Last week was the cover meeting for the sequel to CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN. This meant that I had to brainstorm titles (all of my suggestions were shot down...proving once again that I'm terrible at coming up with titles, something which is not news to me).
I also had to come up with suggestions of images for the cover. I scoured Amazon and couldn't find one cover that I could say "something like this" which was a bit frustrating but also means it hasn't been done to death.
For the first Hitwoman book I actually did come up with the title CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN and was thrilled (not to mention shocked, in the best possible sense) that it was the name the finished product bore.
I also suggested a skull (with pigtails!) and crossbones with a lizard waving out of one eye of the skull for the cover. If you've seen the cover, you know they totally ignored my suggestions about that and came up with a totally different, but eye-catching cover.
I admit that I was shocked (not in the best way) the first time I saw the cover art. While I thought it was beautifully executed, I'd had the other picture in my mind for so long, that I was taken aback. Luckily it's a great cover, so it didn't take me too long to get over my trepidation.
Tell me Killer Friends: What are some of your favorite book titles and covers?
Personally I'm a big fan of The Spellman Series by Lisa Lutz and love both her titles and covers (and the books are pretty awesome too!)
As soon as the title and cover for the second Hitwoman book are finalized, I'll be sure to share them here!
4 comments:
Book titles that tend to stick with me are the play on words type - like Eat, Prey, Love [not Pray], and the Outlaw Demon Wails, etc. I used Bonfire of the Vampires and Married to the MIB, hoping to catch readers' attention the way I get hooked on those types of titles.
All I know is, I can't wait to read this next book - you could just call it The Next Book, and I'd still read it.
Ahhh, my favorite titles. Granted, I'm a bit obsessed right now, but I really like the title Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone. It's different - makes me want to read on. There are so many 1 word titles now that sometimes I just want to see or hear something else. As for covers -- eek, that's a hard one. I'm a huge fan of Gretchen McNeil's cover for her upcoming Ten. I also like the cover of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. So many good ones though...
I don't really pay that much attention to covers. Sometimes they'll draw me over to a table so I can read the cover copy, but more often than not, I put the really snazzy covered book back and pull something else off the shelf. Like that Mrs. Something's Home for Peculiar Children. The title and cover pulled me over, but the premise didn't snag me enough to buy it. You got to have the innards be as good as the outtards, ya know? Otherwise, it's like opening a beautifully wrapped gift to discover Aunt Betsy gave you a ball of lint for Christmas. ;o)
Jennifer -- I think "The Next Book" is a brilliant title! I thought the title was quite clever for your "Interview With A Gargoyle".
Lindsay -- "Amelia..." is definitely the kind of title I'd pick up.
B.E. -- lol, that or it's like opening yet another ugly Christmas sweater!!
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