Selling My Soul (In a Good Way) is a weekly journal
about my efforts to get a debut novel published.
I’m announcing a big change! Or, a little temporary change?
Why did I change the title of my book from FINDING JOHN MUIR to THROUGH A FOREST WILDERNESS?
First let me try to answer the why question. If I have Mr. Confident on one shoulder and Mr. Self Doubt (known to his many friends as Selfie) on the other, these would be the most likely reasons . . .
Mr. Confident would say that I wanted to have a title with more emotional wallop while still honoring the role that John Muir plays in this coming-of-age story. The new title comes from one of Muir’s most familiar quotes: The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.
Mr. Self Doubt would bluntly state that I’m feeling desperate. After all, no agent has requested to see any more of my novel. So, it’s like when a sports team—say basketball or football—is floundering and the coach is fired. The coach may well be the problem, but it’s easier to get rid of one person rather than a bunch of athletes. My one-page query letter can’t be the problem! It can’t my tidy 1.5-page single-spaced synopsis! It’s certainly not the entire novel! My “problem” must be with the title!
FINDING JOHN MUIR vs. THROUGH A FOREST WILDERNESS?
What do you think of each title?
Based on my research, there are no novels with either of those titles. While that probably doesn’t matter much, I’m comforted (slightly!) that both are unique. And, trivia, did you know that titles can’t be copyrighted? Though I’m sure most writers try to avoid it, it’s relatively easy to find movies and novels with identical or nearly identical titles but having different plots, characters, and genres. An easy example: The Outsider. Did you want SE Hinton’s The Outsiders or Stephen King’s The Outsider or tennis legend Jimmy Connors’ memoir The Outsider?
On a final title note, I know that many titles change. I am not the first desperate (er, dedicated) writer to wonder if I should change the title. My novel, if (when) it gets published may go through more title changes before it gets into the hand of a reader. What do you think will happen if (when) I find a literary agent who I trust and she suggests that another title (or my “old” title) will be a better sell to a publisher? Change it, baby! What do you think will happen if (when) my agent sells it to a publisher and the well-respected editor who works with me says Title B would be more marketable than Title A? Change it, baby!
I’ve sent out eight (8) queries since last week: Six of those were sent as THROUGH A FOREST WILDERNESS. Now, a total of 62 queries sent since April. And, with Labor Day and vacations behind us, I received four (4) rejections from Agents #50, #57, #59, & #62.
This was from Agent #59’s NO: “Many thanks for reaching out and sharing this with me. You have an interesting story to tell and there’s a lot to like about your approach. But, in the end, I’m afraid I didn’t come away fully convinced this was something I could represent successfully for you. I’m sorry not to be more enthusiastic, and best of luck in placing it elsewhere.”
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“I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter.” – Blaise Pascal