unimportant content. My editor was concerned because my lead female character was named Rory, which is primarily a man’s name in England. (Cheek is a British publishing house.) Would I mind changing it to Roma? No big deal. That’s a cute name, too, and Word has this nifty little feature called “replace all.”

• Be flexible on titles. High School Reunion was initially titled Body Heat. My editor thought this had been overdone. She wanted something catchy, sexy, and current. Yet when she proposed High School Reunion, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. I don’t see that as being catchy, sexy, or current in any way. However, she thought that readers could relate. I conceded on this point, but it’s still my least favorite title of anything I’ve published. I bowed to her marketing sense on this one. Would I do it again? I don’t know.

• Be flexible on edits. When edits came back, my editor wanted a significant addition. She requested that more conflict be added by making one of the villains also Roma’s rival for Jake’s attention. I thought this was a great idea. What I didn’t consider great was that I was asked to do this in a week. I absolutely drew the line at that. I can not take apart a puzzle, add more pieces, and put it back together with any semblance of order in a week. I negotiated for more time. Know when being flexible might break you.

In the end, my editor was very happy with the finished product. So was I. While there had been many changes, the story was still mine—and the changes were mostly for the better. High School Reunion has received some of my best reviews to date, and now it’s being re-released in mass market format. Yay!



Feel free to ask Kimberly questions in the comments section. She'll pop in during the day to answer them.

To learn more about Kimberly Dean, see Our Books at www.BookEnds-Inc.com.