A blog you need to read

I'm blessed to have Wendy Lawton as my literary agent. She's a standout in the industry (Agent of the Year, 2007) - and is connected with one of the most respected agencies in the CBA (Books & Such Literary Agency).

For a long time the advice and counsel offered by the agents of Books & Such was a 'behind closed doors' affair. But all that has changed with the introduction of their new blog Between the Lines

Its more than a blog - it's a diamond mine for everyone who is connected to publishing. Take for example Wendy's blog about advances. Rich information that makes sense out of a topic every writer wants to know about - and hopes to understand.

If you are a writer, or interested in writing, I strongly recommend you subcribe to this blog - which will ensure you don't miss a post. It is simply the best informational blog about books you'll find online.

I bid you good writing.

I Didn't Fall Down

I just went out of town.

And, again, I failed to mention it on the blog before I blew town. Sheesh. Am I a rude blogger, or what?
(ahem...what are my choices under the "or what" category?)

But I'm back, I'm home and blogging again!

One thing I plan to do this week is re-read Janet Kobobel-Grant's post on titling. I need inspiration! I received an e-mail from one of my editors letting me know that titling on my debut novel is going none too smooth. For one reason, the novel is very different from many out there (think less-than-easy-to-categorize different).

I'm also looking forward to getting back into writing the sequel novel - I'm a good 20, 000 words in. Some of them are even in the right place. I'm having a blast writing this one. Has anyone ever told you that writing for a living is fun? It is. Oh, I know, I know. Everyone is so down on it, talking about how difficult it all is - and they are right. It's no breezy walk in the park. It's more of a breathtaking hike on a tightrope. But when it works - ahhhhhhhhh - life's worth the living.

So, look for more great guest bloggers coming up on the blog! I'll also write a blog soon about my adventures in publishing (and being published!) and dish the news on my debut novel.

How's your summer going?

I bid you good writing.

Janet Kobobel Grant Part Two of Titling Your Work

My deepest apology for posting so late in the day today. I was up late with family and friends celebrating Canada Day. Fireworks! Ooooo, ahhhh.

But, as promised! The second half of Janet's wonderful contribution, Razzle Dazzle Titles. Read the first post

(here, Janet adds to the first two "check points" of good titling):

--Does the title pinpoint your audience? Here are two examples: Hedges: Loving Your
Marriage Enough to Protect It, and Instant Message from God for Teens.

--Does the title set itself apart from other titles for the same audience? One of my clients suggested this title for a book on parents with prodigals (a topic that has inspired many books so the title has to immediately convey what’s different about this book). The author suggested Helping Parents Get Over Their Wild Child. I countered with Ready? Set? Let Go! How Parents of Prodigals Can Get on With Their Lives. Both of us were working to convey what was unique about this book’s message. You be the judge as to which one of us succeeded better.

--Is it memorable? Author Julie Barnhill said, “I think titles should be thought of much in the same manner as the names of children. You want something that rolls off the tongue.” Can a potential buyer remember it long enough to get to the bookstore to ask for it? An author had written a playful novel about a group of church ladies who had had it with planning Christmas for everyone so they ran away to Jamaica. The original title? The Christmas Club. The final title, which the publisher came up with: Jamaican Me Crazy. The Christmas Club is unlikely to stick in my brain, but Jamaican Me Crazy is so clever, I can get stuck in a traffic jam and still remember it by the time I reach the bookstore.

--Is it clever? Sometimes a clever title can cause a book browser to pick it up. Anita Renfroe’s The Purse-Driven Life (which came out during The Purpose-Driven Life phase) is an eye-catcher.

Other hints for making your title stand out:
--Use alliteration. Bubble’s Betrothed is a general market mystery about a former hairdresser turned reporter.

--Use a line from the book. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret is a classic example of how inspiration for the title can be tucked away in the book itself.

Where do you get ideas? They’re everywhere. Here’s a sample I found in my church’s bulletin one Sunday: Loved the Wedding, Invite Me to the Marriage. Love, God.

Other sources might be song lyrics, movie titles, a play off of other titles, or twists on commonly used phrases. Often it’s a good idea to create something new from one of these sources by playing off of the phrase rather than just using it.

Recently I saw a title for a book that recounted the history of marriage from Adam and Eve to the Renaissance and beyond. Our minds would immediately go the phrase “I do” for the title. Well, this breezy and irreverent book was entitled, I Don’t: A Contrarian History of Marriage.

Don’t be afraid to be playful when you’re brainstorming your next title. For sure, don’t be predictable. And do give your title some test runs with friends and family. Their facial expressions will tell you all you need to know.

Now, get out there and razzle-dazzle your reader!

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Janet, thank you for this great article! I'm inspired!

Okay, faithful blog readers - how have you been inspired by this article? Have you come up with the perfect title for your WIP? Share your ideas, titles, and successes here.

I'll be sending all of your comments on to Janet, who will reply all at once. I will post Janet's response to all your comments on a separate post. So, ask away! Janet is waiting to hear from you!

I bid you good writing.

Welcome Guest Blogger Janet Kobobel Grant

It's a thrill to have Janet as a guest blogger on Fiction Matters. She is a wonderful woman of God, and a prolific writer, in addition to being the founder of a literary agency. She's sharing with us her expertise in the area of titling your work. A colleague of hers has dubbed her "The Queen of Titles". And while Janet says, "That's hyperbole", she shows her expertise in this two part article called Razzle Dazzle Titles.


Janet Kobobel Grant established Books & Such Literary Agency in 1996 after working in the book publishing industry for more than twenty years. She had her own imprint at Zondervan Publishing and served as managing editor of books at Focus on the Family.


Janet understands the inside scoop on publishing as well, having helped to launch Here’s Life Publisher, managed her own imprint with Zondervan, and served as managing editor of books for Focus on the Family. Working in these capacities provided her with a strong publishing network, experience in negotiating contracts, and comprehension of each production stage a book must move through, from acquisition to printed matter.


Her desire to help authors create the most marketable, carefully crafted manuscripts and to see those authors succeed in their careers was probably born in the library she frequented as a child.

Here is a Sampling of Books by Janet:

With Fern Nichols of Every Child Needs a Praying Mom (Bonnie says: This book is on my "must buy" list!) A silver medallion winner





Several Women of Faith Bible studies.




The Breast Cancer Care Book (with Sally M. Knox, M.D. and a Retailers Choice finalist);

99 Annoying Attributes of God: Why God is God and You're Not
(Bonnie says: Don't you just want to order this one right now?!)


(There are more! But, for the sake of all you faithful blog readers, I'll save some for Wednesday's blog post from Janet)


Razzle-Dazzle Titles
By Janet Kobobel Grant

I recently was involved in a conversation about titling with several authors. Two authors had very different views on titles. One said, “’How to Title’ was left out of my gift-mix when the Lord called me to be a writer.” Another said, “I think I got my first book contract because of the title I gave it: Famous Jerks of the Bible. It still draws a lot of attention.”

Most of us probably fall somewhere between those two authors. But one thing we have in common with both of them is that we have to realize the title of a project can make or break it. I present more than one thousand projects to editors each year. It’s part of what I do every day. And I learn a lot from the responses editors give. Recently, I set out to pitch a project to twelve editors. Nine asked to see the proposal. One of the reasons: It has a great title. The Marriage Phoenix: When You Love Your Spouse but Not Your Marriage. The author wanted to title it: The Marriage Funeral: When Dead Is Better Than Divorce. His title was, uh…dead on delivery, negative and a real-downer. I turned the concept into a positive with the Phoenix title.

Another author wanted to write a book on worry but didn’t know what to call it. Actually, the author’s title was Managed Anger Jesus-Style. I suggested the title be Partly Cloudy with Scattered Worries: Weathering Your Fears, Fretting, and Fuming. After deciding on that title, the whole structure for the book fell into place with chapters entitled, “Anticipating a Storm: Fear of the Future”; “Ice Storm: How to Keep Wondering From Slipping into Worrying”; “Dense Fog: How to Wait Out Times When God’s Answers Are Slow in Coming.” And the publisher came up with a cover that matched the weather theme—all this was set into place through the title.

Titles have to carry a heavy load of freight. Here’s a list of questions to ask yourself that help to test if a title is bearing all the weight it needs to:

--Does the title convey the tone of the book? If you heard about a novel entitled Conflict, what genre would you suspect the book was? Suspense? Mystery? Women’s fiction? In actuality, the story was about a playwright who is afraid of conflict—so much so she can’t write conflict into her plays. The book’s genre? Romantic comedy. The novel eventually was published as My Life as a Doormat (in Three Acts). The new title is playful and hints at the play writing that serves as a centerpiece to the story.

--Does the title tell enough about the book to intrigue the potential reader? One author describes this as having both steak and sauce in a title. Example: Ann Coulter’s How to Talk to a Liberal (that’s just the steak) now here’s the sauce (If You Must). But don’t be so esoteric or literary that people can’t figure out what your book is about (especially for nonfiction). Here are two obscure titles: The God of Stones and Spiders and Twilight Labyrinth. But here’s an intriguing title you might have heard of: The Secret Life of Bees.
For nonfiction titles, don’t be afraid to have an intriguing title matched with a straightforward subtitle: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.


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Janet will be back on Wednesday with four more "tests" for your titles, and more hints for making your title stand out from the crowd (in good ways!)

Let's hear from you, faithful blog readers. How has Janet's perspective on titling your work got you thinking?

I know I'm impressed with her gift for titles, and inspired to dig deep for that perfect title that will 'razzle dazzle' an editor and/or agent!

I bid you good writing.