As you might remember from my article about the things I’ve learned in my first year of publishing, one of the steep learning curves for me was trying to land on the right / unique / most appropriate book title.

I can write 100,000 words but finding a few catchy ones that encapsulate the story is nigh on impossible for my brain. To me, that’s a marketing skill. I’m not great at marketing.

My publisher and I have been going and back and forth on the second book, trying to find the best title.

There is so much more to this than landing a captivating title. Ideally, a title will:

· sum up or makes sense of the story

· fit the genre

· be easy to say and remember

· hook the reader

· lend itself to great design options

· be original AND not already taken!

Here’s a little bit of what my book is about:

When struggling, sleep-deprived first-time mum Gracie Michaels books one night for herself alone at The Maxwell Hotel she’s looking forward to recharging in a king-size bed with no demands. With time to recharge, she’ll be able to return to her family more like the unflappable mother she pretends to be. But when she wakes in a room she doesn’t recognise, next to a man who isn’t her husband, and then witnesses a crime, Gracie’s dream stay turns into a nightmare.

Planning to keep the events of that night a secret, Gracie begins to question her decision when the distraught family of the victim appeals for information. As the police investigation heats up, Gracie finds herself trapped in a maze of her own lies and deception.

To speak out jeopardises her marriage, but her silence threatens her son, her sanity, and her safety. Will Gracie destroy her own family by telling the truth? Or devastate someone else’s by keeping her secret?

It was originally called One Night Alone because isn’t a single night alone the one thing most exhausted mothers dream of? I’ll take a punt and say hell yes. The publisher thought it may lead readers to think there was some raunchy stuff going on … and the genre isn’t erotica, so we ditched that title.

The second title suggestion I loved was Lie Still. Ominous. Nothing good ever happens when someone is told to lie still. (Maybe it also sounds like someone is about to have a pap smear, so perhaps it isn’t as perfect as I thought.) This one was crossed off because in terms of the book’s plot, “lie still” is a command made by the male in the story. With a female protagonist, that didn’t work.

Waiting for the perfect title to magically show up
(*Photo by* *Guilherme Stecanella* on *Unsplash*)

Here are some others we played around with:

· Every Little Lie

· What She Saw

· The Lying Witness

· Silent Truths

· From Little Lies

· An Impossible Truth

· The Mother of All Lies

I liked each for different reasons but the problem with “lie/s” is that SO MANY books have it in the title. How do you possibly stand out? How do you make it not sound like you are copying Liane Moriarty’s famous Big Little Lies?

After a long discussion, my publisher reminded me that a title is not simply a few words on the cover. It is part of an entire package. The title, plus the tagline, as well as the cover art, the blurb, possible endorsements—they all play a role in enticing a reader.

So, drumroll please …

Welcome to the bookshelf: THE ELEVENTH FLOOR The view is a killer…

Cover art to come.

ALSO, the release date has very excitingly been moved forward to 31st Jan 2024. How fabulous to celebrate a book launch in Melbourne when the weather is not arctic! Those details will also follow in an upcoming newsletter. Can’t wait for you all to read this book!

KOx

P.S. We could make a little rap with the rhymes: The Eleventh Floor by Kylie Orr released into the world January 2024. Or not.

What’s in a [book] name?

[Un]reasonably outraged by … “be the best” mentality

[Un]reasonably outraged … by toxic gratitude